Salon Reception
Domain focus
Salon Reception tests the front desk as the control point of the business: appointments, client records, telephone and digital enquiries, payments and confidentiality. Questions target booking logic, customer service under pressure and accurate record keeping.
Core rules
- Greet every client within a short, defined time; offer a seat, cloakroom and refreshment; keep the desk clear of client records.
- Capture at booking: full name, contact, service, stylist preference, estimated duration, price quoted, deposit taken, patch-test status and any allergy.
- Schedule realistically: colour, relaxer and braiding need longer blocks; leave buffers so one overrun does not collapse the day.
- State cancellation, late-arrival and deposit policies at the time of booking, not at the time of conflict.
- Answer the phone within three rings with a standard greeting, salon name and your name; ask permission before putting a caller on hold; take a written message.
- Issue a receipt for every payment; reconcile the float and till at close; never hold client cash in a personal pocket.
- Record cards are confidential: store them securely, share only on a need-to-know basis and never discuss one client's service with another.
- Manage walk-ins by checking the column honestly and offering the next realistic slot.
Worked example
A client phones two hours before a colour appointment to cancel. Reasoning: check the policy before replying, offer the next two slots, note the cancellation on the record, tell the stylist so the column can be filled, and confirm the outcome in writing. Arguing or waiving the fee without authority creates inconsistency.
Traps
Quoting a duration without checking the stylist's pace; taking a deposit without a receipt; writing bookings on loose paper; promising a service you cannot deliver.