What is a salon manual and why you need one

Procedure manuals - they sound like something you would definitely want to avoid. You are a hardworking salon or spa owner, who simply does not have time to doodle in a notebook - plus, you have an entire salon management system to help you run your business more smoothly. However, this is one paper notebook you do not want to be caught without!

What is a salon procedure book?

It is nothing more than a paper notebook, but what you write in it makes all the difference. To put it simply - it is a manual for staff to follow if for some reason you are out of the business. In it you should keep a number of notes to help your team in case any unpredicted situation arises.

What should you include in your manual?

Have only the most important information in your salon policy and procedure manual. Anything from health and safety procedures, treatment techniques (in case someone forgot!), how to find sales data or change appointments in the Booksy system, as well as information on when to do inventory reports. You may want to consider purchasing tabs in order to mark specific sections in your book. By labelling them accordingly, staff will have it more easy to find what they are looking for. Although your salon or spa manager should be the person to keep an eye on the manual, it would be best to let the whole team make use of it. Since it is a paper book, there is a chance it may get lost or ruined, so make sure it is kept in a safe area that everyone has access to!

Getting started

So, you have decided to write your own salon policy and procedures manual - great! However, do not expect to finish it in a day's time. A well-written manual should be composed of the most important tasks you would like your staff to accomplish. Whether it is ordering foils every last Friday of the month, doing a tally of the number of appointments each staff member had, or regularly checking the functioning of equipment and if any scissors need to be shipped for sharpening. Creating such an extensive list of duties you would like your staff to regularly undertake requires you to brainstorm everything. You may also want to avoid assigning tasks that give staff access to sensitive material, such as your yearly cash inflow, credit cards, or even contact information to clients. Giving staff access to client contact information can be risky! If a staff member decides to leave your salon, they might take your clients with them. Enable Booksy’s security warning to be notified if any staffer opens too many contact details in a short period of time! Read more about data security here.

The manager’s role

Most salons and spas have an on-site manager, who deals with organisational matters around the business. Anything from creating staff work schedules, doing stocktakes, reading sales reports, or creating marketing campaigns and encouraging a client to book another visit after a spa procedure. A salon or spa manager should be someone who you have absolute trust in, as they take the role of a substitute business owner, and are responsible for everything when you are away. If you have a manager, let them be in charge of the salon manual, from which they should distribute tasks among staff members and leave assignments dealing with sensitive data for themselves (more about the manager's role and duties you can read here).

Extra ideas

Most salon and spa teams have assigned staff members to specific tasks, which is great in most cases. Stylist A is in charge of regular instrument maintenance, Stylist B creates a supply shopping list at the end of the week, and Stylist C refills the retail shelves with products. Everyone is familiar with their duties, but unfortunately, it may also cause a problem. If a stylist who is assigned to finalising specific tasks is away, another staff member needs to take on those duties - the problem arises when they do not know how to do something. To avoid such situations, make sure your salon or spa manual does not have staff members assigned to specific duties - it is best to distribute tasks randomly among staff, so that each member is familiar with a variety of duties.

Let’s face it - working without a salon manual can be an uphill battle. You leave the business for most of the day and it becomes complete chaos. By implementing a well-devised manual, phone numbers, procedures, tasks and more are all in one spot, and with the help of your Booksy system, completing the daily tasks is as easy as it gets! Find an ideal salon manual and create your Booksy account today!