Tips To Protect your Salon from Covid-19

Take advice from reputable sources only

There is a lot of misinformation out there, so don’t get sucked in. The World Health Organisation is a great resource for advice and information, so we’ve summarised some of their recommendations to help you protect your business.

Get the message out there: sick clients need to rebook

If clients that have upcoming appointments are ill, ask them to rebook. You can let them know about this in a number of ways:

1. Add a sign on the front door of your salon outlining your appointment policies and expectations around illness. You could also provide hand sanitiser at the entry and ask all visitors to use it before entering.

2. Update your confirmation and reminder SMS messages with a note on rescheduling if your client feels unwell.

Reminder Message Template
Hi FIRST_NAME, this is a friendly reminder of your appointment with STAFF_NAME_FIRST STAFF_NAME_LAST on BOOKING_DATE_TIME. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak we ask that if you are unwell please rebook your appointment by calling us on LOCATION_TELEPHONE. See you soon!

Confirmation Message Template
You are booked in with BUSINESS_NAME on BOOKING_DATE_TIME. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak we ask that if you feel unwell please call us on LOCATION_TELEPHONE to reschedule.

3. Send an SMS campaign to your clients who have appointments in the next 30 days requesting they reschedule if they are ill.  Keep the message short by linking to your website or a social media post for more information.

SMS Campaign Template
Hi, its [INSERT YOUR BUSINESS NAME] here with an important update.  With the current outbreak of Coronavirus spreading we kindly ask anyone who is unwell to please reschedule your appointment until all symptoms are cleared. Hand sanitiser must be used upon arrival for all visitors to the salon. Thanks for your support.

Tips: Be sure to add your business name to the message so recipients know who sent it. We recommend sending this message as it becomes relevant in your area and would suggest sending it to clients with appointments in the next 30 days.

4. Use your social media channels and client emails to let clients know of the rebooking policy.

Here’s an example of an SMS message template

Add some health questions to your online booking experience

A good way to remind people of your appointment policies is to ask them some questions when they book online or over the phone.  The responses will be saved in the appointment notes. For more information on how to add a question please check out our help guide.

Here are some examples of the questions you could ask

• Are you or a person you live with currently in self isolation?
• Are you experiencing any cold or flu symptoms?
• Have you travelled to any of the highly affected COVID 19 countries in the last 14 days? E.g. France, Japan, Italy, or China

Add information to  your online booking form

Another way to get the message across is to add a booking instruction to your online booking process, you can provide information about your booking policy here to help protect your team and clients. Learn how to add a custom booking message in Timely.

Update your staff travel policies

At a time like this, it’s totally reasonable to suggest to staff that they only travel if they really have to. If any staff need to travel, ask for details on their trip. Which counties are they going to? If they’ve travelled to an affected country, it might be best to ask them to self-quarantine for 14 days once they get home.

Hygiene in your salon

There are a number of things you can do to help stop the spread of germs in the salon.

1. Provide hand sanitiser at the salon door and ask clients and visitors to use it upon arrival. 
2. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with an alcohol-based hand soap to kill viruses that might be on your hands.
3. Keep at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between you and anyone who’s coughing or sneezing, and give staff the option to wear a face mask when treating clients. 
4. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, because it’s easy for viruses to enter the body through 
5. Make sure you and the people around you follow good respiratory hygiene – this means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the used tissue away immediately.
6. If you or your staff have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, stay home and call your doctor for advice.
7. Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19, and follow advice given by your healthcare provider and your national and local public health authority on how to protect yourself and your clients from COVID-19.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.