Standing Appointments Bring Stability

 _{Let’s say you are past the scary stage of starting your clientele, and you are becoming comfortable with how things are going. Are at least half of your clients coming in regularly, most at timely intervals? If so, it’s time to begin making standing appointments, meaning pre-scheduling your clients at regular intervals. An example would be developing a monthly pedicure appointment for a client on the same day each month, at the same time, such as the fourth Thursday of each month at 11AM.}

_{Benefits of Standings for the technician}

_{Why develop standing appointments for your clients? Standings mean stability.}

_{1.                Standing clients are more reliable.}

_{2.                Their service is routine, and you know what to expect.}

_{3.                Your income is more stable.}

_{4.                Slow times are less severe.}

_{5.                Standings increase loyalty.}

_{Benefits of Standings for the client}

_{Why do clients become so positive about, even possessive of their standing appointment? “That’s MY appointment. No one else gets it!”}

1. _{They get the time they want.}
2. _{They don’t have to think about scheduling.}
3. _{The appointment becomes a part of their lifestyle.}
4. _{Their hands/feet settle into good condition.}
5. _{The technician becomes “my nail technician” in their references to their services.}

_{Ask and they will come}

_{Usually, you must ask clients to sign up for standings. And in doing so, they may have to be convinced of the benefits for having one. The first response may be, “I don’t know what I will be doing that far ahead in time,” but this can be countered with, “Let’s try it this time. You won’t have to call for an appointment then, but if it becomes inconvenient, just give me a call and we can change it. Also, you won’t have to be concerned about getting in. Is this day and time convenient for you “X” weeks from now?”}

_{Another way to initiate a standing for a person who is still reluctant to schedule a standing is to call or text them the week they are due and say, “Hi, Julie, this is Sue. Your pedicure is due this week and I have your Thursday at 11 open. Would you like to come in then?” Usually, they will look at their feet and say – “Yes, I really need it! I’ll be in.” And they are likely to book for the standing after that appointment. (Only do this once or, at most, twice or they begin to expect it.)}

_{Standings can be encouraged also by initiating “and up” in your pricing. Clients who wait longer and present poor conditions when they come in can be required to pay more, or it can be done by time – you have recommended they come in monthly, but they come in at six weeks, so when they call you say, “We will need another 15 minutes since it’s been so long so the price will be $X.”Or, “At 6 weeks, your charge will be $X more.” If this is new to your clients, place an explanation for the “and up”  in a new brochure and give it to every client suggesting verbally that they look at it to see your new pricing structure – they almost always will take a look at it to see what is happening. Understand that the additional 15 minutes is 25% more more time than your regular one hour pedicure time. so this must also be considered in the new pricing.}

_{Reminder calls or texts}

_{Most technicians are now using scheduling software and with most, reminders are automatic through texts, emails or recorded telephone calls. During the reminder, it’s best to ask for a call (at least 24 hours ahead) if they cannot keep their appointment. Some software systems will ask for a confirmation to which they must actively say or text “yes”. (They can’t say, “I didn’t get that.”) The technician sets up the routine for reminders, such as a week ahead and the day before, some even more.}

_{What about my vacation?}

_{The technicians decide how far ahead they wish to book – three months may be long enough initially for the techs and the clients, but many, when they become heavily booked will schedule out a year ahead. Most schedulers have method to do this with a few clicks. However, what happens when they want to take time off? This happens, and when it does, they must reschedule the clients, something every tech hates to do, but most feel the benefits of standings far outweigh the inconvenience of rescheduling on occasion. Also, many will know far ahead the times they must be absent and will block their schedule for that time. An example could be a technician who yearly attends a certain beauty show, so that time is blocked when the schedule opens for those times. If they change their mind, the time is opened for appointments again.}

_{Standings are a norm in our industry, but many technicians resist asking clients to book several appointments ahead for whatever reason. But it becomes easier as they see the benefits.}