TERROR
on the
PHONES
The Computer
Appointment Book
Disaster - and how to
avoid it!
By The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
www.mikal.com
The Computer Appointment Book Disaster
The Scenario:
The salon has been running well manually for years. Slowly the business has grown and the number of employees and customers has increased. The front desk has become crowded.
Customers stand in line to pay and wait to book their next appointment. The salon has two phone lines and many times two receptionists at the front desk. It always seems like the two receptionists are fighting for the book. Some day they will strangle each other with tangled phone cords! At the same time the owner is back in the office watching the hold light on the phone light up, and blink and blink, and then go out.
She hopes the customers will call back! At the front desk the operators are always asking to look at the book. They want to know how busy they are tomorrow, who has canceled, and what the rest of the day looks like.
The receptionists don=t have time to give up the book to the staff every time they have a spare minute to peruse the book. The owner is looking for a solution. What could we do to make the booking function easier . . . . . .
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
Enter the Computerized Appointment Book:
At a beauty show the owner goes by a computer company=s booth. In the booth the salesperson is demonstrating a computerized appointment book.
It looks just like the manual book placed on a screen! You can see up to ten operator=s schedules in little columns on the screen. The salesperson just uses the arrow keys or the mouse to move around and book the haircut. You can even just touch the screen to book! The little boxes for the times change color for requests, cancels, and in the little time boxes you can see the customer initials and the service initials. It is very colorful and neat to look at! In addition, the salon can have two terminals at the front desk and both receptionists can book appointments at the same time. The operators can even have a screen in the break room to look at their book. This sounds great! The owner orders the system and sets the training date. Little does she know. . . .
THE LOOK AND BOOK FIASCO
The computer and software are installed in the salon. It looks very hi-tech and impressive. The trainer shows us how to book haircuts. All we have to do is select the date we want, the column we want (employee) and just select the open time in the column. It=s done! How much easier can it be?
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
DAY ONE on the computerized appointment book. . . .
The appointments for the next four weeks are loaded in the computer system during training. The two receptionists are at their terminals ready to book. The owner is back in the office waiting to see the phones light up and be taken quickly and efficiently. Everyone is ready.
The calls begin . . . .
Call number one: the customer calls and wants Linda (the busiest operator) on this Saturday morning. The receptionist brings up the date and Linda is booked. She asks the customer for an alternate date and the customer asks for whatever is available. The receptionist starts paging through dates looking for some open slots. After looking at the next 10 days she just jumps ahead to next month and finds lots of openings. The customer is not happy in having to wait four weeks but accepts the appointment because the phone call is taking so much time (all that looking).
Call number two: the customer calls and wants Linda for a cut and Jody for a manicure. Both operators are very busy. The receptionist starts paging through the book trying to match up the little open squares. She finally finds the times open for both operators and gives the customer that date and time. The customer does not want a Monday at 9:00 a.m.. The receptionist goes back to more looking . . . and more looking. . . . And finds another date that works. The customer takes the appointment.
Call number three: the customer wants to know when her last color was, and what is available with Wanda the color technician, and by the way can Linda cut my hair? The receptionist starts looking . . . and looking . . . and looking. . . . The customer asks if the receptionist could call her back when she gets three or four dates and times that would work. At the same time the phones are ringing and the other receptionist is working with the same types of calls.
Call number four: a day of beauty to be booked with eight services and lunch. The receptionist takes the information and asks if she can call the customer back. The phones keep ringing . . .
And ringing . . .
And ringing . . .
At lunch the receptionists take the phones off the hook and go back into the owner’s office. They are frustrated, tired, and full of anxiety. The owner has also received four calls from people who want to talk to her about not being able to get through, being booked weeks in advance, and being asked if they could get a call back for their appointment. How do you think this meeting went?
But wait….
Why can’t we book a day of beauty in 12 keystrokes?
Why can’t we have on-line booking to quiet the phones?
Why can’t we have CyberReceptionist stations in the front that customers can check themselves in at and book future appointments?
Why can’t we have a system that automatically books the pedicure chair when we book a pedicure service?
DON'T DESPAIR . . . THERE IS HOPE . . . READ ON TO SEE THE UNIQUE MIKAL SOLUTION!
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
THE SOLUTION - DON'T LOOK, JUST BOOK!
The MIKAL Corporation, with more than fifteen years experience in computerizing the Beauty Industry, has the perfect solution to the Look and Book Fiasco.
First let's look at the actual function of booking. Customers call up and have three basic questions. The customer wants either a certain operator (or operators), an idea of the date and time they want, and the service (or services) they would like. Three simple entries.
Now let's look at what a computer is good at. A computer is good at looking at a lot of information, processing a request for information, and giving back options at lightening speed.
The computer is not good at displaying large amounts of data on its little screen. That=s why the Look and Book@ method is bound to fail. You just can=t squeeze a manual book that is 30 or more inches wide and 14 inches deep on a screen that is one third that size. You also will have less information to work within less area. Is that an improvement? We don=t think so!
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
Imagine having a system that works this way. . . .
When the phone rings the customer is identified. The computer displays the customer=s booking preferences, and the last dates services were performed. The receptionist asks what date or day of the week and time range the customer wants, and what services.
The computer knows how long the services take, what operators can do the services, and if certain resources like pedicure chairs or skin care rooms need to be used.
In seconds the computer displays the first seven days and times that fit the customer’s needs. The receptionist offers the appointments to the customer and the appointment is booked. No looking, no scrolling, no paging, no anxiety, no hassles! The ultimate in customer service.
THAT'S RIGHT ASK THREE QUESTIONS AND GET SEVEN BOOKING OPTIONS IN SECONDS!
Book a day of beauty with up to twelve services with requested operators, skin care rooms, pedicure chairs, make up stations, lunch, and limo in less than a minute. Do you have a group for a day of beauty? Book them in minutes. Finish the booking when the customer calls! This is customer service.
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
The MIKAL system knows who can do the services, what rooms are available, and even knows the order in which you want to book operators.
The MIKAL system knows how each operator wants services booked. The system knows who books a perm with 30 minutes of down time when a haircut can be booked. The system knows who needs an extra 15 minutes to wrap a perm. The system answers all of the questions a new receptionist has to ask for the first two weeks (or two months)!
MIKAL's SMS V - The Ultimate Booking Solution
Book a standing appointment for fills with a nail tech every two weeks for the next two years in less than a minute, and print an appointment schedule to gVe to the customer on demand!
The MIKAL system knows who performed the service last so you don't have to play the guessing game with customers when they ask for the same girl, you know, the one with the blond hair (and you have ten blonds working in the salon). The MIKAL system pops up a booking card that allows you to put in customer preferences, interests, products used, a favorite pedicure chair, allowing the receptionist to provide the ultimate in customer service during the booking!
You can squeeze appointments in. You can tell who is a request, if you have to move appointments. You can even tell who made every appointment and the day and time it was made!
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
Training on the MIKAL system is cut to a minimum. MIKAL's SMS handles all of the looking. Your receptionist just does the booking. The appointment is structured, easy to script, and fast. You can train booking superstars in hours!
WHAT OUR SALONS SAY ABOUT BOOKING ON SMS V
The long term scheduling ability is amazing! Book standings out two years in advance, in seconds. Just putting the book on the screen like other systems doesn=t do anything to help with standings. You are just paging through the book on the screen and typing in each appointment. We love MIKAL=s quick automatic standing bookings - SMS does all the work.@
We love to print out schedules for clients with long range appointments so they can keep their schedule organized. SMS gives them a complete appointment list.@
The preprinted work ticket with customer chemical cards and buying history is so convenient and the system automatically prints each stylist=s schedule for the day.@
The MIKAL system makes it so difficult to mis-schedule operators. SMS knows how long each operator takes, when they are available, and what rooms - resources are needed. Other software systems just put the book on the screen, and that means computerizing won=t reduce errors! MIKAL=s system does all the looking for you just by answering three questions. With the system doing all the work the receptionist is able to provide better customer service, and the time required to train a receptionist if cut in half. MIKAL=s SMS knows all of the booking rules so a new receptionist doesn=t have to!@
SMS also gives the receptionist an upsell – add on service script based on the service requested. This can all an extra service to every sixth call in!
More of what MIKAL salons and spas have to say about booking on SMS. . . . .
The MIKAL system has eliminated our Aaccidental@ erasures that happen when names are written in between appointments. The system also knows who booked each appointment, so if there is an error . . . .
The SMS system is accessible for schedule look ups by the entire staff. Now the staff doesn=t have to hang around the front desk begging to see the book!@
Customers don=t have to wait to schedule because the book is away from the desk or the day they want is being used to book another customer. Plus the system knows each operators schedule and booking requirements. MIKAL=s system also pops up a booking card on the customer giving the receptionist information on the customer=s preferences, requests, and service needs. MIKAL=s SMS gives you all the information to book quickly and efficiently while drastically reducing receptionist training time.@
We used to spend 10-12 hours each month creating a paper book, updating standings, writing in days. . . . Now SMS has eliminated this time consuming and tedious work! Other systems that use the look and book method don=t save you the time. You are just typing instead of writing!@
The MIKAL SMS appointment book packs our book. As soon as there is a cancellation SMS asks if you want to see the waiting list so you can make the calls and book in the time. Most of the systems we looked at don=t even have a waiting list. MIKAL has it all!@
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
And even more comments . . . .
All the scraps of paper are gone with MIKAL=s SMS! The SMS Appointment Book organizes the front desk and the customer booking card allows you to keep extensive booking notes on every customer.
When a customer checks out at the desk SMS asks automatically if you want to book the next appointment, when you say yes SMS loads the last appointment into the book and you can begin the search!
Our day of beauty used to take 20 minutes to book, and we had to call customers back. Now we book them in a minute while they are on the phone. The customers love it!
The systems that make you look and book with the appointment book displayed on the screen (like a manual book) don't help you book the day of beauty - they even take longer! Plus, only MIKAL's SMS knows who can do the services, how long they take, and the resources and rooms required. SMS does all the searching for you. With other systems the receptionist needs to be trained on all these things!
“The automatic Pop-Up upsell script that is tailored to each service booked helps out front desk preceptionists sell at least every sixth customer an extra service! The amount of added income is amazing and SMS also tracks a bonus for each upsell automatically”
The MIKAL Corporation 800-448-5420
“The SMS Appointment Book along with the On-Line Booking has cut phone calls to the front desk up to 35% on some days, and the on-line appointment book always offers the upsell and add-on services for the specific type of appointment being booked. SMS even sends two e-mail confirmations to the on-line booking customer! The SMS system has quieted the phones, allowed us to provide better customer service, and given our customers the ability to book 24/7/365.”
ARE YOU READY TO FIND OUT MORE???
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[ ] Call me, I want to see the system with an Internet presentation
[ ] Send me more information
[ ] Send me information on the Preceptionist Program for my front desk
Salon/Spa _____________________________ Phone _________________
Contact ________________________________ Do you have a computer Y/N
Address _______________________________ Number of employees _____
City _________________ St _____ Zip _________
E-mail address _________________@_____________
Are you a Spa ___ Y/N Are you a Medi-Spa ___ Y/N
Send to: The MIKAL Corporation www.mikal.com
4382 Mt. Carmel Tobasco Rd. 800-448-5420
Cincinnati, Ohio 45244 513-528-5100
www.mikal.com
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WARNING! Do Not Computerize Your Appointment Book
(Until you see MIKAL's SMS!)
Thursday, May 25, 2006
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