Front of house team of the year: judges' entry advice

Thinking of entering Front of House Team of the Year at HJ's British Hairdressing Business Awards? We caught up with the category's sponsors, Salon Genius, to find out what they'll be looking for in a winning entry.

Front of House Team of the Year, sponsored by Salon Genius

What advice would you give to make an entry to stand out? The front of house team is really important to a salon as it is the first thing a customer will see or experience when they arrive. Therefore for an entry to really stand out, we recommend that it has outstanding examples of customer care standards to ensure a client is taken care of, from booking their appointment to arriving at the salon to finishing their appointment. One way of successfully achieving this special customer experience is by knowing your customers! From the way they like their tea or coffee to the products they usually purchase, by going the extra mile, will mean you retain customer loyalty. We all know that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, so your entry needs to show how welcoming, clean and tidy your reception area is, as well as the smaller details such as ensuring there are enough seats and the most current magazines available for your customers to read while they wait. Finally, your entry should have solid examples of where your staff have gone out of their way to be friendly and efficient i.e. escorting the customer to their stylist whilst taking care of any coats or umbrellas, offering refreshments on arrival and during the visit and then efficiently dealing with the bill on departure and advising on any loyalty schemes, gift voucher options or special promotions. Why should salons enter the British Hairdressing Business Awards? The British Hairdressing Business Awards are a fantastic way of gaining well-deserved recognition for outstanding work and customer care within the industry as well as rewarding the front of house team for their hard work and efforts. Winning or being recognised in such a prestigious awards category will also give a salon great exposure, credibility and promotion during the competition and afterwards for marketing purposes to attract new clients. What is the benefit of winning Front of House Team of the Year? To win a category like this is the perfect opportunity to let your existing customers and potential new ones how good your salon is. The kudos of this award means your salon will become more recognised in the industry but is also very beneficial to your marketing and promotional efforts which in turn will help you keep your existing customers and attract new ones. Most importantly, it is a great reason for celebrating with your staff their success and rewarding them for an excellent team effort! What should a great front of house team consist of? A great front of house team needs a really capable, friendly, efficient and professional head receptionist to ensure your customers feel like the most important people in the world. It would also be very beneficial to have supporting reception staff during busy periods or to step in if the head receptionist is away.