The big debate: should you allow phones on the salon floor?

We're back with another big debate from our July issue of HJ, and this time, two salon owners weigh in on the buzzing topic of whether you should allow phones on the salon floor. What are your thoughts?

Yes

[caption id="attachment_90039" align="alignnone" width="700"] Talisha Cox, owner, Elite Hair Lounge[/caption] I currently have three salons in London, with plans to expand into other cities. I see social media playing a huge role in communicating our ambitions. With 23.6k followers on our salon Instagram, social media has been a key factor in the growth of our business, and I actively encourage my team to use their phones to capture hair transformations and build our social community with constant and consistent content. My team use their phones purely for gathering social media content. There is an understanding that the team don't use their phones for anything else while with clients, so no calls or texting. It's an unsaid rule but my team are professionals, and they never need reminding. Our clients are comfortable with the team taking photos and look forward to being featured on our Instagram page. Some get offended if we don't take pictures! Social media allows us to reach thousands of potential customers who can get an authentic feel for our salon. Without the support of my team capturing content on a daily basis, I don't think Elite Hair Lounge would have experienced the same rapid growth as it has done. I feel confident that I can make a success of new salons, because we're backed up by a strong following online.

No

[caption id="attachment_90040" align="alignnone" width="700"] Robert Eaton, creative director, Russell Eaton Hair[/caption] Across both our salons, historically we haven't allowed our team to have their phones on the salon floor. We feel it's important that our stylists are not distracted from the client in front of them. Having said that, I appreciate that the world is a different place than it once was. We're not opposed to our team using their phone as a consultation tool, if this enhances the client experience, or to capture their work. We do have basic rules, for example no calls or texting on the salon floor. Although taking pictures of clients has become common place in some salons, for us it is not a priority. We want our clients to feel comfortable, not anxious about how they may look in a photo. Generally, we don't take pictures while clients are having their hair done. We would never want our clients to feel as if their appointment was geared towards capturing content. Of course we do have social media channels, but we often have content creation days where we invite influencers, bloggers and interested clients, or we sometimes use models for education and training. Having said that, there are exceptions, for example, clients that have had a huge transformation may want to have their picture taken. It varies from client to client, some do not want to be met with a ring light as soon as they step through the door. We are flexible – when stylists want to take a picture of their work, we are mindful of the client experience. You can see the full article in the July issue of HJ. Which side of this debate do you agree with? Have you read our big debate on whether you should offer more services than hair in salon?