Mala McAlpin Communication in times of uncertainty is key.
One of the most stressful aspects of these turbulent times is the uncertainty. The situation is evolving so quickly it’s hard to know exactly what’s going on, the repercussions, new legislation, and what you should be doing about it. And in such times of uncertainty, the best thing you can offer is clear communication and reassurance.
As the head of your business, you are of course in charge of this; delivering clear, calm and concise communications to both your clients and your team, so they can rest assured you are taking measures to ensure their safety. At this time, it’s important that you utilise all channels of communication available to you so you can get your message across. Your clients will appreciate this, and will be actively looking to you for reassurance they are safe in your business.
Here’s what you need to be communicating to clients right now:
- Hygiene measures – what precautions is your business taking? Are you disinfecting surfaces with hospital grade disinfectant between each client? Do your staff wear masks? Do you provide hand wipes and sanitiser to every visitor? Are you making clients wash their hands immediately upon entry? They will want to know – share this information everywhere you can.
- Isolation doesn’t mean the end of skincare – just because a client can’t come in for a facial doesn’t mean their skincare plan has to stop. Find a way to get their homecare products to their door, and if you offer any virtual solutions, tutorials or consults, ensure you’re sharing these options with clients and posting about them on your social media and your website. Google searches for these types of services will continue to grow.
- Special training – you’ve probably already seen the Department of Health’s Certificate of Acknowledgement for COVID-19 Infection Control Training certificate plastered all over Instagram. This is now the new standard for practitioners, so if your staff have completed theirs, share this achievement around.
- Mandatory health checks – if your clinic is conducting mandatory health checks like taking temperatures for each visitor, make sure you let them know. This will not only reassure others that your methods are stringent, but may scare off those who aren’t feeling well but are unwilling to forgo appointments.
Here’s what you need to be communicating to your team right now:
5. Hygiene measures – make sure every single person knows the rules and doesn’t take them lightly.
6. Symptoms – make sure staff know the symptoms to watch out for, in clients and in themselves, so if anyone presents unwell they can take action right away.
7. Mental health is crucial – times will be extremely tough for your team right now. Practitioners already face a lot of pressure being in the service industry, on top of constantly discussing the topic with clients, being constantly hyper-vigilant, and are likely anxious about their future position or contracting the virus themselves. Have regular discussions about mental health and wellbeing, switching off, and staying positive – and ask that they spread that message among their own clients too. We’ve put together a little roundup of apps that may help improve mental wellbeing during these stressful times – find it here.
