We talk a lot about training systems for your esthetics staff but what about your spa reception? When it comes to guest service systems, you want to start with your Staff Handbook and Operations Manual, which are really the basis of your whole spa business. You need these systematized processes and policies, or you’re likely to end up running around putting out the same fires over & over again.

4 Systems You Need For Your Spa Guest Services/Reception Staff

A Spa Staff Handbook And Operations Manual

• A Staff Handbook and Operations Manual are must haves for your guest services staff. These documents help everyone work towards the same goal, but the key here is that your team must understand your handbook and manuals (because they’ve read them & are held accountable to them in their training) and be using them consistently.

  In your Operations Manual, you want to document a step-by-step process of how to do all their jobs. Here are just a few “how-to’s” you’ll need to document:

  • Open and close the spa

  • Book an appointment

  • Change an appointment

  • Sell and redeem gift certificates

  • Sell and redeem a series

  • Cashing out the client

  • Re-booking the client

  • Transition protocol from reception to service provider and back to reception

  • Turning over rooms

  • Retail assistance

  • Inventory protocols

  • Downtime duties

  These are just a few examples of processes that you need in your handbook. Every job you can think of that your reception might be doing needs to be documented for your spa. It’s important that your spa guest services staff have a quick reference if they have a question or are unsure of something.

• In your Operations Manual, you’ll need Customer Service Scripts. They don't need to be robotic, but you do need to have everyone giving the same information to the clients. Having these types of scripts available (especially for your trainee’s) will really help your spa team feel more comfortable about the job they are doing.

  • Phone scripts

  • Email scripts

  • Arrival script

  • End of service to reception transition script

  • Sales scripts

A Spa Training And Testing System

• Your training should be broken up into modules so they can be consumed easier

  • Testing needs to be done so your team members can prove that they understand how to do their job.

  • Testing should be both written and verbal, so you are confident that they understand each part of their job.

 A Spa Communication System

• It is essential that your guest services/reception know how everyone communicates with each other.

  • How do you communicate with service providers, managers & owner?

  • Do you use technology such as a communication service like Slack or do you use a staff log book or private Facebook chat or group?

 A Spa Sales System

• Your guest services staff can be a powerful resource for sales, and we don't want to leave money on the table by not educating them.

  • They need to be trained in the features and benefits of the products so they can feel confident in selling.

  • Almost every spa employee I’ve met has struggled with how to communicate within the sales process without sounding sales-y, so you’ll definitely need sales scripts to get them comfortable.

If you are feeling a little bit crazy in your spa business, I would recommend putting any hiring and growth initiatives on hold until you get your team systems organized so that everyone feels empowered working in your company.

And if you are in desperate need of a Staff Handbook and Operations Manual and don't know where to start, contact me, I have templates for both as well as a new spa manager manual! If you need support, that's what I'm here for!