Striving + Thriving Through Tech

by Kyra Rackley

“The new norm” seems to be the trending topic across all conversations. It’s especially essential for small businesses as they plan and prepare how to navigate going forward. Thoughts around “how to increase sales” and “business expansion” have since taken a back seat to “where do we go from here” and “how do we re-structure”. Having strong systems through technology is no option for us at [salon]718, it’s an absolute necessity. Long preparation and brainstorming sessions with our leaders would stand to serve us well in the coming weeks as uncertainty awaited us on the other side of this unfortunate situation but the one thing we knew for sure is that we would keep moving and come out of this better than ever!

Back in early March, our leaders sat together at our Vanderbilt location after hours for what would be the last time for weeks to come to plan out the future of our industry. I can hear Michaella say “we have already been pillars for what a forward-thinking salon looks like, let’s keep on track”…. the motivation we needed to continue thinking outside the box!

For quite some time [salon]718 has been changing the narrative for what a salon “should” look like. Everything from our culture & diversity to our eco-consciousness & tech-savvy systems is a representation of the continued evolution of beauty! So, just where do we go from here? How can we keep striving forward? Technology!

As we get closer to opening our doors again, we are confident in our systems combined with the new way of conducting business. Fully equipped with suggested cashless and paperless payment methods, using Phorest Salon Software, which makes it seamless for our guest to checkout and helps save lots of trees by eliminating the use of so much paper with receipts, transitioning our retail to a complete online store offering everything from color survival kits to conditioning treatments, we are maximizing our use of technology.

We began hosting virtual consultations with our guests before social distancing was even a thing to enhance the guest experience. This is the mantra we constantly ask ourselves “how do we keep enhancing the guest experience”? Yes, we of course did the traditional things such as a fully stocked beverage station and an endless plethora of mood music to keep the energy flowing… but, what can we do to make sure our guests always know that we value them, their time, and their [salon]718 experience, especially during these uncertain times!

Maximize and thrive through technology! Create your solid, full-proof systems and strive forward… we are in this together and we are hair for you!

Our social platforms have become a safe haven for keeping our community involved and updated. Our people are always at the center… As one of the first salons in Brooklyn to decide to close the doors to all four of our locations before the mandatory shutdown ever happened. the health and safety of our staff, guests, and community will remain at the forefront of our culture.

About the Author: Kyra Rackley, originally from Miami, is a “she leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes”  kind of woman with her knack for business development and savvy creative eye. Kyra is the proud co-founder and Business Development Strategist of Public Eye, a small start-up business, and serves as the Operations Manager at [salon]718 where she shares passion in developing systems that contribute to production and growth while working among a team of talented and diverse individuals, helping them reach their goals.