A Message From the CEO
We’re excited to see you reopening and busy back at work, but it still requires everyone’s continuous commitment to create a safe and stress-free environment. We developed a series of ideas and solutions around the concept of a “COVID-Clean Business.” A COVID-Clean business is one that demonstrates high sanitation measures, uses contactless features, and utilizes face covers. Here’s an overview of our new features to help you become a COVID-Clean Business and promote a safer and stress-free environment for you and your clients.
In This Article You’ll Learn:
- Marketing your safety precautions
- How to earn the COVID-Ready Badge
- Practices that will ease your customers minds
- Effective ways to communicate new procedures with your clients
- Safe check-in processes
- Contactless payment options
Reopening your business in the current COVID world can feel nerve-racking and uneasy for you and your clients. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce the anxious energy with a few nifty tools! Here’s how you can become a COVID-Clean Business and ease everyone’s minds with Vagaro’s latest COVID-Ready features.
Highlight Your Safety Precautions!
You’ve spent a lot of time preparing the reopening of your business and it’s time to share with the world what you’ve been working on. Vagaro’s COVID-19 Highlights is a new customizable section within your business’ listing page that presents the safety measures you’re taking to reassure clients that they will be safe at their next appointment. Clients browsing your business listing will be able to see all the efforts you’re taking to prioritize their safety and relaxation. Sharing that you’re responsible and prepared for their return is key to getting your clients back in the door! Here are some examples of what you can include in your COVID-19 Highlights:
- Contactless check-in
- COVID-19 screening at check-in
- 6 feet social distancing measures between each station
- Staff and clients must always wear masks
- All customers must use hand sanitizer or wash hands for 20 seconds upon entering
- If you suspect you are sick, stay home
- No additional guests allowed at an appointment
- Contactless check-out
- Curbside pickup
Show Off Your Preparedness with the COVID-19 Ready Badge!
You’ve taken all the necessary steps to keep your clients safe, but you may be wondering how to share this achievement. With Vagaro, your business can earn a COVID-19 Ready Badge! This token signifies to your customers that your business is being responsible by taking the proper sanitation measures to offer a clean and safe environment for staff and customers. To earn this badge, your business must maintain a 4.5 or better COVID-Readiness rating on your 5 most recent reviews. The badge will be displayed on your business listing page to showcase to clients that your business is prepared and dedicated to a worry-free environment. With the COVID-19 Ready Badge, clients on your business page can see that you take COVID-19 seriously and they won’t hesitate to click the book button! Once you’ve been listed as a COVID-19 Ready business, Vagaro will send you a window decal to place in your storefront so you can proudly display your commitment to safety measures to the public!
Bright Idea: Once you receive the COVID-19 Ready Badge, take advantage of Vagaro’s “COVID-Ready” email templates! Share with your customers that you’ve received Vagaro’s COVID-19 Ready badge and explain what this means. Now your customers can feel confident and reassured when booking with you.
It’s About the Small Gestures
Your new policies are set in place and you’re feeling confident in your newfound COVID-19 sanitation and safety skills, but your clients may not have the same knowledge base, so open communication goes a long way! Here are a few gestures that will ease returning clients’ anxieties and encourage them to give your business a 5-star COVID-19 Readiness rating:
- Post signs around your business of your new policies
- Provide hand sanitizer at customer arrival
- At the beginning of the appointment, explain how all tools have been thoroughly sanitized
- If you are cleaning tools during the appointment, make small talk about it
- Keep disinfectant and sanitation bottles out on the counter for your clients to see
- Maintain social distancing between service providers and clients
- Always keep your mask on during the appointment
- Frequently wash your hands during the appointment
Get the Word Out
You’ve laid out all the safety precautions and expectations on your listing page, now it’s time to get in touch with your customers to clarify what to expect at their next appointment. Use email and text marketing to reiterate your new procedures and reassure them that you are maintaining the highest standard of sanitation and hygiene throughout your business. Let them know you care about them and their comfort! You can also include a short survey and ask your customers what else they would like to see from your business to accommodate their needs.
Don’t forget to update your business’ social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Yelp, Pinterest and Twitter! This is especially important, because this is where your current and new customers are most likely going to visit to get updates. Having up-to-date information on social media reinforces your business’ policies, and if clients missed your email or texts, all your bases of communication are covered.
Checking in With Ease
You’ve decided to close the waiting room and your client arrives early and you’re still sanitizing your station, what do you do? Small situations like this can feel overwhelming in the new COVID world, but it doesn’t have to be! With Vagaro’s COVID-Clean Check-in, your customers can notify you of their arrival with a simple touch of a button. They can then wait in their car or outside the building until they receive a Vagaro email, text, and push notification that it’s safe to come in. This will keep you on track with your appointments and control the amount of people that enter your business. You can even create custom messages to remind clients of your safety procedures, such as wearing a mask when entering.
Bright Idea: Screen your clients and protect your business before or at check-in with Vagaro’s premade COVID-19 screening waivers. If the client hasn’t completed the form by the time of their arrival, you can send the waiver directly to the client’s mobile device. Then they can complete the waiver in the parking lot. From there, you can decide if it’s safe for the client to enter after you review their answers.
Opt-In for Contactless Payment
Anxious about passing devices back and forth at checkout? Go contactless with Vagaro’s COVID-Clean Checkout feature to reduce the physical interaction with devices and have one less thing to sanitize between clients! The COVID-Clean Checkout feature sends the fully functioning checkout experience directly to the client’s mobile device. Clients can view the total amount, tip, sign, and leave a review of your business! You know more than anyone that social distancing is near impossible in the service industry, but by removing shared devices you’ll be able reduce one more high contact area, and your clients will thank you!
Bright Idea: Clients can pre-pay before their appointment so they can go in and out of your business even faster! Simply enable this function and update your booking confirmation message to let your clients know that this feature is available to use before their next appointment.
Vagaro’s COVID-Ready features reduces foot traffic in your business and creates seamless processes for your clients to follow at their next appointment. We understand the hurdles that you will face as you re-open your business, but you’ve got this! Visit Vagaro’s support page on how to set up these COVID-Ready features.