A surprise at the start of a three-hour colour
The client sits down for her booked root tint and gloss. During the consultation she mentions she used a box dye on her ends a fortnight ago. Or she shows a photo of a much lighter blonde she now wants instead. Or she has had a lightening treatment elsewhere since her last visit. The colourist now has a different job from the one in the diary, with a different time and a different price, and a client after her at half twelve.
Other times, the problem is simpler: no inspiration photos, no idea what she wants, a long discussion eating into the colour time.
Why clients arrive unprepared
Clients do not know what matters to a colourist. A box dye on the ends seems minor to them. A change of mind feels like something to mention on the day. Nobody has asked them in advance.
Most salons send a generic reminder the day before: time, date, address, cancellation policy. It is useful but says nothing about the service. A root tint client and a first-time balayage client get the same message.
And even when a client does message ahead with a change, it arrives in the salon's inbox or DMs and may not reach the colourist before the appointment.
What that costs
| What happens | Effect |
|---|---|
| Changes found at consultation | Service and time no longer fit the slot |
| No inspiration photos | Long discussion in the chair |
| Recent home colour not mentioned | Plan changed at the last minute |
| Messages not passed on | Colourist unprepared |
| Patch test not confirmed | Colour cannot go ahead |
The consultation in the chair still matters. Your colourist always makes the final call. The aim is to have fewer surprises by the time it starts.
How we prepare colour clients before the day
- Each colour service is linked to a short preparation message that your colourists write: what to bring, how to arrive, and what to tell you in advance.
- A few days before the appointment, the client gets that message with a link to a short form: any colour or treatments since the last visit, whether she wants the same result or a change, and photos if relevant.
- Answers are attached to the appointment in your salon software, and the colourist sees them on her day view.
- Answers that could change the plan, such as recent home colour or a wish for a big change, are flagged to the colourist and the desk, so the appointment can be adjusted or a quick call made.
- If your policy requires a patch test for this appointment and it is not on record, the message includes a link to book one in time.
- Clients who do not open the form get a short reminder, and the desk sees who has not replied.
Some salon software can attach forms to services. If yours can, we set that up and add the flags and routing where it falls short.
The next colour day
The colourist looks at tomorrow's list the evening before. One client has uploaded a photo of a much lighter blonde, so the desk rings her in the morning and moves her to a longer slot. Another mentions a home colour on the ends, flagged in amber, so the colourist plans a strand test at the start. The rest are straightforward. Consultations take minutes rather than half an hour.
- Preparation messages that fit each service
- Changes known before the day
- Photos and history ready for the consultation
- Appointments adjusted in advance, not in the chair
It also reads as care from the client's side. Being asked the right questions in advance tells her the salon takes her colour seriously.
Is this happening in your chairs?
- Colour plans often change during the consultation.
- Clients arrive without photos or a clear idea.
- Recent home colour is only mentioned on the day.
- Messages from clients do not reach the colourist in time.
- Your reminders say nothing about the service booked.