Four weeks' notice and a column full to Christmas
One of your colourists hands in her notice. She has four weeks left. Her column is booked well beyond that, mostly with regular colour clients who rebook at every visit. Some are root tints every five weeks, some are long balayage appointments, one is halfway through a colour correction.
The desk now has to work out who is booked after her last day, which colourist could take each one, and what to say. The formulas in her notes are in her shorthand, and some are missing because she always remembered them. The weeks slip by. Some clients only find out when they ring to book and are told she has gone.
Why a departure turns into a scramble
There is no plan until someone leaves, and then it is made in a hurry. The booking system can show a stylist's future appointments, but not which colourist would suit each client, or whether their formula is usable by someone else.
Formulas are often the weak point. A stylist who has done a client's colour for years may have simplified the notes to a few characters, which make sense only to her.
And clients are contacted inconsistently. Some get a thoughtful call, some a text, some nothing. What is said, and when, depends on who is on the desk.
What a messy departure costs
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Future bookings found late | Clients told at the last minute |
| Clients matched by whoever is free | Wrong level, service or stylist fit |
| Formulas incomplete | New colourist starting from scratch |
| Inconsistent messages | Clients unsettled and more likely to leave |
| Colour corrections in progress | Plans lost midway |
What stylists may or may not do with client relationships after they leave is a matter for their contracts and your adviser. We give no employment or legal advice. We make sure the salon's own records and bookings are handled properly.
How we plan the handover
- As soon as notice is given, the system lists every booking in the departing colourist's column after her last day, and every regular client she has seen recently.
- For each client, it suggests a colourist who offers the same services at a suitable level and has availability near the original date, which the owner or manager confirms or changes.
- The departing stylist gets a list of her clients whose formulas are incomplete or in shorthand, so she can fill them in properly during her notice period.
- Clients are contacted by the salon with a consistent message you write, offering the suggested colourist and time, or a choice, with a link to accept or pick another slot.
- Moved bookings keep their formula, notes, patch test status and any correction plan, so the new colourist is ready.
- The owner sees progress: bookings moved, clients contacted, formulas completed and clients who have not responded.
Most salon software can move bookings between stylists. We add the matching, formula check and client contact that make it a planned handover rather than a scramble.
The next time someone leaves
On the day notice is given, the manager opens the handover list. Over the next week, the suggested matches are checked, and the departing colourist fills in her missing formulas. Clients receive a warm message from the salon with a suggested colourist and time, and most accept. By her last day, every future booking has a new home and a complete formula.
- Every affected booking found on day one
- Clients matched to suitable colourists
- Formulas completed before the last day
- Consistent, planned messages to clients
Good formula habits during normal weeks make this easier still, which is one reason we encourage structured formula records well before anyone leaves.
Signs your salon needs a handover plan
- A departure means a hurried hunt through the diary.
- Clients find out their colourist has gone when they ring.
- Formulas left behind are hard for others to read.
- Clients are handed to whoever has space.
- Correction plans and patch test records get lost in the move.