Pace of work, or how to work quickly and efficiently

How to speed up work in the salon? A question asked by scores of stylists, most often at the beginning of their path in the world of nail styling. The most important advice is this: there are no shortcuts! Efficient time management comes with... well, time. And experience. However, there are a few rules that could help us save our time and that of our clients. 

First of all - proper organization of our workplace. It’s SUPER important! Make sure you have everything you need within reach, arranged in the order in which you will use it. 

Let's take a look at what takes up the most time. If it’s - for example – gel filing, we should minimize this stage of our work. A no-filing technique or applying less product might do the trick. 

Set up a proper sequence of performed activities. We work much faster when we do the same stage on all nails than when we want to do 1 nail or 1 hand from start to finish - and then the other. The same goes for creating decorations. Better to do the same step simultaneously on both hands. It will also allow for a better end result, because we have the opportunity to compare our work on an ongoing basis. So is the introduction of your own work templates, such as always working from the same nail. We don't have to think much about what to do next. We can make the client's time more pleasant with a conversation or plan what we might need later. 

Maintaining order. This point may seem trivial, but a clean workspace will not only be better received by the customer, but will also help us move around more efficiently. Let's use the breaks in our work -, e.g., during evaporation or hardening of the material - to put aside unnecessary products and prepare the next phase. This will also shorten the cleaning time at the end of styling and allow for a longer break between customers - or we can ask another person to our station earlier. 

Sensible selection of products and tools. In order for our work to be fun and efficient, we should master various techniques and have a good grasp of how different products work. Remember that each client is different and we have to approach them individually. Developing only one system of work can cause us problems when it turns out that it just won't work for our next client. It is important to choose products that will be easy for us to work with, but we also need to know their application and properties well, so that they hold for a long time and are comfortable to wear. 

Working with a stencil can be sped up by initial cutting into the right shape. If we see that the nail is flatter or has a big smile, we don’t have to try to match the stencil – just go ahead and cut it right away. This will limit the number of touch-ups. 

Proper assessment of the client's needs and the needs of their nails at the initial stage of the process. We have to make sure whether what the client wants will actually work on their nails and, if necessary, suggest a more advantageous option. For example, a client may have an appointment for a hybrid styling, but it might turn out that their nails are very weak or broken and a gel will be much more suitable. Another very common misunderstanding is the length assessment. A customer might want very long nails, but the state of their natural nails does not allow for it – she might be a nail biter, for example, and a long styling will not keep or she simply assesses the length differently than we do. For us, long nails mean upwards from a “4” on the stencil; as for our client, it may turn out that a “2” is already too long. Of great importance is the general appearance of the hands and nails. To make the whole look coherent, let's suggest the right shape and length. 

Quick reaction when something goes wrong. Even the most disciplined customer can miss the lamp entrance or accidentally touch a hairy sweater. We must be ready for such emergencies and rectify them immediately. 
Accuracy will save time wasted on potential touch-ups between appointments and will make the next nail top-up much faster. Working on new nails is always burdened with additional time spent on getting to know them, learning the client's requirements and removing the old material. We must take into account that the previous styling may not be perfect, with perhaps too much material or damage that we need to remove. Developing a group of regular customers means that we do not have to deal with someone else's mistakes and waste time inspecting new nails. 

Lastly, but equally important – let's talk about extra exercises. Knowledge and expertise don’t just happen - but we do have power over our professional development. If our goal is to work faster and more effectively, and thus earn more, we must first devote some of our free time to perfecting the subject of styling, obtaining reliable information about the necessary materials and engage in practical exercises. We can ask a friend, mother, sister to become our model, but we can also practice a lot of skills on ourselves or on tips. The most important are willingness and perseverance in pursuit of the goal we set for ourselves! 

Małgorzata Gollińska 

Szkoleniowiec Marki
Slowianka Nail Trends