Ep. 203: "How do I afford a receptionist?" The maths, the timing and the risk

Salon Goals Academy - doors are OPEN! https://www.laurenlappin.com.au/salon-goals-academy

"How do I know when to hire a front desk person or a manager, and how do I afford to do it?"

This question came through more than once when I asked for your listener questions, so I'm giving it a whole episode.

I'm taking you back to 2017, when I was fully booked, drowning in missed calls and DMs, getting complaints from clients about being left on the bed mid appointment, and having a meltdown at home over the ordering and wages. That was the moment I hired a full-time receptionist, and I haven't looked back. In this episode I'm sharing how to know if you can actually afford this hire, the money you're already losing without one, and exactly what to hand over to a manager or 2IC so you don't end up paying someone a manager's wage to do a receptionist's job.

• Listener Q&A setup, and the manager questions you sent through [00:00].
• Receptionist vs manager: why you don't have to combine the roles like I have [01:15].
• Why I hired reception: fully booked, walk-ins interrupting appointments, and the service level I wanted [03:21].
• The real cost of no front desk: wrong bookings, missed cancellations and short-changed clients [06:24].
• The Monday meltdown that made the decision for me, and the money reality behind it [08:50].
• How to know if you can afford the hire (and when you definitely shouldn't) [10:03].
• Part-time options, and putting a dollar value on the time you get back [12:59].
• What duties to outsource to a manager or 2IC, and the questions to ask first [16:39].
• Why you need a position description early, and the expensive lesson I learnt without one [19:32].
• Wrap up, and what's coming in the next Q&A episode [21:25].

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Questions? Email me: hello@laurenlappin.com.au