When a client comes in late (or early)

Clients come in late, they come in early, and most often they come for their facial treatments right on time. Their timing depends on many factors on any given day. Traffic, kids, an office meeting that ran late, there are a variety of reasons a client might not be on time for her treatment as well as entering your office on the early side. Taking the early/late client arrival in stride is something to strive for vs. showing signs of irritation or disapproval. See my personal story below to find out why.

As I mention in Client Preparation: Part I, I tend to be early for appointments I have with other businesses and people. I try not to enter a business too early because I know how it feels when one of my clients comes in 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment. That is too early!

Several years ago I arrived at a chiropractic appointment with a new doctor. Because I wasn’t sure exactly where his office was, I left my home with plenty of time to arrive early or at least on time. The office turned out to be closer than I had expected, and I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment time. I walked into his office, which was a large room without any partitions. In other words, there was no reception area with his personal office in a private area. This doctor happened to be eating his lunch. As I walked in, he said in a rather nasty tone, “You’re early!” I was so taken aback by his tone; I said I could leave and come back, but he told me to take a seat and he’d be with me shortly. To say I felt uncomfortable (and wanted to bolt out the door) is putting it mildly.

I have never forgotten how bad this person made me feel about being a few minutes early to an appointment. OK, fifteen minutes early, but still there was no reason to treat me like I had just dropped a gallon of paint on his office carpet. I told myself then and there to never make one of my clients feel bad about being super early to an appointment. Perhaps in the past I had given a little attitude, but going forward I would be gracious and understanding. Needless to say, I never went back to this doctor, by the way.

You have a choice. You can be irritated about a client coming in super early or late and come across irritated with her or you can be calm and friendly. If she’s really early and you really can’t take her at that time, you can get her a glass of water or tea and ask her to sit in the lobby. Tell her you have a few things to do before you take her, then go into your office and do what you need to do. If she’s late, try not to make her feel like you’re rushing around, hurrying to get her in your chair. You can still get her out in a timely manner but never make her feel like you were upset or annoyed that she was late. You cannot undo that exchange, and even though your client was late, she might not come back if you treat her negatively—even once.

Usually a client will call or text to let me know she’s running behind. It is therefore essential to always have your business phone near you when waiting for a client. Nowadays my business phone is my cell phone number. In the past, however, I always had a landline business phone, where my cell phone was my personal number. With the landline, I was always in my office near the phone, so if a client called to be late I was there to receive the call. (This was also before texting was so commonplace.) With my iPhone, I take it with me into the lobby area of my office suite while I await my client’s arrival. Then if she calls or texts me with an “I’m running 5 minutes late” message, I won’t have to wonder where she is if she is late.

One client I had was always 20 minutes later for her 5pm appointment. It was so chronic that I suggested she make a 5:30pm (with me) and perhaps she’d be a bit early from now on. My only hope was that she then wouldn’t show up at 5:50! Moving her appointment to a later time actually fixed her chronic lateness. It worked for me because at that time I was taking as late as a 6pm facial. Obviously if your last appointment is a 5pm and you can’t take the client later, you’ll have to have a conversation with her to see what you two can work out.

As you may have read in Client Information Charts—Part I (see link below), I mark most things down on my client charts. Chronic lateness is one such item. Even if a client is late once, I will have marked it on her chart so that if it happens again, I’ll know this could be a growing trend. Same with an early bird. If a client continues to be 15 minutes early—always—for her treatments, I will come in 15 minutes before I normally would or make sure I"m ready 15 minutes early for he in case she, once again, arrives early. As long as this isn’t an inconvenience for me, I am happy to accommodate her without saying a thing.

Trimming your treatment. If a client is really late and I don’t have enough time to do the entire (time-wise) treatment, I will simply trim all the steps to the facial, hopefully in a way that is not noticeable to the client. Usually when people come in late, that completely understand if I have to cut their facial. Cut meaning trim it down to fit into the time frame I have for her now that she’s late. If you are careful, you truly can do the entire facial, albeit cutting things here and there and taking less time with each step, and your client won’t feel or see the difference.

It’s simple to do without removing any critical step from your facial. I don’t linger with any particular step. In other words, I click along from one step to another (not rushing, though). If this late client needs a lot of extractions, that step will have to but trimmed down and if she is really late, it may have to be cut altogether. In this case, say with a 30 minutes late client, I will give her choices in terms of what I cut. If she really came in for extractions, I will cut something before that in order to give myself time to not only extract her, but also put a clay mask on her face afterwards. I just couldn’t extract and have her leave my office without the clay being on her face for at least 5 minutes. Clay calms and soothes and is essential after extractions.

For more information, see:

• Client Preparation: Part I
• Client Information Charts—Part I 

Details on chart writing

In case you’re interested in what exactly I write on my client charts per facial, here are several examples of actual notes from a few of my client’s charts. As you can see, there is a uniformity to the notes although each entry is different in its own way.

This first entry is from the first facial of a long-term, monthly client of mine. In seven years, I think she has missed or had to cancel only 3 or 4 appointments. She is regular!

• 10/7/08—Very congested-tons of embedded blackheads. Pustules & papules—not too bad. Esp (R) mouth—phone (knows it). Not easy to ext—tried to get BHs & any obvious infections. Shorter massage. Used JUV—15—52—D1. Massaged until soaked in. Ac—103 & JUV. (s) all. Needs Yonka & my facials for now. Acupuncture weekly. Good self care. P—MILK/GEL—LPNG—15—303—103—TS

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, writing down the details is an important process in chart writing. Thinking you will remember may work for you, but it never really has for me. If I don’t write while the client is masking, I will miss certain things that may be important. Once the client has left the building any number of things can happen to distract you from writing on her chart. The phone could ring, a text might come in, your next client might be really early. My point is: write things down when they are fresh in your mind. Otherwise you might forget to remember.

In the left, blank area of the chart of the following client, I noted: 5 wks; 15 min early. The five week note just lets me know she was one week later than her usual monthly appointment. And as I’ve said—clients do show up early, so be on time! I noted that because if she continues to be early over and over, I will need to get to the office a bit earlier to be sure I’m ready for her—vs. asking her to come a bit later. If she was continually 15 minutes late, that might be an issue that could be addressed at some point.

• 03/10/15—Very worn out. Work is stressful until the end of this month. She was so tired—she fell asleep during massage—a first! Used MILK—GEL—303—305—MICRO—GAUZE—D1—EXT—JUV—52—PG/SERUM—MASSAGE—Pc/Nc—103. P—15
• 4/14/15—Looks great. Just a few more BHs than normal but NO INFECTIONS! Said she has been changing her thyroid meds, which seems to help her skin. So—we’ll see. New great realtor who will sell house--she looks much more relaxed than last month. Used MILK—303—305—ALPHA EXF—GAUZE (so sticky!)—HYD—Ext many BHs (some w/lancet help)—JUV—52—PG—SERUM—PAMPNG—MASSAGE (slept)-Ac-103. P—EAU (-20%)—travel EAU

This process has of course evolved over the years. I never entered every single product I used on a client’s skin although I highly recommend you start off doing so. I now write about 10 lines of notes on the chart; in earlier years I may have written just a few. Over time I discovered how invaluable writing down more about each treatment helped me for the next facial with each client. I certainly can’t remember one month to the next every detail about one client’s facials. Can you?

For more information, see:

• Client Information Charts—Part I
• Client Information Charts—Part II 

Odds & ends you’ll need

There are many miscellaneous items that you will want to have at the ready in your facial room. Below I have listed those things I have in my treatment room, and perhaps you will want to have as well. Some are obvious while others may be news to you.

Lucite tissue holder
If you do extractions, you will need tissue on hand. And if you give Yonka-Paris facials, you will definitely need a lot of tissue for the compress that goes over the clay mask. I like this Lucite holder because it is virtually invisible yet it securely holds the tissue. I don’t use the top with the hole in it, I just have the tissue sitting in there ready to grab.

Kleenex tissue
Along with the holder, you will obviously need tissue! I prefer the rougher type Kleenex, which nowadays is a bit harder to find. I get them in 3-packs and always have extra on hand so I don’t run out. This is an integral part of each and every facial in my salon. The reason I prefer a rougher-type tissue is because the softer type doesn’t hold the toner mixture well due to the coating the manufacturer puts on these types of tissue to keep them soft. I also don’t like these treated tissues for doing extractions. They are too thick and I can’t maneuver as well during this intricate procedure. I do have a box of the soft-type Kleenex on my office desk for clients (and me), but for my facial treatments, I always opt for the inexpensive, rougher-type tissue.
 

Canisters for both round & square cotton
I keep these two containers on the bottom shelf of my working trolley. I use one for round cotton, one for square cotton. Why do I use two different shapes? The square cotton is less expensive. I use this to remove eye makeup and cleansers. The round cotton I use for the toner application, which happens many times throughout the facial. The square cotton has edges, which for me—for the client—can be more awkward to manage across a face. Round cotton doesn’t have that issue. I also use round cotton pads as eye pads during the clay mask application. Here, square cotton is again awkward due to the edges. I purchased these either at Bed Bath & Beyond or the Container Store.

Bio-hazard container 
This is a mandatory piece of equipment if you use lancets in your facial treatment. You simply cannot just toss the used lancet needle into your trash. It has to be put in a bio-hazard container, like the one pictured here. You want a small container. One quart is the smallest that is made. You also want the sturdy, plastic type vs. the plastic bag type. Obviously you are depositing used needle points so a bag is not sturdy enough to hold these sharp objects. You cannot just throw these needles away into your regular trash. These containers are easy to find at any medical supply store or on Amazon. 
 

Q-tips & Q-tip container 
I recommend having a Q-tip holder that has a lid. During the time you are away from the salon, you want to keep dust off of these cotton swabs. These containers are easy to find at many different stores.

Gauze & Container for gauze

This is the gauze I currently use. Prior to a change in Yonka’s Micropeel, I used rolled gauze from a medical supply company. However now that this particular product changed, I needed to change how I removed it from a client’s face. I find this square gauze (I use 2 pieces together) does the trick. I purchase this on Amazon, but I’m sure you can find it in other places.

Facial sponges
I use these rough, yellow sponges (on the left) to remove the clay mask—only. They really are too rough to be used on a client’s skin otherwise. These can be found at many places from Target to a beauty supply company. 

The sponges on the right are from Sally Beauty Supply. These little sponges are so soft, many times my clients remark about them: “They are so soft!” I use these for everything else I need a sponge for, except for the initial removal of the mask. As you will read in another post, I use the rough sponges to take off the bulk of the clay, then use these softer sponges to do the end clay clean up. Like I said, the yellow sponges feel rough on a client’s skin and that is a no-no.

Lancets

Throughout the years, I have purchased lancets at many different places. Now, I opt for the easiest buy: Target. I always get the thinnest lancets available, and these are the lancets I currently use.

Along with the lancets themselves, you’ll want to have a little container for them. I use a small tray from Pottery Barn; you can use anything you prefer. The main thing is to have easy access to them. I keep my tray of lancets on the top of my working trolley.

Small containers for ampoules
I use shot glasses to hold my ampoules. These are the perfect size and height and are easy to clean. Mine are clear glass with no words or images. They serve as the best containers for opened ampoules.




 

Scissors
I keep a pair of scissors on the middle shelf of my working trolley. Once in a while I need to cut a piece of cotton for something or open something I am using in the facial. I used to use scissors to cut rolled gauze, but now I use the pre-cut type mentioned above.
 

Tube wringer
This is an essential tool if you use Yonka products. They are almost all in metal tubes, which need to be squeezed toward the end of their use to get all the product out of it. You many not use Yonka but use products in tubes (metal or plastic) in your treatment. A tube wringer is a must for you, too!
 

Jars for clay mask
I use Yonka’s clay masks in each and every facial. I have never like squeezing the clay out of the tube then applying onto a client’s face. Right away I decided to keep the clay masks in small glass jars. The reason I use glass is because essential oils need to be housed in glass or metal to keep the essential oils safe and potent. Because glass does not conduct heat, the clay is usually cold coming out of the jar. I usually sit the jar in my sponge bowl and add hot water just before I apply the mask so the client doesn’t have a cold mask applied to their skin.

I have two different jars for the two different masks (normal to oily and normal to dry). I keep the normal to oily on the top of my working trolley; the normal to dry on the middle shelf. These jars aren’t marked, but after 30 years of working, I know which is which. In previous years I have put a piece of tape on the bottom and used a Sharpie to mark the name of each clay in each jar.
 

Glass bowls
I like Pyrex bowls. They are thick glass and in 30 years, I have never had one break. I have a large bowl as my working sponge bowl and a smaller bowl for my toner emulsion. I suppose you could use something other than glass, but glass is easy to clean and the clear glass has a cleaner look than plastic would. Glass also stands up to very hot water.
 

Watch with stop watch/timer
This is an essential tool for me. When I leave the client with clay mask on, I can be sure to keep her in there long enough—or not too long—with the ease of having a little watch with a timer. The watch I use was very inexpensive (I purchased at Target), but the main feature is the timer.

Clipboard for client charts
When I begin the facial (with a new client) and every time I leave a client for their clay mask, I have the clipboard with me that has their client chart attached. During the mask, along with my trusty stop watch, I will write on their chart what I did, used, and sometimes what we talked about. Once the client has left the building, I will also write what they purchased that day.

Favorite pens
This may seem incidental, but for me having pens—several different colors—is an essential. If you’ve read my post on chart writing (see link below), you’ll know I use a different color pen each time a client comes in for a facial—or even when she just comes to pick up products. The different colors make a marked difference for each chart entry, which makes it easier for me to navigate visually.

Pencils. I highly recommend never writing appointments in your book in pen—ever. Things change all the time and it will make your book hard to read and a mess.
 

Shower caps (lightweight)
A small thing, but have some around. Some usually older women have hairdos and a headband will crush their hair. A shower cap will keep the hair off their face and out of your way and will keep their hair in tact and well. If you’re ever staying a nice hotel, there will usually be a shower cap in a nice little box that you can commandeer and keep in one of your drawers in the treatment room. One issue with someone wearing a shower cap, even the super thin ones, is the constant crinkling noise. Oh well, their hair will survive the facial much better this way.

This was a long article, but I hope it gives you some ideas and information on what you might consider having available for your facial treatments.

For more information, see:

• Furniture you’ll need to get started
• Essential equipment you’ll need
• The Trolley—Part 1
• The Trolley—Part 2
• Get every last drop of your creams!
• Client Information Charts—Part I

Proactiv products and your clients' skin

Proactiv Solution is a somewhat popular skin care product line. You will no doubt run into clients who have used it or are currently using it. Read the article, Proactiv—Solution?  to get my opinion on this infomercial product line.