Takara Belmont’s National Sales Manager Katie Wrighton gives us the heads up on what you need to consider when choosing styling chairs and backwash equipment.
When it comes to choosing styling chairs and backwash equipment, your decision is key. Not only does it need to complement your salon design and interior aesthetic, there are commercial implications too. It needs to withstand the rigours of continual use, deliver a consistent level of comfort over many years and it needs to deliver on performance. Many hours and service revenues are lost due to damaged equipment, so making the right equipment investments protects your business, as much as it ensures complete satisfaction for the client, stylist and backwash technician.
With a Century of world-leading expertise in salon equipment, every Takara Belmont concept is the result of two principle aims. First, to ensure that the visual, functional and material aspects of each piece deliver an exceptional customer experience. Second, to deliver ergonomic, functional and technological perfection to facilitate every salon service seamlessly, and ensure that stylists and technicians exceed performance expectations every time.
Katie Wrighton: “Every salon owner values customer satisfaction and appreciates that equipment is key to delivering the perfect service. As clients spend the majority of their time during every salon visit in a styling chair or at the backwash, the equipment you choose contributes significantly to the quality of their journey, as well as ensuring your team delivers the highest levels of luxury that every client wants.”
Here’s Katie’s 5-point checklist to make sure you make informed and well-considered decisions.
1. Is your equipment fit for purpose?
The design and style of styling chairs and backwash equipment is so important, but functionality that suits its intended purpose is vital too. Customisation makes it possible to tailor our equipment to your brand and service requirement, such as upholstery colours, base options and other technical features. But before you purchase visit a dealer, or a showrooms to physically try the equipment. This gives you the opportunity to try it in person and ensure that the dimensions are right for your salon space. You can also see if there’s potential to introduce or accommodate new revenue-boosting services or consider other types of equipment you may not have initially thought about.
2. Quality
Many salons compromise on quality for one simple reason. Cost. Like all things in life you get what you pay for, so invest in quality and you’re investing in your business, your team and your clients. Our brand is world-renowned for reliability, strength, performance and innovation and, in the unlikely event something goes wrong, you have the peace of mind of professional backup to get it put right. With leasing available from our dealers, investing in benchmark quality is affordable and tax efficient, so discuss your options before taking out loans, making a huge capital investment or opting for inferior products. In our experience the loss of service income from damaged, unusable equipment and the frequency of replacing or repairing cheaper equipment is a false economy. Substandard equipment affects the customer experience and working conditions that can also have commercial consequences.
3. Style and comfort
Try equipment so you can see what it feels like from a customer point of view. As clients’ spend their entire visit in a chair or at the backwash, comfort is paramount. Our equipment is classically designed so it delivers ageless, timeless style and pure comfort. Our products are rigorously tested to ensure there’s no degradation in comfort over many years of use; another reason why investing in quality is so important.
4. Working heights/position
To ensure you make the right choices, take a team member to try out the equipment’s functionality based on the actual treatments and services you’re using it for. Ergonomic qualities such as working height, reclining and rotational features are important to deliver the services you’re giving to clients.
5. Are your selections future proof?
It’s easy to think about what you need now, but think ahead when making equipment decisions. Will your selections remain current and can you update your equipment without having to repurchase entirely? Can your equipment be easily maintained and repaired and, can replacement parts and engineers be easily found when required? Many of our products have been developed over decades and remain popular, so we can always ensure easy access to parts and maintenance through our dealers.
In addition to iconic chairs and equipment, Takara Belmont’s free* Salon Design Service has resulted in awe inspiring interiors that ensure salons maximise service experiences and reach their income potential.
For information visit: https://www.takarahairdressing.co.uk Call 020 7515 0333 hairdressing@takarahairdressing.co.uk
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