Silver Salon Embraces Change, New Technology, and Coming Out On Top
Erin Silver of Silver Salon in Easley, South Carolina knows a thing or two about spotting a ‘silver’ lining. Like salons and spas all across the country, Erin and her husband, Evan, had to close down shop for two months in 2020 due to the rise of COVID-19, and were forced to think about the future of their business. It was a time of uncertainty for everyone, but Erin decided to use her time to revitalize her business and accept it as a time for growth, rather than one of missed opportunities. Knowing the challenges that lie ahead, she got to work figuring out ways to improve the business and come back stronger than before. Part of that plan for positive change was Vish.
How to best deal with change
Just like everyone else, reopening meant dealing with a lot of change. Erin had to learn about PPP loans, rehiring, PPE protocol, and the general basics of operating a business during a pandemic. Throwing a new software program on top of that can seem like a recipe for disaster, but according to Erin, it can be just the thing you need to lead your salon to success.
Erin aimed to make herself an expert, learning everything about Vish inside and out, leading her salon into success by example and by being the pillar of support that they needed during a time of change.
Part of the Vish onboarding and education process is to work with salon owners like Erin to customize the system, setting the rules of the business based on each salon’s unique needs. The education team at Vish coaches each owner and their team of stylists on how to use the system, ensuring everyone feels comfortable and confident in the technology. Like any change, it’s a process, so Vish sets regular touchpoints to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Ultimately, Erin said, being available to help her staff to navigate new waters during the onboarding process enabled them to continue what they do best: be creative and give their guests the best experience possible. To anyone else who is considering Vish, Erin says,
“Be available, be the expert and just be there for your staff to make the process as smooth as possible.”
Embracing change
To prepare for reopening and implementing Vish, Erin met with Tim Howard, the Chief Innovation Officer at Vish, during her eight-week closure. Tim walked her through the positives that she could take away from Vish and how it would fit into her company.
No achievement comes without its own challenges – change is always hard, and even harder during a pandemic, but Erin says the benefits of implementing a new technology far outweighed the stresses. And those benefits were soon realized.
Joining Vish allowed Erin to see she was over budget in several areas of her salon. Erin was able to proactively curb these excessive costs using the data available in the Vish Dashboard, enabling them to recoup some of the lost revenue they experienced during their closure. Erin said she is also now able to ensure they are correctly charging every customer coming through the door as well as stick to their ordering budget and also reduce cost per service, all of which was especially important post-lockdown.
Erin’s staff quickly integrated the technology into their daily routine, seeing very little disruption to how they operated, and instead seeing a change for the better with increasing revenue and decreasing waste. The best part, Erin said, was knowing that her staff were happy they could now confidently and correctly charge their guests, capturing extra services provided, all while being able to maintain creativity.
“As a colorist I can be a lot more creative,” says Erin, saying she can feel confident knowing Vish allows her exactly what each customer should be charged, giving her one less thing to think about. “It opens up a lot more creativity for a stylist because you’re not concerned about charging more than you should.”
For more information on how Vish can help your salon, book a demo with a product specialist.
