Salon Today
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

How to Turn Your Front Desk Into a Profit Center

Front desk employees are one of the most valuable aspects of your business. Your front desk should do more than just answer phones, book appointments, and ring-out clients. If that’s all that they do, then they are a cost center: an ...

April 13, 2016
How to Turn Your Front Desk Into a Profit Center

How do you turn your front desk into a profit center?

Sponsored by
3 min to read


Front desk employees are one of the most valuable aspects of your business. Your front desk should do more than just answer phones, book appointments, and ring-out clients. If that’s all that they do, then they are a cost center: an employee whom you pay to perform tasks. A productive front desk employee is a profit center: an employee who generates revenue for your business. But, how do you turn your front desk into a profit center? The answer is easy: education.

You must educate your front desk on business growth. And no, that does not mean to educate your front desk on sales. In order to generate more sales, they need to know HOW. How do salons and spas grow? They grow by using a forward focus on the growth indicators. If you haven’t heard of them before, you are in the right place. The following six growth indicators are all that you need to focus on in order to see your bottom line drastically increase:

Ad Loading...
  • New Guests Per Month

  • New Guest Retention

  • Repeat Guest Retention

  • Frequency of Visit (FOV)

  • Average Ticket

  • Productivity

Below is a summarized action plan for your front desk that includes important tasks that they can perform every day. For a detailed and hugely informative version that can be printed, please click here to download. If followed and executed weekly, this plan will drastically improve the health of your business. If you are using Millennium software, these methods and reports are already built into the system. Provide this to your front desk and educate them on how growth using these strategies is possible.

TUESDAY

  • Up-sell Tuesday – Up-sell at least 5 items (e.g. suggest a 90-minute massage instead of a 60-minute massage).

  • Call clients due in this week and book their appointments.

  • Call clients who cancelled last week and reschedule them.

  • Pre-book at least 50% of appointments – pre-booking is key!

WEDNESDAY

Ad Loading...
  • Cross-sell Wednesday – Cross-sell at least 7 items (e.g. add a pedicure to a manicure appointment).

  • Send “We Miss You” emails to clients who have not been in for 3 months.

  • Send new client welcome emails, which helps client loyalty.

  • Pre-book at least 50% of appointments – this should be done every day.

THURSDAY

  • Add-on Thursday – Aim to add on at least 8 services (e.g. add aromatherapy to a massage).

  • Contact clients who have gift cards about to expire.

  • Pre-book at least 50% of appointments.

FRIDAY

  • Package Friday – sell at least 5 packages & book corresponding standings.

  • Missed opportunities – a report to see why clients could not be scheduled.

  • Call new guests to verify their experience and remind them of your referral program.

  • Pre-book at least 50% of appointments.

Ad Loading...

SATURDAY

  • Bundle your top selling products with your worst selling products.

  • Cross-sell market to your guests – which departments have they not experienced?

  • Follow up on no-shows.

  • Follow up on pending or waitlisted clients.

  • Pre-book at least 50% of appointments.

For a more detailed and printable version, please CLICK HERE.

Originally posted on Modern Salon

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

More Salon Management

Nicki Wenz (above) and Allison Stock of Zandi K Salon

The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success

After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.

Ad Loading...
Solar panels on a commercial building.

Shedding Light on Solar Tax Credits for Your Beauty Business

Buried inside the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are federal solar tax credit changes that deserve your attention now. Two of the credits that matter most to commercial property owners, the Investment Tax Credit and the Production Tax Credit, are still available, but only if you move fast. A third, the Commercial Building Energy Efficiency Deduction, has a hard termination date that is closer than most people realize.

The Salon Ghost Report: Stop Wasting Hours Chasing Unqualified Applicants

Up to 40% of hair stylists ghost the salon interview stage, leaving owners trapped playing endless phone tag with uncommitted applicants. This data-driven report breaks down why traditional job boards create recruitment friction and reveals the modern messaging strategies high-growth salons use to get pre-qualified talent to actually show up. Learn how to transition from cold calling to high-conversion conversations that protect your time and fill your chairs.

Sponsored by Beautista

2026 Beauty & Wellness Summer Marketing Calendar

Keeping your appointment book full when clients are in vacation mode takes more than a good Instagram post. It takes a plan. The 2026 Summer Marketing Calendar from Meevo gives salon, spa & med spa owners a month-by-month roadmap with sharp themes, key opportunity dates, and campaign ideas specifically designed for the beauty & wellness industry. Here’s to your summer season working as hard as you do!

Sponsored by Millennium Systems International

Ad Loading...

The Voice of Calm

Elyse Rogers is an uplifting presence at The Headroom who makes the team feel heard even in stressful situations. Owner Danielle Cherewyk sings her praises in this installment of Meet the Manager.

The State of Beauty and Wellness in 2026

Same-store revenue grew just 2% for the second straight year—and new guest visits declined across every segment of the industry. The 2026 Benchmark Report reveals where growth is actually happening, which verticals are pulling ahead, and what the data says about where your business stands right now.

Sponsored by Zenoti

Ad Loading...