Aariya Patel
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The pandemic has shaken up all businesses, especially the salon industry as this line of work requires one to be in close contact with clients. Pre-coronavirus, people would spend hours at salons to pamper themselves but now the risk of contracting the virus is a huge deterrent in making frequent trips to the parlour. Samir Srivastav, CEO Jean- Claude Biguine (JCB) Salon & Spa India talks about building a safer environment for beauty experiences and measures to regain consumers’ trust.
How has COVID-19 affected the hair and beauty business?
The last few months have definitely weighed down the industry. We all are in a very unusual situation with a lot of uncertainty around us. While, of course, the beauty and wellness industry has felt the pinch of the lockdown, we have also realised the importance of adhering to it and ensuring that everybody’s safety is our top priority.
How is JCB coping with the situation?
At JCB, client delight is the very foundation of our success. Hence, their safety has always been a top priority even before the pandemic hit us. Superior safety and hygiene measures are being adopted as we plan a bigger, better and safer salon experience with JCB 2.0. Our focus is to deliver an unrivalled, seamless salon experience to our valued clients and we are doing everything in our power to ensure that.
How did you engage with your employees during the lockdown?
While the lockdown did give us a lot of time to work on personal and professional developments and skill-sets, we, at JCB, got together as one and recognised the value of braving the storm together. We all took out the time to check in with each other. I think this is when leaders need to be the most visible. You have to understand your team’s apprehensions and what motivates them.
We engaged our brand partners and put together trainers and created activity calendars for 45 days. We organised skill sessions pertaining to hair training and refresher courses on how to propose products. We started attitudinal training by inviting retail and hospitality specialists. Our entire workforce got certified by the reputable Beauty & Wellness Sector Skill Council on safety, health and hygiene norms.
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Have you resumed services?
In light of the ease of restrictions for salons and spas in certain states, we have currently begun operations in Bengaluru. We are taking all possible measure to ensure a safe, secure, hygienic and enjoyable salon experience for all our clients. The entire workforce at JCB has put in innumerable hours and undertaken initiatives in consultation with experts. We received an overwhelming response from clients in praise of the superior safety and hygiene standards that the team adopted, which was very encouraging.
During the lockdown, besides the numerous social media engagements and marketing initiatives, we personally reached out to all our valued clients to keep in touch and spread a positive word. We also started contactless delivery of essential hair and skin products that were exclusively available with us to ensure we met their demands and the requests that were coming in.
Tell us a little more about the safety measures in place.
During the lockdown, our 400 strong workforce individually put in 40 hours of extensive training to build and put into action a new eafety manual as well as upgrade their skill-sets that will complement the ‘new normal’ at JCB 2.0. We have strictly ensured that all the salons are well equipped with the best sanitization methods, industry-approved PPE Gear including capes, masks, gloves and shoe covers, stringent safety manuals and strict code of conduct for employees and clients. We have also sourced efficacious single-use service kits for most of the services and are inculcating contactless payment and greetings. The new JCB 2.0 safety manual proticolsbprotocols are being rehearsed every day by our teams.
Deep disinfection of high-touch points, tools and equipment is mandatory. Temperature/health checks, use of Aarogya Setu App, reduced appointments to avoid over-crowding are some of the other key mandates we are adhering to.
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How have the footfalls been since you opened in Bengaluru?
Though it’s only been the three weeks since we re-opened in Bengaluru, we have witnessed 60% of the footfall observed in a regular business month this season.
How do you expect to emerge out of this pandemic?
We expect to emerge out of this pandemic strong, in a state of complete preparedness but most importantly as one. The lockdown and its effects have challenged every rule in our corporate books so far, taking us to enlightened new learnings and how to deal with a seismic shift in business.
- What does the future of the luxury beauty industry look like?
Professionally for salons, we will witness a lot of changes. The day to day operations of a salon will undergo a huge overhaul. Initially, there will be a demand for essential hair and beauty services. But there will be a drop in frequency after the initial euphoria of people availing these services has died down. In the short run, people will still be wary to use salons and beauty services but over time, we see things easing out.
Besides, all efforts are being made by establishments to reduce skin contact between clients and staff, keeping safety measures in mind. This is leading to a change in service procedures. Even after the lockdown, our industry will have to adhere to strict safety guidelines, given the nature of the job that involves close contact with clients. We will need to direct our efforts to regain consumer trust and building a safer beauty experience for them.
