How can I effectively train staff in customer service?

Many of us, especially younger staff, struggle with communication due to reduced face-to-face interaction, reliance on screens, and increased social anxiety, which doesn’t translate well in a salon where the customer experience begins the moment a client walks through the door.

For salons, this means it’s time to go back to basics. Customer service is the foundation of a successful clinic. From the initial greeting to the final farewell, ideally with retail products in the client’s bag, every interaction matters. Investing time in training staff to communicate effectively can significantly enhance both client satisfaction and overall revenue.

Building strong foundations

Training should begin on day one. Setting clear expectations early helps define the atmosphere and culture you want your salon to embody. What does great service look like in your business? How should clients feel when they visit? These standards need to be clearly communicated and consistently reinforced.

It’s important not to assume therapists naturally possess strong communication skills. Many abilities, such as maintaining eye contact, offering a warm greeting, and smiling, may need to be taught and practised. These “soft skills” are just as important as knowledge of equipment and products and should be treated equally.

Effective therapists need a balance of soft skills, such as empathy and active listening, alongside hard skills like product knowledge and treatment expertise. Clients expect both professionalism and connection; feeling understood is just as important as receiving a high-quality treatment.

Simple operational changes can make a big impact. For example, a no-phone policy while working encourages staff to engage more with clients and colleagues, building confidence and creating a more attentive environment.

Practical training methods

A varied training approach delivers the best results. Role play is particularly effective for building confidence in real-life scenarios, from consultations to handling objections. The “tell, show, do” method, where you explain, demonstrate, and then allow staff to practise, helps embed both communication techniques and technical skills.

Retail is an area where many therapists feel uncomfortable, often because they don’t see themselves as “salespeople”. However, retail should be viewed as an extension of client care. Recommending products that benefit the client enhances results and builds trust. Confidence here comes from knowledge and practice, with role play and ongoing product education key

Handling complaints or difficult conversations requires skill, confidence, and professionalism. While this may require more specialist training, it is an essential investment to prevent escalation and potential loss of clients and staff.

Consistency is key

Ongoing training has a far greater impact than one-off events. It also doesn’t have to fall solely on the owner or manager. Team members with strengths in retail, communication, or technical skills can train others, strengthening the team and building confidence.

While training requires time and commitment, the return is improved client experience, increased revenue, stronger team cohesion, and a more professional, confident salon environment. In short, when you invest in your people, they deliver for your clients, and your business thrives.

JACQUELINE TAYLOR is the founder of Taylor’s CBD, which produces natural CBD products. She began her career as a beauty therapist before retraining as a teacher, then returning to the beauty industry.

How should beauty professionals adapt treatment strategies in response to the UV index and seasonal barrier stress?

The UV index is one of the most influential yet underutilised factors in treatment planning, directly impacting skin behaviour, risk and outcomes. As skin professionals, we cannot treat in isolation. The skin we see in clinic is constantly responding to external stressors, and one of the most impactful is UV exposure. This isn’t just about whether it’s sunny, it’s about the intensity of UV radiation, which fluctuates daily and significantly influences barrier function, inflammation levels and melanocyte activity.

During periods of higher UV index, typically in late spring and summer, we often see increased sensitivity, dehydration, heightened pigmentation risk and a compromised barrier. Even clients who usually present with resilient skin can become reactive if we are not adapting accordingly.

This is where treatment strategy must evolve from a fixed protocol to a responsive, skin-led approach. Client education is key. Building awareness around UV index – not just SPF – helps them understand why their skin behaves differently throughout the year. It also improves compliance with pre- and aftercare, which becomes even more critical in warmer months. Avoiding excess sun exposure, managing active ingredients such as retinols, and maintaining hydration are essential in protecting outcomes and preventing complications.

From a treatment perspective, the focus should shift towards supporting the skin rather than aggressively challenging it. This doesn’t mean stopping results-driven treatments, but it does mean selecting modalities that work with the skin, not against it.

Multi-technology systems allow us to do exactly that. By combining oxygenation, radio frequency, microcurrent, focused pulsed light and needle-free infusion, we can adapt treatments based on both the client’s skin condition and the environmental context.

During higher UV periods, we can prioritise hydration, barrier repair and circulation, while still achieving lifting, firming and visible rejuvenation without unnecessary downtime.

Equally important is accurate skin assessment. Determining Fitzpatrick type is essential when considering UV exposure and pigmentation risk, but in practice, it can sometimes be borderline between categories. The addition of advanced diagnostic technology within platforms like CACI’s Rejuva Med system allows for a quick skin scan that supports and strengthens this assessment, giving a clearer indication of where the skin sits on the Fitzpatrick scale.

This enhances clinical judgement, reduces risk and ensures that treatment intensity and modality choice are appropriate, particularly in higher-risk cases. Pre-and aftercare also play a vital role in adapting to seasonal stress. Adjusting guidance around sun exposure, avoiding heat-based activities post-treatment, and temporarily removing active skincare helps prevent overloading the skin.

Ultimately, adapting treatment strategies in response to UV index and seasonal barrier stress is about clinical responsibility. This reflects the foundation of my PATCH framework encouraging practitioners and patients to Pay Attention, take Action, Treat with intent, create Clarity and support Healing in long term skin health decisions. When we take this approach, we not only protect the skin we elevate the standard of care.

LARISSA WARREN is an advanced skin specialist, founder of The Expert Skin Clinic in Northampton, and a regional KOL for CACI’s Rejuva Med system. She also delivers her PATCH theory keynote, educating on early detection and empowering clients and professionals to take a proactive approach.

KATHRYN BUCKLEY Kathryn Buckley is a skin professional, nutritional therapist and co-founder of Skin Professionals UK. She specialises in supporting skin health from the inside out, and she is also the author of The Skin We Live In.

How can omega-3 support treatment outcomes?

There’s a pattern many skin professionals are starting to notice in clinic. Clients are doing the “right” things, investing in advanced treatments, improving their diet and taking recommended supplements, yet results can feel inconsistent. Skin remains reactive. Healing is slower than expected. Inflammation lingers.

Increasingly, one underlying factor is emerging: a low omega-3 index. Not simply intake, but measurable levels within the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that must be obtained through diet or supplementation. Their role goes far beyond basic nutrition. Omega-3s are structural components of cell membranes, influencing how cells communicate, respond to inflammation and repair.

When levels are low, membranes can become more rigid and pro-inflammatory, affecting how effectively the body regulates inflammation and repairs tissue, which directly impacts how the skin behaves in clinic.

Why this matters for advanced treatments

Whether it’s microneedling, chemical peels, laser, radiofrequency or injectables, advanced treatments all rely on the body’s ability to respond, repair and regulate inflammation effectively.

If the internal environment is already skewed towards inflammation, outcomes can become less predictable. Practitioners may notice prolonged redness, slower healing, increased downtime or inconsistent results between clients. In some cases, the skin appears reactive rather than resilient, even when the treatment plan is appropriate.

This is where omega-3 becomes highly relevant. By supporting inflammation resolution and improving cell membrane function, omega-3 helps create an environment where treatments can work with the body, rather than against it.

The skin connection

In skincare, omega-3 is often associated with “dry skin”, but its role is far more significant. Adequate omega-3 levels support balanced inflammatory responses, particularly relevant for conditions such as acne, rosacea and sensitivity, while also contributing to barrier integrity, repair and recovery following treatment.

At a cellular level, omega-3 supports membrane fluidity, which underpins effective communication between cells. When this system is compromised, the skin doesn’t respond in the way practitioners expect, no matter how advanced the treatment or product.

Omega-6 vs omega-3

Most clients are not lacking fat in their diet; they are simply out of balance. Modern diets tend to be high in omega-6 fatty acids, often from processed foods and seed oils, and relatively low in omega-3.

This imbalance can shift the body towards a more inflammatory state, which may present as ongoing sensitivity, delayed healing or increased redness and reactivity.

For practitioners, this is often the missing piece when results plateau despite doing everything “right” on the surface.

Why testing is changing practice

A growing number of practitioners are moving towards a more personalised approach by measuring fatty acid status rather than relying on reported intake alone. Looking at markers such as the omega-6:3 ratio and omega-3index can provide a clearer picture of how the body is utilising fats.

This helps explain why two clients following similar protocols can experience very different outcomes, while allowing practitioners to move away from generalised advice and towards more targeted support.

When results feel inconsistent, it can be worth stepping back and considering the internal environment, not just the treatment plan. The omega-3 index is particularly relevant where clients present with persistent inflammation, sensitivity or slower healing than expected.

A more personalised, test-based approach can help guide support and track progress over time.