Ordiva · · 2 min read
Calculations and scenarios are illustrative.
Break the service into its actual stages
“Colour” is not a sufficiently precise booking description. Root touch-ups, colour changes and colour-cut-blow-dry packages can take different amounts of time. If hair length or previous treatments affect duration, arrange an assessment before turning a standard slot into a firm finish-time promise.
Record preparation, application, processing and finishing. For example, 15 minutes of preparation, 45 of application, 30 of processing and 30 of washing and styling total 120 minutes. These are sample durations; measure the times your own team needs.
Processing time is not automatically free staff time
A client waiting for colour to develop may still occupy a chair, while the stylist may need to check progress. Before accepting another booking, consider whether an overrun would delay the first client’s finishing stage.
If your scheduling tool cannot release staff separately for each stage, reserve the whole duration or use a manually verified stage plan. When setting up services and resources in Ordiva, test the booking flow against what actually happens in the salon.
Check the specialist and wash station together
Two colour specialists can both be available while a single wash station creates a bottleneck at the end. Review the expected finish times of longer appointments at the start of the day, not just their start times. Make sure services are assigned to qualified team members.
When a client changes an appointment by phone, recheck both staff and shared resources. Moving a booking forward by an hour may conflict with another client’s washing or styling stage.
Measure actual durations for two weeks
Record planned and actual duration for a few services each day. Before blaming an employee for repeated overruns, check whether the service description omits an essential stage. Assess combined packages and first-time clients separately where useful.
Review delays, cancellations and completed work together. Ordiva’s service, staff and calendar screens provide the structure; observations from your salon determine whether the durations are realistic.
Implementation checklist
- Separate different colour services.
- Allow for chairs occupied during processing.
- Check wash-station demand at finishing times.
- Verify changed durations with a test booking.