When it comes to the world of security, we are much more accustomed to seeing certain industries use certain measures to keep their locations secure.
For example, all retail stores have CCTV cameras and often have a form of access control on their stock rooms and even entrances when the shop is shut.
But, what is often overlooked is other business types, today we will be focusing on salons.
Regardless of your business type, installing an access control solution is always going to be beneficial. If you pair your access control with other security methods you further lower the risk of incursion and both internal and external threats.
In this guide, we will be looking at access control systems for salons and how salon owners and managers can keep their locations secure. We will cover the broad strokes in this article, everything from the basics of salon access control to selecting a system, to the benefits of installation.
- Access Control for Salons Features
- Salons Access Control Basics
- Types of Salon Access Control
- Benefits of Salons Access Control
- How to Find the Best Salons Access Control System
- Salons Access Control Cost
- Deciding on the Best Salons Access Control System
Key Components of Access Control for Salons
Salon access control has a lot of important features that can help keep your business safe.
In this section, we will be briefly covering the basics of an access control system for a salon and shedding a bit of light on their components.
Staff Management
With an access control system in place, you will be able to effectively manage your staff and business. Whether it is knowing when they are coming in and out of the building, accessing non-guest areas such as break rooms or stock rooms or even time management.
Pairing with Other Security
Being able to combine your various security methods is an important part of having a secure business and can provide a wealth of benefits. One of the best parts about access control is the flexibility that systems have to amalgamate with other legacy systems.
Take for instance a CCTV system, it can easily be used alongside salon access control solutions to make a safer and more secure working environment.
Secure Stock Rooms & Private Areas
An access control solution for salons can provide you with a simple way to keep areas you want to keep private secure. An example is allowing there to be a guest free zone behind an access control door that keeps stock, money and other things secure.
Access control is becoming more and more popular in a range of industries, with salons seeing a large uptick in recent years. Access control is widespread in the retail industry, so it is almost surprising that it did not take off sooner.
How Does Access Control for Salons Work?
A lot of people think of different things when they hear the words 'access control' and although we have all come across these systems before, a lot of us do not know what they entail.
When it comes to salons, access control systems are very similar, if not identical to ones deployed in retail stores.
To put it simply, salon access control works by giving the users a digital key or access control credential, that allows them to gain entry to a restricted area, unlock a door or access a barrier or gate.
For the most part, access control for salons is used on external and internal doors to keep the area secure and keep unwanted people out of certain areas within the building.
Each form of access control works a little differently, but how the same core concept, to keep the area secure and control who has access to a location.
Individuals are pre-authorised to an area using an access control system or software, and then given credentials (a form of identification) to allow them entry or exit to a certain location.
In the next section, we will be exploring a few of the most common types of access control solutions that can be used in a salon. Although each salon is different, these following solutions are proven to work effectively in any.
Types of Salon Access Control
PIN Access Control
One of the most commonly used in retail locations or similar places is PIN or password access control. We can honestly say that everyone has come across a password or PIN system before, and it works exactly how you think it would, a user will enter their personal code and be granted entry into the building or restricted area.
Typically a PIN or password will be a combination of numbers and letters that will rotate for each user every three months or so. The timeframe is fairly ambiguous, but it's known to be switched fairly frequently to keep the area secure.
Key Fob Access Control
Although a lot of people may have encountered this form of access control before they may not have even realised that is what it was.
Very popular in gyms, and apartment complexes, key fob access control has grown into one of the most recognised and widely used forms of access control to date.
A key fob can look slightly different depending on the model and manufacturer, but they are often a small circular device that can, as the name suggests, fit onto a keyring or key chain.
The key fob is a form of user credential that needs to be in close proximity (a couple of cm) from the reader to be scanned. They are cheap to issue and easy to setup making them a popular option for a lot of industries.
Deploying key fobs in salons would be a simple and effective way of deploying access control within the building without hindering the employee's days and schedules.
Smart Card Access Control
This is another form of access control you have probably come across as well as the previous two, and is often known as smart card or proximity access control.
When people think of smart card access it is hard not to think of hotels as this form of access control has become synonymous with them.
In short, a smart card access control system for salons would work the same as a hotel or retail location by giving the employees a smart card (credential) each which would be either tapped or inserted into the reader granting access to the building or room.
It is a simple concept that requires no learning curve, so it has a high satisfaction rates and low resistance and pushback from staff.
Benefits of Access Control System for Salons
As we have alluded in the previous sections, each salon will have its own setup and no two are alike.
So, for this section, we have focused on salon access control as a whole and tried to explore broad, all encompassing benefits that would apply to most, if not all salons.
Security Benefits of Salon Access Control
Safer than Keys
Compared to metal keys, any access control system is a lot safer for a number of reasons. For example, a metal key can easily be lost or misplaced putting the whole salon at risk as someone may have found it or could in the future, often leading to changing the locks.
When it comes to access control, you can typically deactivate the lost 'key' and remove the threat before it even occurs.
Duplication is a Thing of the Past
Following on from the above point, metal keys allow for a higher risk factor due to their ease of duplication.
For instance, any key can be taken to a locksmith or similar location to get a copy made, often on the spot. Meaning that someone could duplicate a metal key and replace it and keep the copy, jeopardising the security of your salon.
Whereas if you have an access control solution, without access to the access control software, duplication cannot occur and even then it is safe on a computer and under password control. There's a reason that hotels have been using access control for years now!
User Benefits of Salon Access Control
Easier than Keys
When a business owner deploys a new technology, they can often overlook how it will affect their employees and other users of the system.
It is always important to speak to your employees to see what their thoughts on a situation are, and in this instance, focus on the positives and user friendly nature of access control.
Access control solutions for salons are designed to be simple, effective and efficient, making the user's life a lot easier and removing a lot of effort and wasted time that traditional keys bring.
Can Require Nothing
Depending on the access control solution you deploy, your users may not even require anything to get into the building or secure areas. A PIN pad means that your employees do not need to remember keys or even have them on their person, they just need to remember the X amount of digits to unlock the door.
Having a user friendly solution is a great way to get your employees on board and happier with the change you are implementing.
Another access control solution, although uncommon in the salon industry, is biometric access control that requires a user's biological attributes to open the doors, i.e. a fingerprint or eye scan.
General Benefits of Salon Access Control
Less Internal Threats
If your employees and visitors know that you have a more secure security system they are much less likely to attempt to break into your salon or attempt to steal anything.
Pair your salon access control system with CCTV and you are highly unlikely to have any internal security threats, or at the very least, a significant reduction.
Other Costs May Decline
Business owners often fail to realise the cost saving potential of an access control system, some are much more obvious than others.
Take for example the removal of lost key costs or the fact that you can track who has been in and out of the building to narrow down internal threats.
Other costs such as your business insurance will often decline too due to having a higher level of security and thus, perceived as a lower risk business with lower rates.
What Do You Look For in the Best Access Control for Salons?
Fits Your Budget - there is an incorrect notion that all access control systems are expensive, and that is not the case.
There are solutions for all business types and sizes and budgets. Finding the right one for your salon just requires understanding of the options available on the market.
Plays Well With Others - when on the market for a salon access control solution, it is important to look for a system that works well with your currently deployed ones.
If you have a CCTV system in place, then see if you can link up the two to provide even greater security.
Keep Your Stock Secure - each salon access control solution has its own benefits and usages and depending on what you are looking for, you can find the right one for your salon.
For example, finding an access control solution that can help keep your stock room safe around the clock could be a priority.
Cost of Access Control Systems for Salons
Below we are going to explore some of the factors that could affect the cost of a salon access control system.
Not all of these are going to make it more expensive, in fact, some may even reduce the cost depending on a few different options.
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Rates in the Area for Access Control Installation and Fitting
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Location of Your Salon
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Complexity of Job
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Amount of Doors (Internal and External) in the Salon
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The Type of Access Control System You Want to Deploy
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Which Model of Access Control You Pick
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Installed Security Systems Installed at the Salon
If you are interested in exploring the cost of installing access control at your salon, feel free to reach out to our expert team who would be more than happy to assist you and give you a better idea of what's involved and the costs.
Speculative Salon Access Control Example
As you have probably gleaned by now, every business is different and what works for one salon may not work for another. When it comes to budget and costs, these are again, unique to each salon.
Despite this, we have compiled a mock example of what a salon access control solution cost could look like.
Installing the Access Control System Per Door: £250 - £500 per door
Issuing Staff Credentials: £1 - £3 per credential
Maintenance (Yearly): £150 per annum contract
Repair Costs: £80 - £120 per visit
Additional Costs: Replacement parts, readers, controllers etc, anywhere from £120 - £400 depending on what needs to be fixed
The above costs are just a broad example of what you may encounter when looking to install your salon access control system.
This is by no means an accurate quote and should be only used as a ballpark figure to understand the kind of costs involved in installing access control for salons.
Needless to say, every business has different costs associated and all should be treated uniquely.
If you are curious about the kind of costs you may encounter, reach out to our team of experts who would be happy to assist you find the right access control system for you.
Choose the Right Access Control System for Salons
If you are on the market for a salon access control solution it can be tough if you do not know what you are looking for or the kind of information you will need. This is exactly why we make the content we do.
Hopefully by now, you have a better understanding of the types of access control systems that can be deployed in a salon.
Always do your research when it comes to a big change to your business, albeit a positive one.
When it comes to security, you do not need to be an expert, but do not get sold on things you do not need, always understand the technology you are interested in, even if it's a basic understanding.
Choosing the right salon access control solution may be daunting at first, but you are not expected to know everything, just enough to move in the right direction.
It is always recommended to ask a security expert to check out your location and see what they recommend.
Have an idea of what you want prior to the visit, you don't have to know how to install access control, just the broad strokes.
How We Can Help Your Salon
Here at Nortech, we have a variety of experience in a wide range of industries that allows us to give some useful and insightful recommendations to our customers.
We aim to give informative and helpful information that is not only digestible but jargon-free (or at least much lower than other security guides).
Our UK based team would love to help your salon find the best access control solution for you and give any information that helps your decision.
If you are interested in finding out more about how salon access control can help your business then feel free to reach out using the link below.
