Typical Day
Wendy Wrapmistress is having the weirdest dream. This obnoxious bell just interrupted her long, luxurious soak in a hot tub with a tall glass of lemon-flavored ice water. Why won't it stop?
Wendy gradually realizes the jangling bell intruding on an extremely pleasant dream is actually her bedside telephone. She reluctantly pulls herself out of semi-consciousness, rolls over, and looks at her blue LED clock. 4:00AM? This had better be good.
Oh, great, it's the spa's building alarm company, telling her a window sensor alarm has just been triggered. The police are on their way, and she should get there ASAP.
Wendy drags herself out of bed, grabs a quick shower, and throws on a pair of designer jeans and a cute little tee featuring her spa's discreetly embroidered logo. She hops into her car and drives the five miles to the spa on autopilot. Good thing the all-night convenience store down the street is open, since Wendy really needs the largest cup of java they've got.
Wendy arrives at the spa as the police pace impatiently outside, waiting to interview her so they can complete their investigation. They can't find any sign of a burglary, and finally chalk up the whole incident to a faulty motion sensor or a raccoon. Now it's 5:30AM. Wendy figures she might as well get some work done, since she's awake. First things first, however. Wendy wakes up her pet sitter and asks her to handle the dog's potty business for the day.
Now it's 7:00AM. Wendy is engrossed in her accounting reports when the spa's employee line rings through to her office. Great news: The first shift receptionist has just called in sick. Now Wendy has to staff the front desk until her afternoon receptionist comes in at 2:00PM. Wendy signs out of her accounting program and prepares a few mindless admin tasks she can finish while she's front desk-bound.
Morning at the spa is a busy time. Working clients pop in for a facial or massage before their work day begins. Retirees stroll in around mid-morning, once they've finished their morning coffee or completed their daily exercise class. The traffic flows smoothly, thanks to good scheduling practices and Wendy's artful client schmoozing techniques. Wendy manages to get the supply order completed on her iPad, handles a few emails and texts on her phone, and reviews the next month's appointment schedule.
Since Wendy can't escape from the front desk for another two hours, she sends someone to pick up lunch at a nearby restaurant. While Wendy noshes on a salad between appointments and phone calls, she reviews the details of a bridal party "spa day" she's arranging for a friend's daughter. The bride and her mother will arrive shortly to finalize the details and pay for the services. The "spa day" will take place on the following Friday, the day before the wedding.
Surprisingly, this appointment requires every ounce of Wendy's diplomatic skills, as the bride morphs from a sweet young twenty-something into a real Bridezilla...all in just a few miserable minutes. Bridezilla certainly is a demanding little diva, but she's no match for Wendy's superior client-handling experience. Finally, Wendy finds a "win-win" solution that makes her client happy and makes the spa a nice little profit.
Around 2:00PM, the afternoon receptionist arrives, enabling Wendy to escape the front desk and return to her office. She's working on the next quarter's marketing program when her spa technician bursts into Wendy's office, quite upset from a rare client complaint. The client is huffing and puffing about being abandoned while she's cooking in her mummy-like body wrap.
Wendy knows the spa technician follows strict industry-wide body wrap procedures. Wendy also knows the client signed a pre-body wrap disclaimer. Nevertheless, Wendy spends a few minutes earnestly listening to the client's concerns.
Wendy finally realizes the woman has overcommitted herself that day. She's not really upset at the spa technician, but is annoyed with her own inability to schedule enough time for herself. Wendy gives the woman a hug and a certificate for a twenty-minute chair massage, a solution that seems to calm her down considerably.
Finally, it's 4:00PM, and Wendy's work day is winding down...or so she thinks. The receptionist buzzes Wendy with some unwelcome news: The city's Health Department inspector has arrived to conduct an unannounced inspection. The inspector is considerate enough to plan the inspection near the close of business to minimize clients' inconvenience.
Still, that means Wendy has to follow the inspector around the facility, making notes of any deficiencies and preparing a written plan to correct them by a certain date. Fortunately, Wendy's cleaning crew keeps the facility in tip-top condition, and Wendy inspects it twice weekly herself. Her diligence pays off, as the Health Department inspector only finds two minor discrepancies, which Wendy immediately corrects.
Okay, Wendy concludes, that's quite enough excitement for one day. She loads her marketing and accounting projects onto her iPad, returns a few more phone calls, and locks her desk for the day. The receptionist has just checked out the last client at 5:00PM and is closing out the register for the day.
However, Wendy's workday will continue until about 11:00PM tonight, as she's got some quarterly planning to complete. She orders her favorite Chinese takeout dinner, hops into her car, and goes home to hug her dog and decompress.