Measuring Client Waiting Times and Haircut Duration with Cameras
Video can measure observable service intervals: waiting in a defined area, chair occupancy and time between stages. Interpreting haircut duration accurately requires agreed start and end points. Busted helps connect these events with the salon's management question.
Why chair time alone is not enough
A client may talk with the stylist, wait for tools, have their hair washed or receive extra services. Labeling the whole interval as a haircut makes comparisons unreliable. First decide whether to measure the whole service cycle or one operation.
For the whole cycle, use clearly visible seating and chair-vacating events. Identifying the actual haircut start requires distinguishing the stylist's actions. Test this level of detail against angle and recording quality.
Measuring waiting
Mark the waiting area and routes to workstations on the floor plan. Define client arrival and the condition ending the wait. With several visitors, test whether each movement can be tracked.
Account for accompanying visitors and people passing through. Examples are needed for configuration. If the view supports only zone occupancy, start there rather than presenting it as individual waiting time.
Reports for the manager
Add distributions and long-episode examples to averages. Distinguish peak hours, normal load and service types. Matching bookings or service types requires data from the salon's system.
Threshold alerts support immediate review. An administrator might see a prolonged wait and investigate. Agree the threshold around the salon's workflow.
Starting the project
Provide several full service-cycle recordings, a chair and waiting-area layout, and definitions of the desired intervals. Busted assesses visible events and proposes measurements and reports.