Today, I am walking you through raising the bar and how to create an all-star customer experience your clients will remember, setting you up for higher client retention and more salon referrals in the future.
Every single person has had an experience at a business that they can think back to, where they were either greatly disappointed with the service or wowed with the way they were treated. I want you to think about your own thoughts and feelings while being in each of these situations.
I had an experience the other day where I went in for an appointment and the first person I saw when I walked in didn’t say anything to me for quite a while. When she did, she was not paying very much attention to what I was saying and it felt very scripted and I could sense she was actually very stressed out. By the end of the appointment, I couldn’t wait to leave and I have no interest in going back!
Why would I want to go back somewhere I couldn’t wait to leave while I was already there? (this is an indicator of a bad customer experience)
Later that day I had an experience at a restaurant that made me want to tell every person I knew to pay it a visit! From the moment I walked in, to when I said goodbye to the host at the desk as I walked out and I happily said “I will be back…and with friends!” every moment felt good.
It wasn’t just the food that was good, although it was…my actual service earlier in the day was good as well. My time while I was there was pleasurable and authentic! The server had a pleasant tone and listened to what I wanted and predicted what I didn’t even know I needed. I spent way more then I had planned to and was happy to pay for an experience I couldn’t wait to tell friends about!
Now, I want you to think about what kind of experiences you are providing for your clients in your salon studio. Consider even how YOU are feeling while you have a client in your chair.
Are you delivering a customer experience you would want? Are you leaving them with the feeling of not being able to wait to come back? Or are you chasing them out and feeling the same about never wanting to see them again? You can usually sense how someone is feeling, especially in our intimate studio spaces!
Let’s walk through a couple of key steps you MUST be doing to deliver an All-Star Customer Experience!!
Greet your guests THE MOMENT they arrive! I don’t care if your customer is there early or if you are still with someone else, Take 5 seconds to look your clients in the eye, smile and say “Hi I’m Rachel, are you _____? So nice to meet you!”. Use your client’s name so they are certain they are in the right place. Even if you already know this customer you can still give them a “Hi Sally! Good to see you”.
After you say hello and introduce yourself, guide your customer into what they should do next. Let them know you might be another 5 minutes but that they can have a seat or use the restroom during this time. Having magazines available is always nice although if your clients are anything like mine they will more then likely just check something out on their phone!
If you are ready for them, tell them where they can put their stuff, hang their jacket up and help them put on a drape and then walk them over to where the service will be done and ask them to have a seat.
Offer your clients a beverage. This may seem like a small step but it is one that is very much so appreciated. Your guest may be nervous if they are first timers, so a little water can help them talk during the thorough consultation you are about to have. Offering an assortment of beverage options is always nice but not necessary!
Complete a thorough consultation and create a plan for the visit communicating what you will be doing before starting! I don’t care if it’s your clients first time or 50th time in to see you…check in with them about what you are doing before starting! Even I have skipped a consultation with a long time client only to find out after starting their color, that they were actually wanting to do something new… Oops! I promise you, that minute it takes to check in and mix after they are already there is worth it when it comes down to possibly having to throw products away and remix!
When you are talking with a first time client remember you are basically on a first date. You are about to change the way someone looks and feels. They are probably nervous and it is YOUR job to find out what they want and what will look best on them. It is not their job to tell you this information.
Do you want to deliver an all-star customer experience? Check out their fashion style. Ask them a plethora of open-ended questions. Go over your ideas based on their answers and then tell them the process they are about to have. I love pictures for this and I ALWAYS pull out my color swatches to match up where they currently are. Don’t forget to mention how much time the visit will take and how much it will cost.
I know this can be an uncomfortable part of our jobs but getting it out of the way early can make the end of the service SO MUCH easier. Also, it’ll be easier to bring up extra charges if they come up if you have already talked about the money part and this keeps you from feeling underpaid at the end!
Proceed with your service as talked about with your client. If any changes come up along the way…explain it to them. How would you feel if you went into the Doctors and they suddenly started doing things that were not previously talked about?
Insider Tip: Make sure you salon space is set up properly so that you can get to things you will need easily without stepping over your client or making them uncomfortable at all.
Teach your guest how to achieve their look at home. When the service is done, as you are about to finish up by styling their hair, ask your client how they do their hair at home. By learning more about what they do you can have a baseline to go off of about how detailed you need to get with teaching them how to maintain their look at home. This is your opportunity to give them your product recommendations, and show them how much to use, how to apply it and then how to style.
Show them their final look. Make a big deal about their new look! Be proud of your work and show it off with pride. Hand them a clean mirror and show them all angles. Ask them how they like it and let them feel it.
Insider Tip: Your clients will feel EVEN MORE confident about their new look if they know you are proud of your work…ask them if you can take a picture. I tell my clients I use these for pictures on social media and my website. I also say I would never post something that didn’t look good or that they were not comfortable with. Meaning, If they don’t want their face shown it absolutely will not. To learn more, check out my article on Setting Up a Photoshoot Worthy Salon Suite for Social Media Marketing!
I always tell my clients I have about a week window where if there is something they find along the way that isn’t laying quite right, to please email me and let me know and we will get them back in to take a look at it. This gives your customers comfort to know how to reach you and that you are dedicated to making them happy.
Closing up the service with at home recommendations and a plan to come back! The couple minutes before a customer leaves your salon studio is believe it or not the MOST important time they are with you and a time to really seal the deal with their customer experience. Your service has been completed and hopefully, this is a time when your client is all smiles and so excited about how their hair turned out. You should have already been talking with them about at home care and have an idea about how often they should come back in to keep their hair looking its best.
I like to put the products I have recommended for them down on the counter as I go so at the end we can talk about them. Handing the product to the client to hold and smell and feel while explaining one last time how I used it and why they need it. I break it down into musts for the day and also try to repurpose something they say they have at home. My clients tell me all the time they love that I never sell to them. Little do they know…I do!
It is SO important for you as a salon studio owner to get your clients to come back in regularly. I have created a Printable Daily Planner Page available in my Etsy Shop that has a special spot to track my precooked appointments. Just knowing how many of your clients you are getting to book before they leave will help remind you to do this. These downloadable pages are great too because they can help you track your day, your goals, your tasks and you will always have record of notes you may need later.
My clients tell me all the time they love that I never sell to them. Little do they know…I do I just build it into their customer experience!
Once the service and retail charges are all taken care of your job is not done! It’s time to ask when they would like to come back in. I explain to my customers that booking their next service in advance is a great way of not only making sure they score their desired time slot and day they will also get a reminder of when they need to be coming in again so their hair stays looking its best.
Inevitably, not everyone will want to do this. Telling your clients HOW to book again or your preferred way of communication is still a great way of letting them know you would love to see them again.
Insider tip: Email your new guests after their first visit and thank them for coming in. Say something that is personal to their visit in the message and remind them again of how to book in the future. These days a personalized messages are few and far between so your guests will be wowed by you taking the time to reach out!
You see, the salon relationship is very similar to an actual relationship!
Let’s recap…
- Greet your guests THE MOMENT they arrive!
- Complete a thorough consultation and create a plan for the visit
- Proceed with your service as talked about with your client.
- Teach your guest how to achieve their look at home.
- Show them their final look
- Closing up the service with at home recommendations and a plan to come back
Your guests will need to get to know you and their trust will build. By following this basic break down of an All-Star Customer Experience the less they are wondering about and the faster that trust will build. The faster the trust builds, the longer your relationship will last and the referrals from that client will go up!
If you are needing help when it comes to learning how to speak to your ideal client or even if you aren’t sure who your ideal client is and creating goals for your business and actively working towards them, you should definitely check out my 5 Day Workshop, Attracting your Ideal Salon Clients and Mastering Momentum! I know this 5-day workshop will not only be used once but over and over as you and your business continue to evolve and uplevel!
I’m always looking for new ways to wow my guests…Please leave a comment below with how you deliver All-Star Customer Experience in your salon studio!
Thank you for reading!
Cheers,
