Think about it – there are some things in life that we buy for pleasure. Examples may be a bar of chocolate, a glass of wine, a good book or even a holiday. On the other hand, there are many things in life that we must buy because we need them. We have no emotional connection to these types of purchases as they’re considered a necessity.
So, let’s turn this on its head and apply it to your salon and the products and services you offer. What are people visiting your salon for? Are they just spending money because they need to get something done or are they buying an experience? If you don’t already know – it’s time to find out.
Provide an All-Inclusive Experience
To justify charging top prices for your services you must work at making sure your salon provides an experience that clients want to buy. You are here to provide a service – hopefully a service that your clients will come back for again and again – so you must always go above and beyond to make their time with you is a real treat they can’t live without.
This means, amongst other things, looking and sounding professional, polite and friendly, offering refreshments on arrival, having an up-to-date and varied stock of magazines, taking your client’s coat. You need to consider all the finer details of your client’s experience; sit where they will sit, look where they will look, put yourself into your client’s shoes and analyse your experience.
Top 5 Ways to Create a Good Customer Experience
- Create a clear client experience vision
You need to fully understand the type of experience your client wants. This can be achieved by some simple competitor research and conversation with your existing client base. Set out their positive journey with you from the moment they get in touch to book an appointment.
- Understand who your clients are
In order to provide the best type of service and therefore an excellent salon experience, you must understand your client and what it is they want from their time with you. Engage with them face-to-face, online and keep an eye on the types of treatments they get.
- Create a connection with your clients
A sure-fire way to ensure your clients come back time and time again is to build up a friendly connection with them. We all love being pampered, and there’s nothing worse than walking into a cold and disengaging environment, so by connecting with your clients, you’re opening up potential new business opportunities.
- Act upon regular feedback
When clients give you feedback, you should take it on board and act on it if it’s relevant to do so. Your client has taken the bold step and put the effort in to feed back to you, so it’s only fair that you follow it up. How a situation is handled can make or break a professional relationship.
Always Offer an Experience
Whether it’s through the simple offering of a tea or coffee or you like to give your clients a little more such as a miniature freebie after a treatment, the bottom line is that they should be made to feel valued. It’s that feeling of value and the bond you make with them that keeps clients returning for more.
image:istock.com/Milkos
