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How To Provide Your Salon’s Customers With Excellent Customer Service

Customer service is the process of taking care of potential, new, and existing customers before during and after a transaction is made. The aim is to provide an experience that exceeds customer expectations and leads to a satisfied customer. When done properly, customer service is mutually beneficial, providing the customer with a service that meets their needs, and your salon with repeat business. Good customer service will mean an increase in customer loyalty which may result in your customers spending more money, more often with your salon. It is also important for your salons reputation, as a happy customer will spread a positive message about you to others.

Providing excellent customer service means becoming more focused on the customer as a human being rather than as a profit centre, your main aim should be to build good customer relationships. This means you need to understand their needs and wants, treat them respectfully and go out of your way to help them, so you can develop a strong rapport with your customers.

Here are a few tips to help your salon provide the best service to your customers:

Salon Design

To begin with, your salon’s design should be appealing and the services you offer should be relevant to your target markets needs. There should be a formal system in place to deal with all the stages of interaction with your customers, and all your staff must be familiar with it. Also, you must take care of your staff as they are the face of your business. They must be properly trained and given the necessary tools they need to perform their duties.

Staff

Staff should conduct themselves in a friendly but professional manner at all times. They should always be polite to the customers, greeting them with a warm friendly smile. Using first names and remembering facts about their life, such as their birthdays, vacations stories or kids name will make your clients feel special and important.

Keeping The Customer Updated

Customers should not be kept waiting at any time. If you feel you will be running late, give them a call so they can make any adjustments to their schedules, it will be appreciated. It is important to ask clients questions about the service you are about to perform, so as to make sure you are on the same page, for example when it comes to new hair styles or hair colouring.

You can use technology to help you provide a better service, for example sending out automatic texts or emails a few days before their appointment, to remind customers and give them a chance to reschedule if it is no longer appropriate. You can also use the internet to send them information about how to take care of their hair after their visit, and to set up an opt in newsletter that informs them of new trends in the industry, combined with a loyalty discount programme for frequent salon visits.

Handling Complaints

You should listen to customers opinions and suggestions for improving your salon and their experience. It is also important to have a process in place for handling complaints, which must be dealt with quickly so as to avoid any further grievances.

Ultimately as a salon you are in the business of serving customers, so by providing excellent customer service should be your main goal. Good customer service takes time and requires constant monitoring in order to keep the standards consistent. The success of your business depends on how your customers feel when they leave your salon, because it is the customer experience that separates your salon from your competitors.

A regular review of your customer service procedures is essential to maintain and improve existing standards. Remember it costs more to get a new client than to keep an existing one, so make customer service the focus of your salon business to keep clients coming back.

Starting a Beauty Salon? Here Are a Few Things to Consider

Beauty salons tend to perform well throughout both good and bad economic times. This is because most of the services offered by salons cannot be done at home, also many people see a trip to the salon as an affordable treat. So demand tends to be fairly constant. Generally, salons and spas are quiet at the beginning of the week and booked solid coming up to the weekend.

Once you decide it is the right thing for you to do, then the next step is to spend time researching your industry and potential target market. Then put together a business plan that will guide you through the start-up phase. Start-up costs for a beauty salon can range a from between £50,000 to £200,000 depending on the kinds of treatments you intend to offer. It usually takes 6-9 months to get to full capacity and a further a year to reach break-even.

Premises, equipment and supplies

Choosing the right location for your salon is one of the most important decisions you have to make. Ideally you should choose a location that is easily accessible, safe, and with plenty of pedestrian and motor traffic as well as plenty off parking. It is best if there are other retail businesses in the area so you can benefit from their customer traffic. Premises usually range in size from 1,000 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft. The space can then be organised into a reception area, a treatment area, a storage area, and an area for staff.

Again the types of treatment will determine what equipment and supplies you need. However regardless of the treatments, you must try to get them at best price. Industry magazines and trade shows are a good place to source supplies and equipment and negotiate on price.

Licenses

This area that can often be overlooked, but it is one of the most important. The kinds of licenses required will depend on the treatments been offered, however there a some licenses that apply to all beauty salons. All beauty salons must get a license from their local council to operate as a beauty salon.

For treatments that involve lasers you must register with the care commission, and to play music in public you need a PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited ) licence. Other treatments that may need a licence include aromatherapy, massage, beauty treatments, chiropody, pedicure, reflexology, sauna, sun beds, and manicure. Also as some of the products used in beauty salons contain harmful substances, all salons must comply with the relevant health and safety laws

There are also planning permits that have to be applied for if any building work is to be done. It is best to contact your local authority early to find out what you need before starting any type of refurbishment work.

Treatments and charges

When deciding what treatments to offer, you must weigh the equipment and staff costs against the potential profitability of the treatment. There are however three broad types, skin and body-care, hair removal, and make-up.

It is important have an idea of the average income levels in the area you intend to open up, so you can set prices accordingly. If you are in an upscale area you can price your services higher as well as offer more varied and unique treatments. But if the area has a lower disposable income, it might be better to stick to the essential services at an affordable price.

Traditionally the most popular types of treatments are massages, manicures/pedicures, and waxing.

Staff

All staff must be properly trained , usually with a minimum of a level 2 or 3 NVQ . Some beauty salons prefer to recruit staff from beauty schools so as to ensure they are trained to the required standards. However others like to train the in house so they can learn to do the treatments the way the salon likes. If your salon does not have the qualified staff for each treatment, you might not get a license from the council to operate

The amount of staff you need will vary on the the size of the salon, and once a gain the types of treatments you intend to offer, however staff will be be your largest expense.

Summary

Beauty salons have become more than just a place for grooming, they are fast developing into modern day sanctuaries where people come to get pampered and let go of stress. It is important to have an atmosphere that is conducive to relaxation, coupled great customer service to match.

Because the clients experience is so important, you will need the right mix of attractive premises, high quality treatments, and trained staff to build a loyal client base.

4 New Nail Art Designs to Try this Autumn

It seems as though most people are divided when it comes to autumn: some loathe the fact that summer is over and the nights are getting colder while others can’t think of anything better than putting on their favourite knitted jumper and having a bonfire. As a salon owner, no matter which way you feel about autumn you should make sure that you take advantage of the change of season by offering your customers new nail art designs. In this week’s blog Nova Insurance looks at our favourite styles that are sure to get your customers into the autumn spirit: Continue reading “4 New Nail Art Designs to Try this Autumn”

4 Things to give your Customers for Free

Everyone likes receiving something for free, which is why these days any company worth its salt gives something away to their loyal customers as a thank you for their custom. As a salon owner it is important that you also adopt such practices, however at the same time you don’t want it to have too great an impact on your overall profits. So here, Nova Insurance suggests four things you can give to your customers for free without breaking the bank: Continue reading “4 Things to give your Customers for Free”

Choosing a Business Model for your Salon

If you’ve worked your way up in the beauty industry then you’ve probably come across a number of different business models which have their own pros and cons. During this time you probably also planned exactly what you’d do with your salon when you were finally able to set up your own!

When starting up your own salon one of the most crucial decisions you can make is whether you’re going to employ staff on your books or rent out salon space to self-employed beauticians and hairdressers.

If you’re unable to decide which way to go, here are a few questions to ask yourself about running your salon, either with employees or with self-employed staff. Continue reading “Choosing a Business Model for your Salon”

Calls for Stricter Regulations on ‘Filler’ Beauty Treatments

Over the past few years the popularity of injectable beauty treatments has increased, with many people emulating celebrities which use Botox and fillers on a regular basis. However, leading plastic surgeons have criticised the lax regulations concerning who is allowed to perform injectable procedures, with one review claiming that they are the “next crisis waiting to happen.” Fillers are often used to ‘plump up’ the face or reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and they can be administered in a short amount of time. Continue reading “Calls for Stricter Regulations on ‘Filler’ Beauty Treatments”

Win a Snuggie with Nova Insurance!

Winter is officially on its way, and already there is a definite chill in the air, which is why we are giving away an original Snuggie to one lucky winner on Twitter! Whether you are a tradesmen, beautician or salon owner we can guarantee that you will love coming home and wrapping up in your Snuggie after a hard day’s work. Continue reading “Win a Snuggie with Nova Insurance!”

4 Top Beauty Trends from London Fashion Week

Its’ one of the most anticipated events in the fashion calendar, however London Fashion Week isn’t just about the clothes as designers spend hours deciding hair and make-up styles for their shows. These styles often dictate what will be popular next season, meaning that beauticians and salon owners need to make sure they know what to expect in order to satisfy their clients. However, if you are running your own business this is not always possible, so here we look at our top beauty styles from London Fashion Week: Continue reading “4 Top Beauty Trends from London Fashion Week”

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