posted on January 24, 2010 23:54
Taking a Closer Look at Client Convenience in a Salon
By Emily Shap
On my list of top 10 success tips for salons is convenience, more specifically, customer convenience. This element of success is so critical to your customer's satisfaction and the overall well being of your salon you must keep a continuous eye on it. Customer convenience can be broken down into three parts: getting to your salon, receiving services, and purchasing.
All retail business owners know how important location is to the longevity of their operation. Ensure that your salon is easy to get to, there be ample parking, and has highly visible signs. If you do not have an "easy" location, signs are even more important. Consider light up signs or getting together with your neighbors to exchange sign promotions. "I will put your sign in my window, if you put my sign in yours". This can be highly effective for locations that are not seen from the street.
Anyone who has a really good stylist knows that they may have to wait when they get to their appointment. This is to be expected, to a certain degree. Do your best to greet your clients as soon as they arrive. Let them know how long you expect to be: 5 minutes, 10 minutes? If the wait is short offer them coffee, tea, diet soda, or cookies. Offer them anything that will make them feel at home and relaxed. Hand them the latest Cosmo or GQ magazine. Remind them of your personal service. If their wait is going to be longer than 20 minutes apologize for the delay. Offer your client to come back (maybe they have a quick errand to run) or offer them a special service. Would they like a deep conditioning treatment while they wait, a rehydrating facial mask? Make the service you are offering convenient for them. If they choose to come back make sure you give them a voucher for the extra service you have offered. Let them know that you value their time and want to make up for their inconvenience.
Product sales are a very important part of a salons livelihood. Don't make your customers wait. There is an invisible sales clock ticking the minute your client reaches the register with his or her products. The longer they have to wait, the higher likely hood they will change their mind and put the product down. Customers who walk away from the register equals lost sales and possibly a lost customer. Keep your customers happy and have an employee ready at the cash register to ring them up and answer any product questions they may have.
Offering your clients different payment options is another important customer convenience factor. Offering your clients multiple ways to pay for services and products is convenient and shows them that you acknowledge this convenience factor. "We receive several calls a day from salons who want to start accepting credit cards ASAP, because of a customer request," Said Joey Shap of Payment Max. Customers appreciate the ability to pay by cash, check, debit, or credit card. "Salon owners need to realize that they need to be set up in advance to accept credit card payments, it can not be activated with a flip of a switch," says Shap. If possible, do not exclude certain types of credit cards, unless you live in an area where these types of credit cards are not carried. I recently walked away from a iron candlestick purchase because they did not accept American Express. It was not because I did not have an alternative payment option but because I had an additional two minutes to contemplate my "impulse buy". When all was said and done, those extra two minutes swayed me against another pair of iron candlesticks for the house.
If you want your salon to succeed, you must make the salon convenient to get to. Use signs and make sure that there is enough parking. If your client must wait for your services, show a sincere concern with the inconvenience. Offer them beverages and snacks. If you anticipate the wait being any longer than 20 minutes compensate their inconvenience with a special service. Do not make your customers wait to purchase products. Have an employee waiting to answer any questions and ring their purchases up. Offer multiple payment options. If you limit your customers to cash or check payments, you are limiting their spending potential. Customers will also appreciate having payment flexibility.