Two beauty establishments could offer a list of the exact same services and one customer visiting both would still have distinctly different experiences. The reason for that difference is often customer service.

Customer service is the support you give your clients before, during, and after they interact with your products or services.

In any salon or spa, customer service goes far beyond taking appointments and recommending products. It entails giving an unforgettable customer experience that will have clients coming back for more even as they tell their loved ones about you. 

This article will walk you through five practical customer service tips for your salon or spa business. 

If you’re ready, let’s get in! 

Tip 1: Make a good first impression

First impressions matter, especially because you can’t get another chance to make it. What’s more, it determines how your clients will perceive your business and feel about your services. 

It’s important to remember that the customer experience doesn’t begin when the treatment starts. It begins before that, from when they book your service, get a reminder to keep their appointment, and eventually walk through the door. 

Correspondingly, your beauty establishment must ensure every point of contact is hitch-free and pleasant for the clients. Give each customer a warm reception. Make booking appointments easy. Send customers reminders to keep their appointments. 

If the customers find their first experience great, they’ll return for more. Soon, they’ll become regulars. More than that, they’ll tell their loved ones about you, which means even more customers and revenue for your business. 

Tip 2: Simplify the appointment booking process

Appointment booking is the decision stage for customers to commit to your business; there’s no reason it should be difficult. If it’s not easy, your business loses out. 

Here’s why: 

More and more, clients are prioritising ease when dealing with salons and spas. This means they’ll patronise beauty businesses that make things easy for them, and avoid the ones that make their lives hell. Simple! 

Improve your salon or spa’s customer service by simplifying the booking process. Take it online using an appointment scheduling tool like Splice. Most customers would choose a business because it offers online booking options.

Splice’s appointment booking feature will provide your customers with a seamless way to book appointments. 

That’s not all! 

It’ll send them automated SMS and emails to remind them to keep their appointments, effectively reducing no-shows and last-minute cancellations. 

Tip 3: Personalise experience

A major part of excellent customer service is giving clients exactly what they want, and then some. Any list of customer service tips is incomplete without this fact. 

Don’t rush into offering salon or spa services, otherwise, you might end up making your clients wish they had gone someplace else. Customers typically don’t return to beauty establishments that don’t give them what they paid for. 

So, your first job is to determine exactly what they expect out of the treatment. There’s no room for guesswork.

Do the following instead: 

1. Get to know first-time customers

Say a new customer booked an appointment online or in person for facials to treat her moderate acne at your spa. Your job, as soon as they come in, is to sit down and learn all about their preferences, needs, and expectations. 

Questions you can ask include:

• Do you have a daily skincare routine? If yes, what is it like?  
• Have you visited a spa before? If so, what kind of treatments have you received in the past?
• Have you reacted to any skincare products in the past? 
• Do you have allergies, skin conditions, or medical conditions we should know? 
• Do you have any specific skincare concerns or goals (e.g., acne, ageing, hydration)?
• Do you have any preferences for the type of music, lighting, or room temperature during your treatment?

2. Keep tabs on returning customers 

Regular customers, on the other hand, are less difficult to handle because you already know their preferences from previous appointments. But it won’t hurt to ask them every once in a while if their preferences have changed or if they want to try something new. 

Splice, our all-in-one management tool, features a customer management option that can help you keep track of client preferences, thus enabling you to personalise their experiences.

Tip 4: Offer clients the best

All your efforts to provide the very best customer experience will mean nothing if you’re not also complementing it by offering the best products and services. 

Your clients could have easily chosen any number of your competitors, but they chose you. Make it worth their while by giving them the best products and services. 

Here are two things you must do: 

1. Offer top-of-the-line products

Customers know inferior products when they see or feel one. Premium products are a must in your salon or spa; this applies to the products your staff use for treatment and the ones on your retail shelf. 

2. Provide exceptional services

Investing into giving your clients the best service possible. Hire a team of highly skilled and motivated professionals. Train them regularly to stay sharp and give their best. 

Tip 5: Stay connected with customers

Customer service doesn’t end with the treatments; it continues afterwards. 

You must find ways to stay in touch with your customers in-between between appointments through channels like social media, newsletters, and business management software. 

1. Social media

Social media has become the most popular platform for businesses to stay in touch with their target market. You can use it to announce new offers, loyalty programs, and other updates. More than that, you can grow your online presence across relevant platforms and use it to promote your salon and spa. 

For example, ORÍKÌ SPA uses social media to announce special offers and Dermaspace leverages it to notify customers of price increases. 

2. Newsletter 

Many salons and spas use newsletters to engage clients. Treat your newsletter like a member-only club, an exclusive virtual space to share the latest information on your salon. You can email your subscribers beauty tips and exclusive deals.

3. Salon & spa management software

A tool like Splice can also help you engage your customers. Using customer data from the database, you can send customers warm birthday messages, along with special offers. 

Splice can also help you follow up with customers after their visits, as well as reach out to clients who haven’t visited in a while. 

Conclusion

Customer service is about making customers feel special before, during, and after they visit your beauty establishment. In this article, I’ve shared some practical customer service tips to help you achieve that. 

Every business needs a boost. Let Splice management software help take your business to the next level.