Noticed more negative reviews, or simply not getting repeat customers in your beauty salon? It might be that your customers aren’t as happy as you think they are.
Don’t fret. We’ve broken down 6 ways to improve customer satisfaction in your beauty salon to increase your client retention and get those 5-star reviews swarming in!
Why Does Customer Satisfaction In A Beauty Salon Matter?
As a salon owner or manager, the term “customer satisfaction” is likely not new to you. But if a customer comes in, pays and leaves without trouble – why does it matter how happy they are with your services?
When it comes to complaining, most people aren’t so confrontational. However, don’t be fooled – if a customer walks out the door without a word, there’s a high chance they’ll do so in a different manner:
- Customers tell an average of 16 people about a negative experience.
- 35% are likely to post negative comments on social media.
- People who have had bad experiences are twice to three times more likely to leave a negative review.
There’s no denying that these complaints can be detrimental to your business reputation, with 86% of people avoiding businesses with negative reviews.
On top of losing new potential customers, you’re also losing loyal clients. According to Forbes, 96% of customers will leave you for bad customer service.
By now it’s pretty clear that low customer satisfaction is not profitable. But all the stats aside, integrity should be at the core of any salon. After all, caring for your clients is what you do!
How To Improve Customer Satisfaction In Your Beauty Salon
It’s easy to want greater customer retention and a stronger brand reputation, but how can you actually improve customer satisfaction in order to meet your goals?
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Learn from your reviews
Before you even begin implementing ways to improve customer satisfaction in your beauty salon, see what you already have to work with. Your online reviews are an excellent place to start.
It can be upsetting to receive negative feedback from customers, but, to spin them into a positive, negative reviews are the key to growth. Your clients are telling you exactly what you need to do to improve, so listen!
Go through your reviews and make notes of recurring issues. Some common examples for salons include:
- Treatments feeling rushed
- Low value for money
- Ignoring complaints
- Poor overall treatments
- Impolite staff members
You should also note down frequent positive feedback, so you have a clear idea of what’s going well, and what could be improved.
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Be personable and build relationships
People often say that beauty salon employees are also therapists. And for salons that have good relationships with their clients, this isn’t far off the truth.
When it comes to improving customer satisfaction, it’s integral to know that the ‘salon experience’ is not purely transactional for most customers. Whether it’s remembering where your client went on holiday or giving good advice about a nail color, salon customers tend to appreciate a friendly environment.
Even just remembering their name can go a long way!
Building relationships with your customers is sometimes just as important as providing high-quality services. It’s often what keeps them coming back, which is all down to the trust you have established.
However, we understand that it can be difficult to remember everyone who walks through the door. That’s why our Client Management feature allows you to take notes about individual customers, which you can pull up as and when needed.
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Show honesty and integrity
You can have the best customer service in the world, but your services are the main event.
Clients have certain expectations for beauty treatments based on what they might’ve researched online, their previous experiences and, importantly, the price they’re paying.
By providing certain services, it’s your job to manage these expectations in a fair, transparent way. For example, you wouldn’t tell a client that their wax is going to last 2 months – since that would be totally unrealistic and they would be very disappointed to see regrowth after a few weeks.
Setting standards is an excellent way to demonstrate your expert knowledge of your services, and will ultimately lead to clients trusting you and being happy with their results.
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Help your team to succeed
Whilst it might be your mission to improve customer satisfaction in your beauty salon, your team are not mind readers! Communication is key; sharing your goals with your team will ensure that everyone has the same priorities.
Not only is communication important, but you’ll need to equip your team with the customer service skills they need. This means training them how to:
- Provide consultations
- Handle customer dissatisfaction
- Listen and question
- Build rapport and use empathy
It can be difficult to track how effective this training is without monitoring employee performance. With our Employee Management feature, you’ll have access to performance data, so you know which conversations to start, and when.
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Create customer loyalty programs
When a customer becomes a regular client in your salon, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are loyal to your business – or at least, not just yet.
Sometimes, all it can take is a good deal at another salon to make them sway. This is why rewarding your regulars is a sure way to make them feel special, and therefore keep them coming back.
In fact, 56% of consumers say they’re more likely to choose a brand with a loyalty program. If you’re wondering what sort of loyalty program could work for your salon, we have a range of examples here.
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Hold your hands up to mistakes
As with any business in the service industry, there are plenty of things that can go wrong with beauty treatments. And, when you or your employees are at fault, it can be scary to own up to these mistakes.
Accidentally broken one of your client’s nails? Double booked a time slot? These things happen, but they don’t have to be a complete disaster if dealt with in the right way.
Even if a client is initially very upset about a mistake on your end, you can still turn things around to keep customer satisfaction up.
The first step is to own up to the mistake. As we already know, honesty goes a long way. Once you’ve taken responsibility and apologized, be empathetic towards the customer. Understand what they would want in that situation, whether it be a complimentary appointment to fix something that’s gone wrong or money off their service.
Even if the client chooses not to come back to your business, at least you know you did everything you could to ensure that they left happy!
Improving Customer Satisfaction With Shortcuts Salon Software
At Shortcuts, we understand that managing customer satisfaction can feel like a difficult task for salon owners.
From admin work to managing teams and dealing with customers, there is a lot to juggle and customer satisfaction can often become down-prioritized.
But don’t panic! Our range of expertly-designed features will help you run your business smoothly and keep your clients happy, so you can spend more time doing what you do best.
To learn more about Shortcuts, get in touch with us or book a free consultation to discover how we can transform your business and increase your profits.
