Being in the salon might have changed over the past weeks, but one thing hasn’t: guest experience is still king.
Yes, there might be the scent of disinfectant in the air, and you might sometimes feel like a doctor dressed up for surgery, but your clients truly don’t care that much about that. They care more about one thing:
How you make them feel.
But health and safety guidelines might have shifted your past guest experience. You can’t have paper magazines in your gorgeous waiting room or offer beverages from your customized station, right?
Don’t worry; you can still create a phenomenal guest experience to make your clients feel comfortable, increase your retention, and totally strengthen your business with these quick tips.
Tip #1: Start the experience online
Your guest experience starts with your online presence…and right now, you better believe your clients are checking your website and their email accounts looking for updates from you.
This is an amazing opportunity to introduce your clientele and new guests to your new guest experience. Make sure your website is updated for your current situation:
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If you are not yet in the salon, let guests know all the ways you can support them (like product pickup or online workshops).
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If you are back in the salon, highlight your hours, how they can make an appointment, and what to expect.
Wherever you are, be as clear as possible. While there might be some changes from your usual guest experience, that’s okay. Just let guests know that you are happy to see them, even if they’re just picking up a product.
Tip #2: Review your client notes
It’s probably been a while since you saw Vanessa, so you might not exactly remember her color formula, right? No worries!
Set aside a little time before you officially reopen (or, if you already have, an hour or two after your set office hours) to review your client notes and get back in touch with them. This will help you remember not only Vanessa and her color formula, but maybe also the last conversations you had, making it easy to pick back up on that client/stylist relationship.
Tip #3: Step up your consultation
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that consultations are a huge part of not only your guest experience, but client retention, right? As clients start to return after your closure, a proper consultation will be more important than ever.
Yes, time definitely feels tight right now, but taking two minutes to truly connect with your guest will make all the difference – especially since many clients might want major changes to their style.
Tip #4: Consider a welcome back gift
If it’s in your budget, consider having a welcome back gift for your clients. This can be small, like a piece of candy and a small bottle of hand sanitizer in a goodie bag or as big as product samples.
If you don’t have any wiggle room in your budget, think about maybe offering longer scalp massages with the shampoo. Just a little token to show your love and appreciation.
Tip #5: Change your perspective
Let’s be real: the health guidelines and PPE are a total change for our industry. As service providers at heart, we’re used to hugging, high-fiving, and truly connecting with our clients, but the new health and safety regulations are asking us to keep our distance. And if you act like this is a massive inconvenience and total pain, it is doomsday for your guest experience.
That doesn’t mean you have to be super-sunshiney about it 24/7, but as much as possible, try to put on a good perspective for your clients. Let them know these changes are hopefully temporary, but you’re here to serve them like you always have before.
A lot has changed in the salon, including how we can shape our guest experiences right now. But even if we can’t hug or high-five, even if we’re all in face masks, we can still create a phenomenal guest experience that leaves clients feeling on top of the world.