How can the hair and beauty industry offer the same first-class experience that hospitality provides? After all, hospitality professionals excel in catering to each guest’s needs, and whilst salons provide this on a smaller scale, we could all benefit from the tricks of the trade. So, we’ve unpacked five easy ways your salon or spa can learn from hospitality for an improved client journey.
1: Brush up your hair and beauty Instagram account
You’ve seen how hospitality uses Instagram, right? They love posting stunning images of their food, spectacular views from their hotel, or enticing shots of their spa, as a slice of the experience they offer. There are plenty of Instagram image apps to make easy, picture-perfect posts, but it’s what hospitality businesses do next that hair and beauty businesses can learn from.
The hospitality industry often uses several Instagram hacks to help them. One of these involves showing off their environment with live video feeds or answering questions in real-time, which you could do the same. Or perhaps you would like to make sure all your imagery is branded appropriately with your logo or the right filters? Another way is using Instagram Stories to link clients to their booking software. Through using a ‘Link’ sticker as outlined in our undiscovered Instagram story features to make your salon a triumph, you can ensure clients can book an appointment with you as part of their daily feed checks. You can also spruce up your profile with a link to your website services, making sure clients can book with ease.
2: A warm hair and beauty greeting from hospitality
One thing all areas in the hospitality industry have in common is that they provide a warm greeting to clients. This means it’s important to smile and make clients feel welcome at reception. If they’re an existing client, make sure to use their name to create a sense of familiarity. Asking about their day or the reason for their visit will help build a conversation and relationship that you can continue on their next visit.
A warm greeting creates a first impression face-to-face, so make sure to read up on our essential salon advice to create a good first impression.
3: Offer a top-class reception experience
The hospitality industry is all about offering experiences. This extends right through to their very first touchpoint at reception. As salons are a visual place, you will also benefit from this way of thinking. It is important to update your salon reception area by creating a welcoming environment, using comfy seating and natural lighting.
Once in the waiting area, you can help clients relax and pass the time with a drink. At this point, why not take a note of their drink preference in your software, prompting staff to offer this during their next visit? This will add a personal touch to future visits and show you care.
4: Communicate with clients throughout the journey
Hospitality staff will often check on clients to make sure everything’s okay with their experience. So, why not turn up your levels of communication during a client’s treatment and beyond? It’s important to explain what you’re going to do at the consultation stage, alongside these secrets for the perfect consultation. You can then prompt the client during the treatment to make sure everything is exactly what they want.
Client communication can extend to beyond the treatment too. A follow up SMS or email that thanks the client for their time will make them feel appreciated and keep you in mind for future.
5: Provide customer service like the hospitality industry
One last, key area that the hospitality thrives in is how they respond to sensitive client concerns. You can’t please everyone all the time, but it’s important to respond to any issues in a prompt and professional manner that leaves a lasting impression. After all, responding to a negative experience can diffuse potentially harmful situations and turn an experience around, as we outline in why you should respond to client reviews.
With a warm tone and careful phrasing, you’ll be surprised with how many clients will respond less negatively. Combined with our five steps to best handle client complaints and the resolution itself, you’ll be helping clients in no time.
Salon by Premier Software® helps provide online booking options for clients, in addition to noting client preferences, providing retail options for drinks, offering loyalty schemes for client retention and more. To find out how Salon can help your business, book a free presentation below.
