10 Actionable Tips to Improve Salon Customer Experience
Aimee L.
Today we have a lot of options when it comes to choosing a salon.
But no matter how many salons are out there, clients will always go for the ones that give them the best service for a reasonable price and make them feel like they belong there.
So, how can you ensure your clients will remember you for having a top-notch salon customer experience?
Here are a few simple, actionable tips that work like a charm.
1. Establish a Good Communication System
Every good salon customer experience starts with a simple appointment. It’s only natural.
When you have a good communication system, your clients will manage to show on time. This will give them a confidence boost from the start, and they will book subsequent appointments with you.
If you want to keep track of your appointments more efficiently and to avoid any possible frustrations from your clients, you could use an appointment reminder system. For example, Goldie is an app that automatically sends text messages to your clients when an appointment is booked or a reminder when an appointment is coming up. Also, you can take deposits and full payments online, just ideal to reduce your no-shows permanently.
You can install the Goldie app for free from the App Store if you are using an Apple device, or from Google Play, if you are using an Android device.
2. Always Deliver on Your Commitment
An appointment is a scheduled commitment, so you can’t break it unless something dire comes up.
Breaking your promises is directly linked to your credibility and professionalism. You surely don’t want to lose those. It’s easier to maintain them rather than trying to get them back.
So, no matter what, make sure you arrive on time for your appointments and always announce your clients when this is not possible.
In case you can’t text them right before or during the missed appointment, send them your apology afterward with a suggestion for rescheduling.
Another important type of commitment is the quality of your services. If you’re expecting your clients to praise the salon customer experience they had, you must deliver only excellent services.
3. Be thoughtful
That’s it. Sometimes you can go a long way just by being thoughtful. And you don’t even have to do much.
Just look how easy it is to make a positive impression and offer your clients a great salon customer experience.
Before beginning the appointment:
- Start with a warm welcome. Make sure you’re greeting your clients when they enter the salon.
- Offer your clients a beverage of their choice.
- Invite them to sit in the waiting area, which should be packed with the latest magazines and outlets for charging their phones. Check out our article if you want to find out how to improve your salon reception area.
During the appointment:
- Feel the vibe of your client and try to adapt to it. If they don’t feel like making conversation, don’t force it. Some of them go to your salon to refresh and relax. You have to respect that.
- Make sure you have music going in the background to create a pleasant atmosphere.
After the appointment:
- Offer them compliments about their new look.
- If you didn’t do this already, ask your clients if they want to schedule the next appointment while they’re in the salon.
4. Offer Complimentary Services
When I say complimentary services, I don’t refer to a full makeover. Even an apprentice prepping the clients for their appointment and cutting the waiting time can be considered a complimentary service.
If it’s about hair coloring, you can add up a free, simple styling service.
As a tattoo artist, you can add a complimentary touch-up service after finishing all your sessions with your client.
If you’re in the massage business, you can go for a complimentary scalp massage or ask the client which oil scent they want during the massage.
Well, you get the idea. Anything that shows extra care on your part can mean a great customer salon experience.
5. Keep Up With Your Client’s Details
Take the time to take notes after a client visits you so you’ll remember important details about themselves for the future.
To make it all easier, use an appointment scheduling app that also allows you to store important information regarding your clients.
The Goldie app I mentioned previously has a client management feature that makes all this seem easy.
Once you get the details about your clients and their preferences, you can check your notes prior to an appointment. The more information you have, the better are the chances to improve their salon customer experience, and ultimately, wow them with personalized services.
6. Make Suggestions Based on Their Preferences/Needs
When you’re working in a beauty salon, and a client asks you for a service, you can draw an idea or two about what they like and about a possible routine they have at home. Start thinking about things you can recommend to them.
For example, if a client has dry hair and starts complaining about various products tried at home and says they are only content after visiting you, offer them the best solution you have for this problem.
It’s small things like these that make a big difference and offer an amazing salon customer experience.
7. Be Proud of Your Clients on Social Media
Wowing your clients doesn’t stop when they leave the salon. You can take some further actions that will make them feel valued.
Once you finish an appointment, ask your client permission to take pictures of your work for social media.
Post the picture on your profile and tag your client. They will surely appreciate it and reshare the post, increasing your exposure.
This can work the other way around too. If a client posts a picture on their social media thanking you for the excellent service, you can reshare that on your profiles. And there you have it: user-generated content—one of the most powerful and honest advertising tools.
By doing so, you’ll get the trust of your other clients even more, and you’ll most likely attract new ones. Who can refuse a great salon customer experience?
Be proud of your work and your clients, and they will return the favor.
Here’s an example from Jordan Walker’s Instagram profile, where a client was tagged.
8. Be Authentic and Transparent
You have to understand that although there are so many choices out there for consumers, we all tend to distrust businesses and brands. Especially if the business is new on the market, or we faced a negative experience in the past.
If you want your clients to trust you and choose you in the future, you have to take a few easy steps to build trust. This is the foundation of an excellent salon customer experience.
One of the most important steps is to be as transparent as possible regarding your business and your policies.
Here are a few simple ways you can show transparency:
- Have a list of prices in your salon;
- Announce your clients when you increase your salon prices. Read our article on to find out when and how to increase prices at your hair salon.
- Have a clear refund policy;
- Offer tailored responses when a client addresses you online, in a public space;
- Offer solutions to negative feedback;
- Allow people to leave reviews about your services on your website, social media, and places you claim a business listing;
- Always admit when you’re wrong.
9. Create Contests and Giveaways
Want to do something interactive and keep your clients intrigued? Create a contest or a giveaway on your social media platform with a fabulous prize for the winner.
You can make your own rules here.
The awesome thing about contests is that your clients will feel charmed about participating, while you can get extra exposure if one of the contest’s rules was for them to share and tag one of their friends.
Here’s an example from Dylan Keith Salon’s Instagram page.
10. Ask Your Customers to Leave Reviews
When a client comes to your salon, ask them (indirectly) to leave a review about their salon customer experience. How can you do this? Through stickers on your mirror.
They will remember this after getting home.
Then, show your appreciation and put their reviews as testimonials on your website or social media platforms.
Don’t forget to reply to all the hair salon reviews, wether they are positive, or negative. And since unfortunate events sometimes happen and upset clients tend to voice their opinion, I recommend checking out our article on how to respond to hair salon negative reviews.
One more tip
A good way to improve your salon customer experience is to offer multiple payment methods. With apps like Goldie, you can allow clients to pay via payment link or contactless with just your iPhone, without a POS or any extra equipment required. All you have to do is to set up your payment system and start collecting deposits, tips and full payments in seconds.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article showed you that salons don’t have to struggle to make their clients have a great salon customer experience. Professionalism, thoughtfulness, and a little extra care will do the trick.