Tuesday 17 April 2012
Why feedback is always a good thing
As a salon owner, your aim is to run the salon as smoothly as possible and maximise customer satisfaction. After all, that's the reason why you opened it! But how do you know if you're doing it right? The most common way is to look at some indicators such as your monthly turnover or the number of return clients. If the numbers are high then it probably means your customers are happy and your salon is doing well, happy days!
But what if these indicators show you that something is wrong? What if your turnover decreases and your customers book appointments less frequently? How do you identify the source of the problem so that you can fix it? Good managers make good decisions but great managers can objectively look at a decision they have made, critique it and learn how to improve on it next time. Even if it often takes a fresh pair of eyes to do this.
There are two groups of people that are interacting with your salon all the time, who you can ask for feedback from: your staff and your customers.
1. Your staff
Ask the members of staff their opinion when it comes to something that you have recently changed in your salon like opening times or decoration. They are the most likely to point out how those changes impact the way they work and the general atmosphere in the salon. That kind of feedback is essential because the staff know the feel of the salon and are sensitive to change. It also makes them feel that they are part of a team and that you value their opinion. However, if you are asking staff to critique your decision, make sure they know they can voice their opinion without any repercussions!
Here are some tips how:
- Hold a staff meeting where you discuss recent changes and what people think. Use tools like whiteboards to get their creative juices flowing
- If you are lucky enough (or cursed) to run a salon with a lot of staff you can nominate one member to take this meeting. Have that staff member to report the results back to you. This may encourage some staff members (mainly the newer ones) to give their honest opinions and can help building team spirit
- Hold the meeting in the morning. Holding a meeting at the end of the day may result in your staff trying to finish the meeting early to get home as fast as possible!
2. Your customers
The customer is always right! (Love the cliche) Your customers are the ones who receive the treatment and can tell you what you are doing right and where there is room for improvement. They can give you their opinion about the range of treatments offered, the prices and your therapists or hairdressers work and service. Don't make this process taxing! Incentivise your customers with an offer or a prize draw in return for the feedback.
Here are some ways to get feedback from your customers:
- Verbally: Just after they received their treatment, while they are still in your salon, ask your customers if they liked it. It doesn't take long and is obviously not as detailed as a written feedback but it's a quick way to see if your clients are satisfied and reward the therapist or hairdresser
- SMS: Everybody now have a mobile phone so it's an easy way to reach all your customers. Send them a text message about 2 hours after they left your salon so that you don't bother them just after the treatment when they are driving or shopping!
- Email: It's a free and fast way to reach your clients but they are less likely to answer it than a SMS. To avoid your message being deleted without even reading pay attention and think a lot about the "subject" of the email. The catchier it will be, the more answers you'll get. Avoid things like "Feedback on your last booking at The Salon", make it more personal like "Do you like your new haircut? Let us know!"
Here is an example of what you can send to your customers on their phones or via email:
"Hi name of the client,
It was a pleasure to see you this afternoon. We hope you enjoyed your type of treatment and that name of the therapist or hairdresser attended you well.
We are always looking to improve our service and would like to know what you've appreciated and what we could do better. We would be more than happy to read any suggestions you may have and we'll give you a 5% off on your next treatment.
Thank you in advance, looking forward to see you back soon!
The Salon"
Good feedback from one of your customers is an opportunity to promote your business for free by posting it on your website or on social networks and that's why it's important to ask for it. It gives a good image of your salon and helps grow your reputation.
Don't panic about negative feedback, it is in fact a chance for you to improve your management or the treatments your offer. If you do get negative feedback from a customer do not be afraid to call them up about it, ask how it can be improved and invite them back for a discounted treatment to make it up to them. This is a perfect way to turn a negative experience into a positive one!
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