You’re the kings and queens of providing rave-worthy client service in the salon – there’s no doubt about that. You know your stuff and have built up a healthy fan-club of clientele. They swear by your work and rebook before they even leave their seat. Congrats! You’ve nailed that.
But in your industry, weeks can go by without speaking to your clients. You rely on their loyalty to turn up for their next appointment to keep that good relationship rolling. During this lull in visits is when you need to be doing your darndest to extend that fab service you offer beyond the chair.
Lucky for you, we have a few strategies to get that ball rolling for you 😘
Shout about your new online booking
Your online booking is your first stop to giving clients the service they need – the ability to book with you wherever, whenever they like! It’s no secret that everyone’s busy – sometimes the best time for your clients to think about booking their next appointment with you is when they’re cosied up on the couch with their fav glass of pinot and Love Island playing in the background. Sip, laugh, book… works every time.
Lucky for you, Shortcuts have a fancy new online booking platform that your clients are going to LOVE using, it’s that gorgeous and intuitive. Your clients now have a more gorgeous and user-friendly online booking experience since Online Booking has had a serious makeover, with cutting-edge calendar and booking design, and she’s looking fine to boot! You can customise the look and feel with your brand colour, feature imagery, background imagery and logo so it still looks and feels like part of your website.
Clients can book their appointment, from the sessions and stylists that are available, in just a few easy. They’re going to fall in love at first sight! 😍
Keen to experience the new online booking for yourself? Get set up today!
Send appointment reminders
If you want to reduce no-shows AND provide your stellar service beyond the chair, then appointment reminders are a must-have. They’re also kinda expected by your clients as a standard in the industry. So get a wriggle-on and set them up now so your client never has an excuse for forgetting their appointment again!
Learn how to set up SMS and email appointment reminders in Shortcuts right here.
Embrace Uber-style payments
How satisfying is ordering an Uber, and jumping straight out when you reach your destination?! The service is done and dusted, but you haven’t had to whip out a tap-and-go payment method at all. You can happily chat about how long your driver has been doing Uber for, and the wildest rides they’ve ever given without having to think about having the right cash, or finding that eftpos card in the bottom of your bag at the end of the ride.
This can be extended to the salon, giving your clients a similar seamless experience. When they book their appointment via online booking, you can request a partial or full upfront payment with the booking. Not only does this payment secure their booking with you and makes sure they’ll stay honest and show up for their appointment, it also makes their life a little easier at the end, as you’ve already got their card details on file so there’s no fussing about at the front desk. It’s a win-win!
Understand the domino effect
Have you ever heard marketing mavens’ bang on about how effective word-of-mouth is for gaining new clients? Consumers are heavily influenced by the opinions of people they trust when it comes to their purchase decisions. Just think back to your own journey when finding a new doctor or dentist, buying an expensive piece of furniture or whitegoods, or exploring day care options for your kiddos. You’re going to ask around your friends, check out other people’s testimonials online, and keep an eye out for any red flags.
When you provide a quality experience in your salon, showing kindness, empathy, professionalism, skill and experience, that client will spread the word to every one of their friends. It’s the best kind of marketing you can do to gain new clients!
Have post-visit marketing on standby
Once your client has left the salon feeling like a million bucks and ready to rave to all their friends about you, it’s important to make sure your post-visit marketing is ready to take the control until their next appointment.
How many campaigns you send between visits all depends on the kind of business you have, and the frequency with which your client visits. For instance, a nail salon client may only have 2 weeks in between visits. Barber clients may have 4 weeks in between cuts. Hair salon clients may have 8 weeks between colour services. You get the gist – if there’s a longer wait between visits, you may want to send more than just one marketing campaign to keep your clients engaged.
One essential marketing campaign to send is a follow-up the day after your client’s appointment as a quick thank you and asking your client to leave a review if they were happy with their experience.
If your client goes over their recommended return visit time and it’s been a while since you’ve seen them, you can send a “time to see you again” campaign that prompts them to rebook with you. You can include a booking link to your online booking in the campaign to make the process super easy for them.
Click here to learn more about sending campaigns from Shortcuts Marketing.
So now that you’ve learned how to extend that stellar customer service of yours beyond the chair, it’s time to start with step 1: get online booking! You can learn all about the new and improved Shortcuts Online Booking platform right here, and get it set up today here.
