Let’s state the obvious and get straight to business: client notes are crucial. Not only do they help communicate internal information, but when done right, they also play a massive role in making your client’s passage in your salon memorable. They’re like an additional memory card to your brain. Let’s be real; you can’t possibly remember every little detail about your clients. The question is: ‘What is worth writing down and will help everyone in the salon deliver the most memorable and exceptional customer service?’
A Few Ideas…
Getting into the habit of taking down notes might not come to you straight away. If you’re already a pro at this, skip this section and go straight to ‘What You Should Jolt Down: A Few Ideas’ to see if there are any new ideas that you can use. However, if you’re only getting started with note-taking, I recommend listening to this episode of Phorest FM. Client notes can be taken when scheduling an appointment, when your client checks-in, during the appointment and even when they come back to the reception to pay.
The 22-minute long episode features salon manager Kristina Malone, from boudoir-style Dublin waxing salon Waxperts, and discusses the business’ focus on putting back the ‘treat’ into treatments. More specifically, how to provide customers and prospective clients with the best possible customer service and experience before, during and after their appointments. And guess what? It includes client notes.
Listen here:
What You Should Jolt Down: A Few Ideas
Important: When writing down client notes, only put factual stuff. Do not write down opinions; clients have the right to request to see your notes. What you write is there to help you build a magical client experience and improve the offering, so forget the ‘miserable,’ ‘always late,’ etc.
The usual, and let’s be honest, easy ones:
- Tea and/or coffee preferences
- Do they have kids? If so, how many and what are their names?
- Occupation, work industry
- Magazine preferences
- Are they getting married?
- Do they have a holiday planned?
- Are they pregnant and/or expecting soon?
Other types of notes:
- Client hair type
- Colour formulas
- Colour history
- Preferred retail products
- Marketing/offers preference: email or SMS
- Past issues
- Preferred stylists
- Preferred nail colours
- Lash size
- Eyebrow dye shade
- Tanning shade
- Any allergies
- Skin problems/sensitivities
- Questions they have asked
- Water temperature
- Friends or relations who also come to the salon
- Who recommended them
Taking Client Notes With Phorest Salon Software
Say goodbye to lost post-it notes, notes on your personal phone, the about-to-burst-with-paper binders and the stress of passing over what you wrote down to another therapist, stylist or owner! We’re in the digital age, and Phorest Salon Software is there to help.
First things first, let’s clarify the difference between client notes and appointment notes in the system. Client Notes are notes which are always with that client’s information. They can include colour reminders, general preferences and even marketing information. These are the notes we discussed all throughout this article. Notably different, appointment notes are specific to that particular appointment. For example, ‘client might be late’. These types of notes move to the ‘Previous Appointment Notes’ box following the next appointment.
In Phorest Salon Software, there are separate notes for services notes such as colour formulas. These different sections include:
- Email/SMS History (automatically generated)
- Medical History
- Patch Tests (automatically generated)
- Credit Terms (automatically generated)
- TreatCard (automatically generated)
- Vouchers (automatically generated)
- Service History (automatically generated)
- Product History (automatically generated)
- Courses (automatically generated)
- Memberships (automatically generated)
- Notes
To view these sections in Phorest Salon Software, simply log in, click ‘Clients’, and double-click on the client to which you wish to add or view a note. Everything is centralised in one salon scheduling software for a seamless experience; on your end and your clients’.
Step-by-Step Guides
- Getting Client Notes To Appear On The Appointment Screen
To view the detailed step-by-step, click here. - Setting Up An Important Alert For A Client On Check-In
To view the detailed step-by-step, click here.
Got feedback? Leave us a comment or tweet us @ThePhorestWord!
Thanks for reading!
#LetsGrow
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Featured imaged shot on location of Nu Essence, in Dublin. © 2017 Phorest Salon Software.
