You spend years building a loyal client base, recruiting a talented team and then lose half of your customer base overnight. Your stylist or therapist leaves the salon, and without you knowing, they take the salon client details with them. It happens. A lot. The scary reality is that most salon owners don’t realise what’s going on until it’s too late. Leadership is trusting and having the courage to let your team exercise their personal values. There are, however, measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of your stylists or therapists taking clients with them while still making them feel appreciated and trusted.
Build A Brand, Not Just A Great Team Of Individuals
First things first.
Ask yourself why your clients are with you rather than with your competition. If your answer is ‘because they love the team,’ then there is work to be done. They obviously have to like the services your stylists or therapists provide, but they have to enjoy them in the context of your brand and in the context of you as the salon owner.
What I mean by this, is that your clients have to believe that the salon and their experience is great because you, as the owner, have created that. Then, if a stylist or therapist leaves, they know you will still provide an incredible experience thanks to the standards you set.
Build Relationships
When building a relationship with a client, it’s important to keep gathering and updating their details.
- After a customer’s first visit, send them an SMS saying something along the lines of:
“Dear Donna, I hope you enjoyed your first visit to (salon name). If you have any special requests for future appointments or any questions about (treatment/styles), then please feel free to reach out. Finally, I just want to say, thank you for choosing us. At your service, David, Owner.”This sets the tone and shows you are in charge from day 1. It also lets them know how much you care about providing an amazing experience. - Get their feedback:
Getting feedback from every appointment is important. This is something Phorest Salon Software can easily provide. The system automatically sends clients an email or SMS after their visit asking them to rate their experience out-of-five and leave a comment. Afterward, you can view rating reports and see how well your staff is doing. Also, these reports allow you to view who is the most requested person on the floor.
Perhaps get this person to share customer service tips with you and the team. This makes them feel important, and it alleviates relying on one superstar to attract clients. If you are using them as a standard to build a culture, then theoretically, every new employee can reach this standard.
You may know a lot of this instinctively, but if you want to automate it and generate reports with a tap of the screen and are not using Phorest Salon Software, why not request a demo today!
Hire Carefully, Check References
In Phorest, we have a strong recruitment process. You have to hire talented people, right?
That being said, loyalty matters too – one mistake is not following up on references, but even more commonly, following up in the wrong way. So we ask for a minimum of two references and have a managing twist to it. The candidate’s references have to ring Phorest on their behalf. Why? Because I can guarantee you that if a previous salon owner had a bad experience with them, they won’t lift up the phone on their behalf!
However, if you ring them first, they may feel obligated to give you a standard reference. This will help weed out anyone who has previously stolen and used salon client details.
Related | Hiring Salon Staff: Top Tips For Finding The Very Best
Locking Down On Salon Client Details
Your salon client details are your salon’s property. At least that’s what it should be. However, if you are using a book and not salon software, they are everybody’s details. Phorest grants different permission levels to different types of staff. Even if therapists or stylists are checking their appointments on their phone, you can prevent them from viewing reports or contact details.
If you do this from day one of getting a software system, you are avoiding a major headache in the future. An easy way to communicate this to staff is that it’s in the interests of clients to have salon client details stored safely. It’s not about trust; it’s about best practice.
Bonus Tip: Build Your Personal Brand Too
We discussed this a little in point one. Building your own brand increases influence, respect in the industry and helps you attract talent.
Some people feel uncomfortable jumping in front of a camera, speaking publicly or getting themselves out there. For some, this may feel egocentric or self-obsessed. Overcoming that thought process builds your reputation as a salon owner, but also your salon’s reputation. If your salon is well reputed and seen as a place to get an amazing experience, therapists or stylists need you to help them grow in their career.
Trust is based on respect, yes, but if employees feel like they’ve nothing to lose by taking your salon client details with them, they’re very likely to do that. However, if they feel you have the industry’s ear, they will want your support both in their role with you and in the future.
Related | New Feature: Introducing The Phorest Online Reputation Manager
Conclusion
None of these points can 100% prevent people taking clients or 100% protect your salon client details. But, they are preventative measures. If you hire right, build relationships with your clients as the owner and take care in storing info and granting access, then you are doing everything in your power to be fully in control of your salon.
Thanks for reading!
#LetsGrow
Originally published on May 12, 2015.
