sharon hilditchwrites
action heroes
Sharon HilditchMBE discusses the importance of delivering great customer service
A fewmonths ago I wrote about the importance of communication in business. But as well as communication everyone knows it’s what you do that counts.
As a mum, I’ve often heard myself utter the same thing as I was told so many times growing up, ‘actions speak louder than words’.And, I guess if skin care was a sport, we’d all be saying, ‘I let my skin care do the talking’…which isn’t a bad thing to think about actually.
We know the importance of communication, through the abundance of mediums offered to us these days. Online, print, media, – but none of that really works if your customer service isn’t spot on.
killer product
My first aim is always to ensure that, whatever product or service we are putting out there, it is the very best it can be. Whether that’s a skin care treatment machine, a treatment itself to a client, or a skin care product for salons or clients. It doesn’t matter if you develop these yourself or you’re buying them from a company like Crystal Clear, it’s important not to sell anything you don’t wholly believe in and love yourself. Because if you don’t, how can you expect anyone else to?
delivered brilliantly
Once you’ve got a killer range of treatments and services lined up you need to deliver them brilliantly. There’s no point in providing the best treatment in town if you deliver it 10 minutes late every time a client turns up, or you’ve not prepared the treatment room prior to their visit and you’re looking around for equipment as the appointment goes on.
Getting to knowyour salon’s range of productswill allowyou to talk to clients with ease and confidence.
experience it yourself
I’ve been watching a series on TV recently where a man who specialises in cafes and restaurants advises start-ups. Something he does really well is to make sure the owner and people who work there ‘walk through’ the process of being a customer in their own establishment. Little things like, if your coat is taken, where it is taken to? If you’re offered a drink, how long does the drink takes to appear?Are all very important first impressions. Same as before you leave – how is the bill prepared, where do you pay?
Do you make a follow up appointment before your clients leave?Are your bags the right sizes for products? They all apply to salons too, in my experience.
Image©andresr/
depositphotos.com
Whenever I can I try to experience our own Day Spa in Liverpool at our Head Office.Well, it’s not the hardest bit of my job I must say, but I like to see how we treat our own
clients.Also, I get to experience our treatments and think about any ways in which we can improve that particular treatment or experience. You should do the same and encourage your team to.
It’s very easy in business to be so busy delivering your services that you forget to see what they’re like yourselves. If you all regularly experience what it is you are providing it proves beneficial for two reasons:
• Firstly you can improve on anything you don’t think is working quite right and between a team of you, you’ll always come up with something that ‘adds value’ to the client.
GUILD NEWS 85
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