Salons are a place for relaxation and connection. Customers come to a salon for self-care, as a treat for themselves, and they expect to leave feeling better than when they walked through your door.
As a beauty professional, when you think about this customer experience, you might think about the actions you take to make client experiences better only when they’re with you. You certainly go above and beyond at every visit for your customers to ensure they leave your salon feeling like a brand-new person.
While these are all important aspects of their experience, these aren’t the only touchpoints of the salon experience. Every touchpoint shapes your customers’ opinions and impressions of your business — especially the touchpoints outside your salon’s doors.
The following 20 touchpoints span everything from back-of-house administration to in-person contact and beyond, and each one can make or break your customer experience.
Before the appointment
Before settling on a salon, your clients and potential customers likely research several businesses to find the one most knowledgeable with the best reviews for the specific service they’re looking for. These touchpoints all occur before a client makes an appointment.
Set up your site with Square Appointments
Book your time without wasting your time. Square Appointments is free for individuals and comes with a free booking website.
1) Your website
We live in a digital age. A strong marketing strategy and a well-designed website can make a huge impression. Think of your website as an extension of your personal brand. It should represent you, your services, and the level of care and professionalism your customers can expect from you in person.
2) Your online store
Do you sell your salon products online? If so, your website needs an online store for customers that’s frictionless and easy to navigate. Finding — and buying — favourite products should be seamless.
3) Your booking system
Is it easy for your clients and potential customers to book an appointment with you? Your Book an Appointment button or tab should be easy to find on your site and posted in your salon’s bio on your social media channels. Square Appointments helps you keep track of your availability and lets customers book appointments based on your open slots. This takes the admin work off of your plate so you can be more present for customers in person.
4) Appointment reminders
In addition to automating your appointment bookings, Square Appointments automatically sends appointment reminders to your customers. Everyone has a busy lifestyle and schedule, and your clients will appreciate the gentle reminder. Plus, it keeps the lines of communication open in case they cannot make it — Square Appointments offers a handy rescheduling tool that notifies both you and the customer of the updated appointment. This small but mighty feature can also save you from no-shows or last-minute cancellations.
5) Welcome emails
It may seem small, but a “welcome” email after a new customer books their first appointment with your salon is a powerful way to show your new client you appreciate that they’ve chosen your salon. It generates a buzz of excitement for the appointment, too. Set a trigger to send this welcome note anytime a new email address is used to book an appointment or purchase a product from your site.
6) Thank-you notes
Like the welcome note for new customers, you can also set a trigger to send a thank-you email after every online checkout or appointment booking. You can further enhance this experience by tailoring the email to the specific service or product they’ve purchased. For instance, if a customer books an appointment for hair retexturing or a cut and colour, you can send haircare tips for their new style.
7) Sales, promotions, discounts, and newly added services
Have an upcoming sale? A new product launching soon? Keep your customers in the loop with regular email messages. Establish a customer loyalty program and use email to send special deals and discounts to your most loyal customers.
8) Health & safety communications
While the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, communicating the health and safety precautions you’ve implemented puts your clients at ease and lets them know you care about their wellness.
Arrival and during the appointment
What your clients see of your salon in person is just as important as what they see online and elsewhere.
9) Ensure a smiling staff
When a team is well-managed, they’re happier. Square Team Management helps you provide your employees with information about benefits, work schedules, and paycheque dates.
10) Always greet customers
Even with the assurance of an appointment, when a customer walks into your busy salon and isn’t acknowledged, it can be disconcerting. Flash a smile and a wave, so your clients know you’re aware they’ve arrived — it really goes a long way.
11) Keep waiting times to a minimum
Tracking your appointments helps you keep to a schedule. It can be frustrating for clients who’ve scheduled an appointment to still be waiting for you once that appointment time has passed. Doing your part minimizes other clients’ wait times and keeps your clients happy.
12) Mind the details
For most people, a day at the salon is all about relaxing, unwinding, and feeling pampered. The salon experience is all about the details. It really is the little things that go a long way toward showing your appreciation and making your customers feel at ease.
13) Keep your salon clean and organized
If you visit a dining establishment that isn’t clean, you probably won’t go back — in fact, you might walk right back out the door. Anywhere that multiple people congregate, customers expect cleanliness. If your salon isn’t clean and organized, your clients will notice. If they leave because your salon equipment is dirty or disorderly, they may not return. Have clear guidelines set with your stylists to keep all stations clean.
14) Place well-positioned, visible signage
Any questions customers might ask (“Where’s your bathroom?”, “What time do you close?”, etc.) should be clearly marked on signs throughout your establishment. While it might seem like one of those small details, it empowers customers with the information they need and lightens your load at the same time.
15) Keep your inventory stocked
There’s nothing worse than having an interested customer leave empty-handed because you’re out of stock. Automating your inventory management means you’ll never run out of anyone’s go-to product. Best of all, Square helps you sync inventory across all your sales channels, from online to social media and in-store. No plan is perfect, though, and beauty trends come and go — if one of your items sells out faster than you expected, set an email trigger to let customers know when sold-out items will be back in stock.
16) Boost revenue by offering salon products for sale
Part of the allure of a salon service — besides the pampering — is how good the products smell! Scent carries memories, and many of your customers want to buy the products you used during their service so they can recreate that pampered mood in their self-care routine. Let customers know which products are available for sale and offer samples.
After the appointment and beyond
After clients leave your salon, they feel happy, refreshed, and like a brand-new person. By the end of the day, though, that feeling can wear off. It’s important to keep your salon top-of-mind with clients by showing your appreciation after the sale.
17) Say thank you and ask for a review
Once your customer has left, send them a follow-up email or text thanking them for choosing your salon. See if they have questions, are satisfied with your service, and have any feedback. You can also ask if they’ll leave a review on one of your social pages.
18) Remind customers of their next appointment
We all make mental notes to make an appointment and then forget, but with reminder emails, you can let your customers know about their next service, prompting them to schedule.
19) Use special moments and holidays to stay connected
Birthdays, holidays, and other moments in time might call for a special promotion or coupon code.
20) Remember social media
Your social media channels are an extension of your brand and a great place to advertise your services. With social selling tools, you can sell products from your social posts and inspire customers to make an appointment straight from your social accounts.