Your salon lobby is the forefront of your business and the manner in which you receive your guests and the experience that you present while they wait for their service is imperative to keeping them coming back time and again.
It goes without saying that it is of utmost importance that your staff personally greets each and every guest with a warm welcome as they enter your salon. In addition, believe it or not, the use of technology can be a vital tool in ensuring that the customer service they receive when they arrive at your facility is top notch.
Perhaps you’re wondering how this is possible? Well, for starters, who doesn’t love to hear the sound of their own name? I’m willing to bet that each time that you greet your guests by first name, it makes them feel important – like a respected and valued patron of your business. You might be thinking, “I’m terrible with names” or that this is an impossible task, especially during times when you’ve got a line of customers waiting at the front counter.
The good news is that you don’t have to have a photographic memory in order to greet your customers by name and make them feel valued! When your guest places their finger on a biometric device, you swipe their driver’s license or you scan their membership card, they aren’t going to be thinking about the fact that you just searched for their account electronically, and that their demographic information is easily visible to you on the screen – all using the technology available to you at your fingertips. Voila! You’ve just been able to effortlessly make your guest feel special by welcoming them to your salon by name.
With the right software tools at your disposal, you can turn first impressions into lasting impressions and long-term guest relationships.
Once a customer has been checked in for their service appointment, your lobby should be inviting and provide a comfortable experience should there be a wait time. Aside from a luxurious environment, they will also surely appreciate transparency and being kept informed of their status. A cost-effective way to accomplish this is to incorporate an information portal that is easily visible by guests who are waiting for their tanning/treatment room to become available. Readily displaying the status of your tanning equipment as well as the approximate wait time takes the guesswork out of how long they will be waiting.
You can also advise waiting guests of promotions or specials that they might want to take advantage of by displaying a scrolling marquee with this information on the information portal.
First impressions are everything – when a guest enters your salon and while they wait to be pampered. Having the right software tools at your disposal will aid in turning those first impressions into lasting impressions and will develop long-term relationships with your guests by identifying with them on a personal level, making them feel valued and keeping them informed.