CUSTOMER CARE MADE SIMPLE THE DO'S AND DON'TS

My first page pitch for CUSTOMER CARE MADE SMIPLE THE DO'S AND DON'TS.
BY STEVEN SMITH

With more than three decades' experience in the hair and beauty industry, I've learned that it's not just technical expertise that counts - you also need to know how to put your clients at ease and make them feel special.

It's important to know how to talk to them; what to say and, perhaps more important, what not to say.

So many people are setting themselves up in the industry these days without any real training; apprenticeships are disappearing and customer care is increasingly a thing of the past. 

Some people seem to think that simply being friendly and chatty is enough to make clients comfortable, but really good customer care is so much more than that. 

My book, The Dos and Don'ts of Customer Care Made Simple, will guide you through the minefield of the service industry, giving you a much better understanding of how to treat your clients. And relaxed, happy clients will, of course, keep coming back. 

Don't                                                                     

1 Ask your client what they do for a living

2 Do not ask if they are going on holiday

3 Never ask their relationship status    

Do

1 Meet and greet with a smile without being intrusive

2 Explain in a professional manner how the service or treatment works

3 Answer any questions asked by the client about the service 

I AM HERE FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVISE NOT THE THIRD DEGREE .

Why? It's simple - so many people dread going to salons, clinics and the like as they loath  these sort of intrusive personal questions. If they want to chat about personal things, they will introduce the topic themselves. Take your cue from the client; otherwise stay off personal topics.

And there are many far more subtle and professional ways of finding out what you think you  need to know. For example, if you explain a procedure to a client, they might ask if it is high maintenance, perhaps telling you that as they are, say, a nurse, they have a limited budget , or that they don't have much spare time to spend on a high maintenance style.

A client may tell you that she wants to look good because she's going on holiday, or she has a new partner, in which case, that's fine. But it's not your job to bring the subject up - or to follow up with unnecessary questions.

    

For several years I blow-dried the same client on a Tuesday morning. Apart from the usual pleasantries, we never really talked and she read her paper. 

One day she decided to have a facial before she had her hair done, so I made an appointment for her with the beautician. But my client was furious when she came to see me - and only stayed long enough in the salon to say: "If I wanted to discus my marital status, it would not be to a beautician!" Then she turned on her heel and walked out.

It became apparent that the beautician had asked her if she had a boyfriend or was she married - totally inappropriate, particularly with this client. 

Not only did the beautician lose a new client, I lost a long-standing client. Did the beautician need to know that information? No, she did not.

DO NOT ASK YOU CLIENT  HIS OR HER  RELATIONSHIP STATUS

Contact Steven Smith 07969106222