Customer Service in the Hairdressing Industry

1 Understand the importance of customer service

The importance of the customer experience: customer satisfaction, repeat business, customer retention loyalty, brand reputation, differentiation from competitors, word of mouth marketing, upselling opportunities, reduced complaints and issues, employee satisfaction, continuous improvement, long term success.

The importance of maintaining accurate customer records: personalised service, consistency, treatment history, health and safety, legal compliance, appointment scheduling, communication and follow-up, marketing, customer relationship management, business intelligence, client retention, and loyalty.

The importance of maintaining accurate medical history for customers: client safety, risk

assessment, customised treatment plans, legal and ethical obligations, professionalism and trust, emergency preparedness (aware of any possible issues that could result from medical history), liability, continuation of care, education and training.

The importance of exceeding a customer's expectations: customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, positive word of mouth, competitive advantage, enhanced brand image, increased revenue, improved employee morale, customer retention, continuous improvement, and long-term growth.

2 Be able to provide optimal customer service

Ensuring a safe and welcoming salon environment: sanitise equipment, clean surfaces, clean surfaces, proper ventilation, safe handling of chemicals, emergency preparedness, proper waste disposal, compliance with regulations, friendly environment, comfortable atmosphere, aesthetics, accessibility, customer feedback, wait times.

Communication techniques:

• Verbal: speaking manner and tone, professional, supportive, respectful, sensitive to client, open questioning related to treatment
• Non-verbal: eye contact, body language, listening skills, visual checks, manual, questioning
• Techniques, professional, client care
• Written: visual aids, magazines, client records

Welcoming a customer to the salon: friendly, polite, facial expression, acknowledges appointment, offers assistance, checking in, introducing self, offering refreshments, comfortable seating, addressing questions and concerns, informing about facilities, informing about the wait. 

Having a phone call with an existing customer: making a call, asking for required information, security checks, phone voice, politeness, recording a phone call, recording required information, entering information from a phone call.

Booking an appointment: digital appointment systems, booking an appointment into a diary, suggesting availability, booking appropriate time slots, and staff availability.

Promoting additional service to a customer: explain benefits, fit to customer expectations and needs, explain cost, explain purpose.

Upselling a product to a customer: explain the purpose, explain the benefit, tailor the discussion to the individual, and explain the cost.

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Receiving a payment for a service or product

• Taking a card payment
  
  • Setting up the card machine
  • Card payments over the phone
  • Dealing with a declined payment
• Taking cash payment
  
  • Giving change
  • Ensure real currency
• Dealing with cheques
  
  • Policy on cheques
  • Ensure real cheque
• Balancing tills
  
  • Managing afloat
  • Noticing discrepancies
• Data security
  
  • Payment details
  • Staff members able to take payment in different ways
  • Staff training
  • Securely taking a payment
• Collecting customer feedback
• Spoken feedback at the end of the session: open-ended questions, active listening, accepting criticism, openness
• Follow-up feedback requests: surveys, emails, follow-up discussions, reviews

3 Understand a range of interactions with customers in the hairdressing industry 

Instances where a customer might complain: unsatisfactory results, poor customer service, lack of cleanliness, comfort and ambience, billing and pricing, skin irritation, allergic reactions, double booking, cancellation policies, uncomfortable interactions, privacy concerns, long wait times.

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Dealing with a hostile interaction with a customer

• Stay calm and professional
  
  • Use a neutral tone 
• Active listening
  
  • Use empathy
  • Allow customer to speak
• Apologies
  
  • Even if it is not your fault, an apology can diffuse the situation.
• Clarify the problem
  
  • Ask questions when needed.
  • Repeat key points.
• Offer solutions
• Take responsibility (if applicable)
• Follow up if needed
• Reflect and learn
• If the hostility escalates
  
  • Stay calm
  • Acknowledge emotions
  • Set boundaries
    
    • Polite redirection if aggressive.
    • State consequences of behaviour if needed.
  • Ask for support from other members of staff if needed.
  • Offer to continue the conversation at a later date.
    
    • To allow time for the customer to calm down
  • End interaction if needed.
    
    • Politely state needs to conclude.
    • Follow policies where available.
  • Document interactions
  • If interaction continues to escalate or there is a safety concern, call or ask another person to call emergency services.

Accessibility in customer service

• Physical aspects: entrance and exits, navigation, facilities
• Communication: hearing, alternative formats, signage
• Digital accessibility: accessible website and book system
• Attitude to accessibility

A salon’s responsibilities in relation to accessibility

• Physical accessibility: entrances, pathways, seating, accessible restrooms, treatment areas
• Communication: signage, information and materials, hearing accessibility
• Service accessibility: booking and scheduling, customised services
• Digital accessibility
• Staff training: disability awareness
• Legal compliance

4 Be able to interact with customers in a range of circumstances

Managing a customer complaint: active listening, empathy, apologising sincerely, investigating issues, offering solutions, taking action, following up, learning and improving.

Resolving a potentially hostile interaction: remaining calm under pressure, listening actively, showing empathy, asking open-ended questions, restating and summarising, proposing a solution, taking action, following up, seek help when needed.

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Supporting a customer with additional access requirements

• Plan ahead: ask in advance, note arrangements in notes for future interactions
• Ensure staff trained 
  
  • Communication
  • Assistive technology
  • Equality and inclusion
• Accessible entrances and exits
• Clear pathways
• Accessible seating
• Adjustable equipment
• Ask for client preferences
• Offer assistance
• Ask for feedback following the visit
• Provide clear information
• Written information in addition to oral
• Visual aids
• Adapt communication style

5 Understand customer recruitment

The importance of customer recruitment

• Business growth
  
  • Increased customer base
  • Increased revenue
  • Increased market share
• Replace lost customers
• Reduce dependency on existing customers
• Adapt to market change
• Increase brand awareness and visibility
• Fresh feedback
• Ensures continued relevance
• Long-term stability

Impact social media can have on customer recruitment and retention

• Marketing
  
  • Increased reach
  • Brand exposure
  • Precise targeting
  • Paid advertising
  • Drive website traffic shareability
• Building customer relationships
  
  • Two-way communication
  • Customer feedback
  • Can build trust and credibility
• Social media influencers
  
  • Give access to large following
  • Ability to target an audience
  • Authenticity
  • Expertise
  • Endorsement
  • Reviews and demonstrations
  • Exposure 
  • Viral potential
  • Word of mouth
  • Strategic partnerships
  • Increased campaign effectiveness
  • Types of influencers have varying impact
    
    • Micro vs macro vs celebrity

Impact local adverts can have on customer recruitment

• Increased visibility in local area
• Fosters a sense of community
• Engages community
• Build relationship with community
• Allows for targeted marketing: address needs of local area
• Often more cost effective than larger campaigns
• Often used to promote immediate action
• Amplifies word of mouth marketing
• Build local brand identity
• Can match local events and seasons
• Competitive advantage

The importance of search engine optimisation (SEO)

• Makes it easier for potential customers to find the website by making the website appear sooner in internet search results.
• Helps the business reach specific audiences by using specific keywords.
• Websites seen early in search results are often seen as having a higher authority on the topic being searched for. Therefore, SEO can result in a business being seen as one of authority.
• SEO is a relatively low-cost form of marketing.
  
  • No direct advertising costs.
  • Minimal maintenance.
• Can give a competitive advantage.
• Supports other marketing efforts.
• Measurable results and insights about customer interactions and intents.
• SEO is flexible and can be adapted to trends.

Impact of referral programs: increased customer acquisition (wider reach, trust and credibility), cost-effective marketing, enhanced customer retention, improved customer lifetime value, brand advocacy, personalised marketing, and competitive advantage.

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Impact of online reviews

• Positive reviews
  
  • Build trust
  • Encourages loyalty
  • Validate quality of service
  • Build brand reputation
  • Attracts new customers
• Influence decisions
• Impact on search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Influencer reviews
  
  • Can have stronger impact because they have a wider reach and are seen as trustworthy
• Identify strengths and weakness
• Can be used for marketing bench marketing against competitors
• Reveal trends
• Customer interaction
• Build a community
• Negative reviews
  
  • Could damage reputation
  • Need to address professionally and promptly

6 Be able to recruit new customers

Marketing materials for a hairdressing service

• General guidance
  
  • Plan
    
    • Objectives
    • Goal
    • Know the audience
    • Content
  • Compelling visuals, layout and text
  • Brand identity
  • Call-to-action
  • Ensure awareness of guidelines and rules associated with platform or distribution
    
    • Copyright
    • Data protection (when utilising a targeted distribution)
    • Acceptable content on the platform etc
• Social media posts
  
  • Choose the right platform for content
  • Tags and hashtags
  • Interactive elements
  • Accessibility (alt text, readable fonts)
  • Posting at optimal time
  • Monitor and respond
• Flyers for local distribution
  
  • Typograph and colour
  • Include contact information
  • Consider special offers and discounts
  • Printing considerations
  • Distribution plan
• Website front page
  
  • Visual impact
  • Clear navigation
  • Highlight key services
  • Customer testimonies and reviews
  • About Us section
  • Blog or tips section
  • Contact information
  • Social media integration
  • Footer
  • Accessibility
• Short form video 
  
  • Editing
  • Platform
  • Captions and hashtags
  • Identify trends
  • Improvise
• Long form video
  
  • Editing
  • Platform (ensure long form videos common on site)
  • Premiere
  • Live streams
  • Demonstrations

Designing a referral program to market a salon: define the objective, choose incentives, determine the structure, design process (cards, digital referrals, in-salon-sign-ups), set up tracking systems, monitor and adapt.

How to respond to an online review

• Positive reviews
  
  • Appreciation
  • Build loyalty
  • Encourage further engagement
• Negative reviews
  
  • Address issues
  • Empathy
  • Offer solution
• Neutral reviews
  
  • Acknowledge
  • Highlight positive mentions
  • Encourage revisits to improve experience
• Fake or inappropriate reviews
  
  • Maintain professionalism
  • Report if needed
  • Clarify misunderstandings
• General advice
  
  • Be prompt
  • Personalise response
  • Stay professional
  • Acknowledge all feedback
  • Offer solutions
  • Encourage return visits
  • Use keywords

7 Understand the importance of customer retention

The benefits of customer retention: revenue stability and growth, cost efficiency, brand advocacy, word of mouth, reduced need for marketing, gaining customer feedback, reliance against competition, trust, and predictable revenue.

Strategies to retain customers

• Excellent customer service
• Loyalty-based programs and rewards
• Regular communication and engagement
  
  • Email newsletter
  • Social media engagement
  • Surveys and feedback requests
• Exclusive offers and discounts
• Building a community
• Build relationships
  
  • Thank you notes
  • Follow up communication
• Continuous improvement

The impact customer service has on customer retention: builds trust, customer satisfaction, loyalty, positive image of service, emotional connection and engagement.

Data legislation as it applies to customer data

(If no local legislation exists please teach UK and EU policy as discussed here.)

• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU)
  
  • Lawful basis for processing
  • Individual rights
  • Data breach notifications
  • Accountability
• Data Protection Act 2018 (UK)
  
  • Aligns with GDPR data protection
  • Rights of the individual
  • International data transfers
  • Data breach notification

8 Be able to implement customer retention strategies

Recording customer data on a digital system: follow data protection guidelines, correct data in form, collect data from customers, accessing existing profiles.

Creating a customer profile: online systems, required data, collecting data.

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Designing a customer loyalty program

• Set objectives
• Choose a loyalty program structure
  
  • Point-based system
  • Tired system
  • Punch cards or stamps
  • Referral program
  • Prepaid membership program
  • Service package deals
  • Birthday or anniversary rewards
  • Exclusive products or discounts
• Select rewards and incentives
• Promotions and communication
• Tracking points
• Clear terms and conditions

Recommending a customer loyalty program

• Understand program
• Conversation with client
• Explain benefits 
• Explain process

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Creating an individualised marketing email: email management systems, using customer data, complying with legislation, addressing email, and style of communication.

Designing a digital newsletter: decide on goals and aims, title, articles, content, engaging content, advertising services, advertising products, customer testimonials, staff testimonies, and highlight successes.

Deleting customer data: destroy data securely, destroying paper files, destroying digital files.