Redesigning A Better Service Experience In The New Normal: 6 Tips On Winning More Clients (By Doing Less)

How will I manage bookings when I reopen?

How do I ensure that I am taking the required number of people in (& keeping them safe)?

How do I ensure that I’m generating enough revenue?

How do I stay productive in this chaos?

Will I be able to still make my clients happy?

There are tons of questions on your mind and we hear you.

As owners of a small business—especially a service-based one— we know well that this pandemic has impacted your business in more ways than we can imagine, and your mind is filled with all sorts of questions. It can get overwhelming as this changed scenario threatens to impact its core—the service experience that you’ve invested to perfect over the years.

There’s always a bright light at the end of the tunnel, goes the adage, isn’t it? While we know that the service experience has changed, redesigning will help you adapt to the new normal and allow you to get back on the track—faster.

But again, redesigning the service experience should not be cumbersome, in fact balancing your relationship skills with the prowess of an online booking system should do the trick.

In this post, we’ll share with you 6 tips on attracting more clients (by doing less) using the above combination.

1. Re-train your staff on in-salon service experience post-pandemic

Just like you, your clients haven’t had it easy in the last couple of months. They’ve been stressed and anxious. And once the situation eases out, they’ll be looking to destress and unwind. Your spa, salon, barbershop, or wellness business will become their “self-care” haven and that’s why it’s upon you to ensure that when they do walk in, they have memorable in-salon service experience, despite the social distancing limitations.

Whether you’ve opened or planning to reopen your business, make sure that you are blocking out some time to re-train your staff so that they are giving their attention to the clients.

Positive client experiences directly impact your bottom line. The Client Experience Survey conducted by Booksy in 2020 found that good business experience was a top priority for clients visiting service providers in the beauty, hair, and wellness space.

That being said, providing excellent service and treatments is good advice, but don’t just stop at that, instead experiment with other ways in which you can continue to lift your client’s day in this new normal.

Here are a few handy tips:

• Train your staff to greet the client first and foremost— yes even before you reach out to them with a thermometer to check their temperature! Here’s an example—“Hey, Claudia, I’m so glad to see you, this is me Karen behind the mask.” Chuckles, did you hear them? The situation is slightly different, but a little humor can really ease your clients. 
• Lead with warmth & empathy—ask your staff to check on them, refer to them by name and talk about things that interest them. Smile at them. Be the friend that they’ve been waiting to talk to. Little things like these build long term relationships and boost client’s loyalty. 
• Find new ways to pamper them— it’s all in the details, isn’t it? Yes, offering your clients their favorite magazine to read or a hot beverage to savor is out of the question at the moment, but they’re still ways in which your staff can impress them. Using a hot towel after a shampoo, or providing them quick tips on styling are just a few things that will have the same effect if not more. 
• Throw in a complimentary service—it won’t take much from you, but it will mean a lot for your clients, especially at this time. An optional complimentary service like a 10 min-scalp massage, a free nail color trial, or a double mask can cheer them up like none other! 

2. Make it easy for your clients to book and amend appointments 

We know that with new reopening guidelines coming into play, you’re itching to align your service experience and constantly looking for tools and methods to make your business grow.

Technology in the form of an all-in-one business management software is one such tool to test. In a time when you’d want to be on top of your bookings, it’s best to invest in an online booking software, giving your clients the ease to book, cancel and reschedule appointments whenever they like.

And there’s proof…

The Booksy Client Experience Survey 2020 also found that clients across categories prioritize online booking, as it offers them the flexibility to book a service from anywhere, any time. But an online booking software has benefits not just for your clients, but for your business too.

Let’s face it, manual methods—the old pen & paper ones— make it difficult to manage bookings effectively. Linking up your calendar with your clients who are trying to schedule with you takes your attention away from providing a great business experience.

Here’s what Beckie McShane has to say about Booksy helping her:

“I’ve used Booksy for my spa & massage businesses since 2010. It has given me at least 3 hours of my life back a week not having to return phone calls & play phone tag scheduling clients and it’s such a simple system my oldest clients could figure it out. Now with the app, my clientele adds me to their favorites & scheduling is a breeze for them. With Booksy I can have my schedule fill up while I’m busy massaging. My clients love it, I love it, it’s definitely made my business run smoother.”

In a nutshell, not only will it help your clients, but also dramatically improve your productivity, your business operations as well as help you bridge the gap faster.

Looking for more insights from Booksy Client Experience Survey 2020? Check out this video below.

3. Build trust as trust is everything right now

Your clients will be trusting you with their lives (quite literally) when they walk in your salon, spa, barbershop or wellness business when your business reopens. And while their safety is paramount for you and you’re taking extra precautions to sanitize, you also need to constantly share updates with them, to keep them in the loop with the measures you’re taking.

This will build trust and ensure that they are willing to visit your business. Here are a couple of ways in which you can ensure that your clients are in the loop.

Communicate your safety readiness via social media/email 

Get innovative here and test posts, Instagram stories and other such options to relay the information as much as you can. Here’s an example that we love! 

This applies even if you haven’t reopened yet but plan to. Jeanita Spikes from PaintedPolished—a Booksy customer has done an awesome job of communicating it with their clients while they plan to reopen.  

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_23gAdpmMf

Email is another option that you can test. Here’s an example of an email stressing on the safety and COVID guidelines: 

Offer Contactless payment options

The World Health Organization encourages the use of contactless payment, as the virus could stay on cash for days after exposure, and therefore it is an effective way to minimize the spread of the virus.

If you are using an online booking software like Booksy, you can easily charge your clients through your own merchant facilities using the stored client payment information.

Booksy's POS Stripe card reader is another alternative to cashless payment, allowing clients to tap their cards to make a payment.

With Booksy you can also request credit card details at the time of booking and charge in full, deposits or simply store those payment details at a tap of a button.

Display trust badges on your website, social media & in store 

Verified, seal of approval, certifies that….what do you associate these words with?

If your answer is ‘trust’, we hear you. A seal of approval means a lot for clients, especially in the current climate. So if you’re taking any certifications aimed at safeguarding their health it’s time you share/display this information through social media, website and in-store.

An example of this is the Barbicide certification that many small-business owners are proactively taking.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGxzpwBsER/

Another example is Booksy's COVID Business, Revenue & Safety Health Check, that will help you get a better perspective of the situation as well as provide you with an actionable plan to reopen your business with confidence. Booksy also provides a certificate of completion that you can display at your salon, spa, barbershop or wellness business and continue to build trust. 

4. Remove friction to elevate client service experience 

You’ve re-trained your staff, you are taking extra measures to ensure sanitization and you are doing everything in the book to stay on course. But here are a few things that can help you remove friction and elevate the client service experience a little more:

Giving options to book a future date and reschedule 

Most service-based entrepreneurs have to limit the number of clients that walk inside their premises. Olivia Smalley, a hair influencer and Booksy customer, recently shared that she is handling only four clients as opposed to eight in the past.

That’s a loss of 50% business per day. If you’re doing the same, it is advisable that you give your clients the option to book a future date and reschedule if necessary, so that you’ve got a pipeline of clients.

If you’re a Booksy user you can leverage the Waitlist feature. Waitlist helps you deliver even better service to your clients, helps keep your books full, and gives you a clearer picture of the demand for your services and times. 

Offering them discounts 

Giving them a discount on services or on in-salon purchases is another way to elevate the experience, especially for clients who really need a service but are still battling finances such as students.

Keeping track of discounts can be hard if you don’t have a process, but with Booksy you can set it up in minutes. 

5. Stay on top of communications

We can’t stress enough about the need for a crisis communication strategy during this time. It may feel like an overwhelming task to write one for your business but by having one you’ll eliminate any ambiguity in the mind of the clients around your changed policies.

More often than not, small business entrepreneurs don’t prioritize one, leaving them with post-service hassles or dissatisfied clients who’ll end up rating your business negatively. So whether it is an update on your no-show policy or change in pricing it is best that you stay on top of your communications.

Positive reviews are more important than ever for your business as it builds word of mouth referrals and attracts more clients. 

If you are a Booksy user, you can also use the announcements section on your booking page to relay this information as well. Here’s an example:

In a time when every client visits matters, it’s upon you to ensure that every client who walks out of the door is happy, satisfied, and cheering you on.

6. Take into account the little things

If you haven’t realized by now, let us remind you that redesigning a service experience isn’t just about the superficial stuff, but instead, it plays on each and every step of the way.

Take for example the little details about your clients—from birthdays to what they like and what they don’t, or even the staff member they prefer for their services. Use this info to delight them.

This is a low hanging opportunity for you to make a better impression on them. And it’s a sure winner too! Such details make them feel valued and it builds loyalty.

Our built-in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides you with all the insights and solutions you need to ensure your brand experience matches the wonderful service you provide and in this case client through client notes feature.

Wrapping it up!

There you have it! 6 tips for redesigning the service experience for your clients in the current climate.

Once again, here they are for you:

• Re-train your staff on in-salon service experience post-pandemic
• Make it easy for your clients to book and amend appointments
• Build trust as trust is everything right now
• Remove friction to elevate client service experience
• Stay on top of communication
• Take into account the little things

Have a closer look and you’ll realize that the above tips aren’t just cost-effective, but the need of the hour. But more importantly it will help you win clients by doing less.