How Convenient Appointment Scheduling and Customer Satisfaction Affects Long-Term Client Retention

We believe that if the client base of your salon business extends over several hundred clients, it’s the right time that you shift your focus away from your outreach to gaining new customers for your salon. As a matter of fact, this is the right time to concentrate on customer retention instead. In addition to that, the moment you increase customer retention by 2%. It actually has the same effect on your profits as reducing costs by 10%. This is also proven as a really great effect. But, the question is, what exactly is client retention and how can you be able to achieve it? We will show you how your company can use appointment scheduling aiding client retention and greatly improve your business.

First time client retention is referred to as the percentage of new clients, on their first visit, who returned for a second appointment. This should take place within a certain period of time, usually in 90 days. In order to turn your new salon customer into a repeat and loyal client, this is considered as the most ideal growth engine for every kind of small business or large business, most especially for a salon or spa business.

How to Turn Your New Customer into a Regular Salon Customer

In this article, we will share some tested and proven ways on how to improve the first time customer retention of your salon or spa business. If you want to start using one of these client retention strategies, you should always bear in mind that you collect as well as use as much client information as possible. This means that this goes beyond the first transaction and initial contact.

Certainly, you want to sell your customers more than just your salon or spa service, but the truth is that you are also building a solid client-customer relationship. Therefore, the more client information you collect, the greater opportunities you have to send your offers. Below, you will learn some important tips how to retain customers. As well as how to turn them into your loyal salon or spa clients.

Appointment Scheduling Aiding Client Retention

1. Make A Great First Impression

Appointment scheduling is actually the first ever direct contact people have with your salon or spa business. This can be done through visiting your salon and through phone, by online appointment scheduling. The later which is becoming increasingly popular nowadays as your customers can be able to book an appointment conveniently. Thus, it all starts with the overall look of your social media pages and website. Having said that, the possibility to online appointment scheduling is the best solution here.

Have you ever visited a website and didn’t even bother to read it because it was confusing or unclear? The same is also true of asking your salon customers to book an appointment through your conventional contact form. On the other hand, if the customers of your salon or spa can easily view your availability online. As well as conveniently book the appointment themselves they are 30% more likely to make the appointment on the spot. This generally creates a positive and professional first impression for your business. Which enables you to gain a lot of happy and satisfied customers. Simply put, the benefits of having a reliable online appointment scheduling software can really help salon and spa businesses become and stay productive in the long run.

In addition to that, if your salon or spa customer receives an automatic reminder the day before as well as receives a quick on the spot appointment confirmation right after they have scheduled the appointment, you are already putting your stamp of professionalism on the interaction. This means that your customers can be able to look forward to their first appointment in your spa or salon. Not only that, they will certainly bear in mind that your salon is a reputable and professional one. Thus encouraging them to visit your place, which reduces no-shows.

2. Deliver an Unforgettable Experience

A lot of salon or spa businesses find that delivering the expectations of their customers is the best way to gain the loyalty of their new customers. If that is the case, what would you do to make your customers feel warmly welcomed?

As a matter of fact, great and unforgettable experiences start with greeting your customers politely. As well as providing them with a consistently great service that matches or even exceeds their expectations. You will definitely be amazed how quickly new clients will walk away from you the moment they don’t feel as pampered and satisfied as your other salon clients.

As a salon or spa owner, you must also make sure that you know the needs and wants of your customers – even better than themselves. You can only do this through collecting more personal information from them. Aside from that, take a minute after their checkout to note down details and thoughts about their appointment. For example, what products you used, what you did, or even how he or she likes the drink you offered. Certainly, these notes will help make the customer’s next appointment flow comfortably and smoothly, and your customer will be pleasantly surprised about the fact that you actually remembered some details about her.

3. Book a Follow-Up Appointment

You should never be shy to ask your customer if you should book them a follow-up appointment. Do not see this move as intrusive but as a thoughtful act. For instance, after you gave your customer a color treatment, you naturally want her to maintain the vibrancy and color of her hair. So, why not invite your customer back for a repeat treatment? Using an appointment scheduling tool will also give you better visibility into your customers contact information. This can be used to remind them to return for a follow up appointment. Thus the tool is critical for appointment scheduling aiding client retention.

4. Understand the Satisfaction Level of Your Customer

Suppose that around 40% of your new salon clients come back to your salon for follow-up. This simply means that you made your effort for 60% of new salon customers. Yet they didn’t visit your salon or spa again. Could it be because new clients experienced your salon services differently than you have thought? For example, imagine a restaurant visit. The food was delicious, but the wait was long and the service was poor. The chance of returning to that particular restaurant is extremely low. Especially if there are a lot of other restaurants around that offer great services.

 

About Small Business Care:

At Small Business Care we continually work to find tools and solutions for small businesses. We hope that you will find this information on appointment scheduling aiding client retention as useful as we and some of our other readers have. We are always looking to profile successful small businesses, the tools the use and general strategies on how to improve your business.