HOW EASY IS IT FOR CLIENTS TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU?

Conducting business with your spa or salon has become much easier in recent years and technology has been at the forefront of this change, writes Marisa Dimitriadis

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By taking advantage of a few simple steps, you can make it easy for clients to book treatments or make enquiries about your services – no matter when you’re open or closed. In this article, we will provide an overview of these steps and offer some advice on how to get the most out of them.

The first step is to ensure that your business is always reachable. Whether you prefer to answer the phone yourself, or set up a virtual assistant or chatbot, it’s important that customers have someone they can contact at any time of day and receive prompt assistance. This not only provides a good customer service experience but also helps to build trust between your company and its clients. Additionally, if you do opt for a virtual assistant, consider implementing voice recognition technology – this will make it even easier for customers to ask questions and receive answers quickly and efficiently.

Image from Shutterstock

Google Business

Next, make sure Google Business is set up properly – this will help customers locate your establishment quickly and easily via searches on Google Maps. Some tips here are to ensure you have up to date and accurate photographs uploaded and the correct business name and description and obviously how to get in touch with you. I say obviously because you would be surprised by how many salon or spa listings are lacking at this very critical search point in the client journey.

Don’t forget to include other search engines as well. According to research conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, around 60% of people use multiple search engines when researching new businesses.

“Having a SHOP BUTTON on SOCIAL PAGES like Facebook and Instagram can be a GREAT WAY TO CAPITALIZE on TR AFFIC GENER ATED through your page”.

Enquiry feature

Additionally, consider adding a website chat or enquiry feature so customers can ask questions in real time and receive answers within 30 minutes maximum. By providing helpful responses as soon as possible, customers are more likely to stick around instead of turning away from your brand after being met with radio silence. However, please do not activate the website chat or enquiry function if you are not going to put the system in place to respond within 30 minutes maximum.

“THE FIRST STEP is to ensure that your BUSINESS IS ALWAYS REACHABLE. Whether you prefer to ANSWER THE PHONE YOURSELF, or set up a virtual assistant or chatbot, it’s IMPORTANT THAT CUSTOMERS have SOMEONE THEY CAN CONTACT at ANY TIME of day and RECEIVE PROMPT ASSISTANCE.”

I want to share a personal story with you about a spa booking I tried to make a few weeks ago. So, I enquired online at 8am, and then again at 9am. By 11am, I called in and asked the receptionist whether she knew if their website enquiry function was working. She said that it was working and asked if my name was Marisa. I said yes it was but that it was now three hours after I had submitted the query. Her response: “We were going to call you back but got a little busy on our side.” Now, a normal consumer would not go to that spa and take the booking, but I did as I wanted to see what else I could learn from how this business runs. It was a very interesting experience!

Getting social

Having a shop button on social pages like Facebook and Instagram can be a great way to capitalize on traffic generated through your page. This allows customers to skip the main website and have a more direct connection with your business. Once again, for this to make sense, it’s important for businesses to have someone available on the other side of this clickable shortcut in order to answer any queries or provide necessary information.

Additionally, make sure that clients can easily book an appointment or inquiry with relative ease so that they are empowered to effortlessly reap the benefits of visibility on these platforms.

Online bookings

When it comes to booking treatments online, ensure that your website allows clients to do just that without difficulty – from making requests for appointments all the way through to confirmation on phone call back (if preferred). Again, voice recognition technology could come in handy here too – making it even easier for customers to book treatments online without having to fiddle around with buttons and forms.

Furthermore, take into account considerations such as payment options (cash/credit card) and whether appointments need any prior preparation (e.g. skin needling may require numbing time before the actual service).

Finally, make sure you can be found easily and that someone is always available at all times of day in case enquiries arise that require immediate assistance.

SEO

As mentioned before, setting up Google Business properly is key here but don’t forget about other platforms either – many potential customers may find out about you through Facebook first! Additionally, take advantage of tools such as SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), which will help increase traffic towards your website. By doing this you can ensure that the customers you’re targeting are the ones visiting your pages and not those browsing aimlessly on the internet. All of this should help customers find information about your business quickly and easily and book appointments, or have their questions answered without difficulty. These combined factors will help them become loyal customers for years to come.

In conclusion, doing business with your spa or salon has never been easier and by taking advantage of online technologies and platforms, as well as following the steps outlined above, you can ensure that customers have a streamlined experience and are satisfied with the service they receive.

Marisa Dimitriadis is the founder and owner of The Spa Consultants and a co-founder of The Spa Professionals Guild. Email marisa@spaprofessionalsguild.com