Work with regular customers. Regular customers of a beauty salon: how to gain and not lose. criteria for assessing how effectively a customer service manager works

Working with new and existing clients requires different approaches. Any entrepreneur must immediately decide for himself whether he wants to win the favor of new customers or invest in building relationships with existing customers. Naturally, if you work well with clients you can grow your business much faster. In order to win new customers and keep the customers you already have, you need to use the tips below, which will tell you how to work with clients the right way.

The first tip for customer retention is to exude confidence and success. People like to buy goods from winners. This gives them confidence in the correctness of their choice. Sales success is directly related to confidence. Your facility should always have a quality assortment of new products, as people will perceive your product selection as a sign of your success. Your staff, along with you, should always look confident - smile, stand, not slouch and behave at ease.

The second tip for working with clients is to recognize your regular customers by sight. There is one very important point in the peculiarities of working with clients - those who come to you for the second time need to be recognized in person. You must understand that the client, who has come to your company for the first time, recognizes you in person and thus it turns out that he helps you in your business. For him, this is not so difficult, since he associates you with your business. Therefore, you must recognize regular customers in the face. If you know your client's name, then call him by name, and if you don’t know, then just nod to him and smile, let your client know that you recognize him.

The third tip for customer retention is to talk to your customers in their language. People like to shop from sellers they feel most comfortable with. There are many ways to allow your customers this comfort, such as being able to speak to new and existing customers in their language.

The fourth way to work with clients is to talk to your clients. You can talk to them about anything like the weather or local news and so on. It doesn’t matter what exactly you start talking with the client about, the main thing is to start this conversation.

The fifth way to retain customers is to offer additional services. For example, let's say a customer comes to you and wants to find a certain product. It is possible that he will very quickly find the product he is interested in, but perhaps he is not quite familiar with your store yet, then he will need much more time to do this. Then you, as a seller, should not leave your client, but offer him help.

Another type of additional service that you can offer your customers is, for example, taking purchases into the car, calling a taxi, and so on. In this way, you will be able to keep the client and give him the opportunity to purchase what he wants.

This feature of working with clients will allow you not only to acquire

Modern buyers are people who understand the market conditions. They are demanding, knowledgeable, know their rights and know how to choose without forgiving mistakes. Under these conditions, companies have to hunt for regular customers.

You will learn:

• What are the types of regular customers?
• How and where to look for regular customers.
• How to work with regular customers.
• What promotions and discounts can be applied to regular customers.

What is the importance of regular customers for a beauty salon

The level of market competition is so great that for successful survival A beauty business no longer needs to meet the needs of new customers, but rather retain loyal customers.

It is very profitable for a beauty salon to work on repeat sales and tie customers to itself.

Interestingly, many employees and managers of beauty salons believe that their visitors will decide for themselves when to come. But this is far from true. If you think about it, we ourselves rarely make completely isolated and independent decisions - it’s easier for everyone to follow someone else’s example or recommendation, to receive a “sign from above”.

There is more than one solid thing about having loyal customers. advantage:

• a long-term relationship between the visitor and the master of the beauty salon reduces the fears of the consumer about different procedures;
• the closer we get to know a regular customer, the more we find out about his needs and topics Best offer we can do to him;
• in addition to increasing income per client, regular visitors who are brand advocates increase the flow of new visitors to the beauty salon through their recommendations.

• Seasonality in a beauty salon: what to do during a decline in activity

What are regular customers

Among the visitors of beauty enterprises there are four main types:

1. autonomous;
2. friendly;
3. expansive;
4. indecisive.

Of course, there are no pure types; each person can combine certain traits from the listed characters.

• Autonomous.

Although Autonomous may be regular customers of the company, it is unlikely to build close relationships with them. These are the people who don't go on personal contact and leave all their interactions with the salon staff in a formal plane. At best, they will allow professionals to communicate within social roles, such as "master" and "his client". Autonomous visitors are not those who simply have not been reached, they are even regular customers who are simply more comfortable in this format of interaction. It is important not to “torture” such people with persistent attempts to build communication.

The role of an autonomous client can be assumed by a beginner who is simply not yet familiar with the beauty salon specialists and therefore cannot fully trust them. Temporarily autonomous can also become quite sociable regular customers who have temporarily withdrawn due to some life situations (for example, due to fatigue or difficulties at work). It is interesting that some people can choose the model of behavior of an autonomous visitor consciously (for example, to maintain social status).

• Friendly.

In this group a large number of regular customers. For them, the boundaries of social roles are gradually blurred, and they come to the employees of a beauty salon at the same time as friends or psychotherapists. These visitors talk about their lives, work, plans, easily make contact and share information with the master, which allows you to create unique offers for them that will be purchased with an extremely high degree of probability. Friendly customers, having established strong relationships with salon specialists, trust their opinion and easily agree to Additional services and new procedures.

Of course, friendly regulars are a welcome group of visitors. But there are several serious pitfalls in working with them: these people, as a rule, are attached not to the salon, but to the master. Therefore, it is very important to prevent personal calls to the employee, non-work moments like smoke breaks, and attempts to dictate your terms. Tell the client that this is prohibited by regulation.

Regular customers Those who have friendly relations with the master can cause trouble to the specialist himself, not understanding where informal communication ends and the work of a beauty salon begins. Because of this, they can contact the master at his own time and, for example, ask to record them at a convenient time for them.

• Expansive.

This is the client that always attracts a lot of attention. He appears quickly, noisily, very active and overly emotional. His mood changes very quickly, and there is a risk of falling under the distribution if he is wound up. Regular customers of this type can require special attention and be very tiring. They talk a lot and are prone to peremptory statements.

Expansive visitors to beauty salons are often so hyperactive that they begin to suppress the master, violate his boundaries, pull and distract specialists from work.

• Indecisive.

In this group, as a rule, there are people who are not too confident in themselves and doubt everything. Even if they are regular customers of the company, as a rule, they will not make decisions, because they cannot understand what they want. These visitors will ask you to advise them something, to decide for them, to repeat something that is already well known.

At first glance, it is very easy to work with them - do what you want, because the client himself is not able to decide what he needs. But here there is a serious risk of becoming a victim of manipulation - by shifting responsibility for the decision to the master, an indecisive person begins to manage it.

How to find regular customers for your beauty salon

How many people do you think can be in your beauty salon? And what can be the number of regular customers? Theoretically, any resident of the area in which your business is located is a potential client. Or not?

Your customers (and ideally regular customers) are the one social group people who take an active interest in the company or purchase your services. It is important not to confuse the desire to attract all people in general and attract only the target audience of the enterprise. Attempts to convert all the inhabitants of the area into their customers will be a waste of money. Imagine how ridiculous it would be for a Mercedes-Benz showroom to attract all the passers-by. In order to develop a base of visitors who will become valuable regular customers of the company, the salon should work on a marketing strategy aimed at visiting the enterprise only by representatives of your target audience. Only this segment will lead to the formation of an effective base of regular customers.

Define your target audience and draw up a "portrait" of your client

To move away from spreading your marketing activities to everyone (everyone who has hair, nails, who may need depilation or peeling), you need to describe the portrait of your buyer as accurately and in detail as possible. The surest way is to analyze the already formed base of regular customers. In the process, highlight the demographics, geographic, financial parameters, formulate what your visitors do, are addicted to and how your visitors live.

The more additional information You will collect about clients, the better you will understand what affects them, how you can attract them to a beauty salon, how to keep them, how and what to sell them, and what methods you can use to avoid conflicts with buyers.

Think about whether you are completely satisfied with the current segment of visitors, whether there is any subgroup in the target audience that you want to bring to the salon.

The collected data will help you build your work with regular customers in such a way that you will give the maximum level of service to your visitors.

This also affects the list of services provided and the choice of channels for placing an advertising campaign. At the same time, it should be understood that insufficient acquaintance with your target audience can lead to the publication of advertising messages where you cannot meet potential salon clients, which means a waste of money.

Required demographic characteristics that you must determine in your loyal customers:

• age;
• financial position;
• marital status;
• presence/absence of children, etc.

A demographic description of the target audience can be compiled not only on the basis of data collected by the administrator, but also through questionnaires.

The questionnaire can be divided into several stages and for the first time visitors can only ask 5 simple questions, and during further contacts ask regular customers to fill out the questionnaire to the end.

Once again, we list the questions that are worth asking.

• What's your gender?
• Your age?
• Place of work, position or monthly income?
• Family status?
• Do you have any children?
• Place of residence?
• What products and services do you miss in our beauty salon?

A demographic analysis of loyal customers is one of many options. In the description of the client, you can include a description of his lifestyle: what your customers are fond of, where they relax, where they go, what is important to them, etc.

Once again, understanding your target audience as much as possible will help you compose the most effective strategy on their attraction to the salon.

Where to look for new customers who will become permanent

So, we went through the stage of target audience analysis, made up an avatar of an ideal client or formulated a detailed portrait of existing visitors, decided who we want to see in the salon. We are even ready good publicity, which falls into the values ​​of the target audience. But for some reason the number of new visitors is not increasing.

The essence of the problem most likely lies in the fact that the advertising message was launched through the wrong channel and did not reach your potential regular customers. It does not spin where the life of the target audience of a beauty salon takes place, and simply destroys the advertising budget.

1. Website

Nowadays, a website is an obligatory point of contact with customers; a company without an official website looks frivolous. Although it is not at all necessary that it be a large and constantly developing portal with a million base of subscribers and regular customers. Often you can get by with a stylish minimalistic business card with services, contacts and a price list of the salon. You can supplement the page with photos of the interior and portfolio of the company's masters.

1. word of mouth

In terms of the level of trust in the advertising channel, recommendations from close people have always been and remain in the first place. Successful masters and beauty salons have been using this tool for a long time. For example, they ask regular customers to recommend their services to friends. And there is no need to think that this channel of information cannot be controlled. Just get started - and see how effectively your visitors distribute beauty salon advertising in their surroundings. After all, there is no woman who would not show her friends a very successful manicure and advise them to go to a cozy place with good service.

1. Forums

Regular customers and fans of your services can be found on specialized forums, as this is a channel that concentrates people who are interested in anything - cynology, embroidery, swimming, fashion, personal care, etc. Use the forums to find like-minded people, new friends and new clients.

1. Social networks

Now the most popular social networks are Vkontakte, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Odnoklassniki. These are valuable advertising channels where you can distribute information about the salon or master, as well as photos of his work for free. Many professionals use social networks as the main tool with which to find regular customers.

1. Blog

Now it is quite easy to organize a personal blog on the web. Make it useful for your target audience by posting hair care tips, articles about manicures, choosing varnishes, types of beauty treatments and home life hacks. Since a personal blog can attract regular customers, put the contact details of the beauty salon in a conspicuous place so that they have time to become familiar to readers.

1. Reminder for the client

Of course, the memo for the visitor also has a purely practical meaning - it provides useful information and explains how to properly handle the skin, nails, hair after the procedure, so as not to destroy the results of the master's work.

But the memo can include not only household tips, but also recommendations on the frequency of visits to a beauty salon. For example, you can specify how regularly you need to carry out the procedure for strengthening nails according to the "maximum" program and the "minimum" program. When working with regular customers, you can use a calendar in which the approximate dates of visits to the beauty salon should be noted in order to repeat the desired procedure in a timely manner. By the way, this information can also be taken from the database, where all previous sessions for this buyer are marked.

Update the memo at least every six months, distribute it among all visitors, even among regular customers who have been using your services for several years. This will be not only a reminder of your company, but also an unusual advertising channel used by 0.01% of all masters, which allows them to stand out from the crowd.

1. Business card

It is simply strange to work without a business card, as well as without a website - this is an indispensable component of the marketing communication of any business. But the business card business card is different. It is important to objectively evaluate your card: take it in your hands and see if it helps in attracting customers? Does it have all your contact details? Is the text on the business card concise, but does it provide comprehensive information about what your company does? Positive answers to these three questions give you "satisfactory" for the business card.

If there is a special offer on the card (such as a discount to the bearer), then this is a card for which you can give yourself a “good”.

"Excellent" is worth putting business cards, which will be stored in the wallets of regular customers and which you simply don’t want to throw away. If only because they are perfectly designed, but better - because they store useful or very important information (for example, a calendar for women or the date of the next visit to the salon).

1. Price list

As a rule, the price list is required in paper and electronic formats. The vast majority of price lists are standard in their appearance: the names of services are listed on the left side of the page, and the prices are listed on the right side. To stand out from the masses, it will be enough short descriptions procedures, interesting design of the sheet (for example, like a menu), adding photos showing what the visitor will receive after ordering the service. Indicate in the price list that such and such conditions apply for regular customers. Don't limit yourself to price tags and bans that look more like threats than they attract new customers.

1. Client Exchange

Think about what other craftsmen and specialists your regular customers turn to. Maybe it's a fitness trainer, yoga instructor, nutritionist, hair removal master? Find those whose client base matches the target audience of your salon, and agree on a partnership: let them recommend your services to their customers, and you will send visitors to them. This is a simple and effective channel for finding new customers.

1. Advertising in print media

Newspapers and magazines still play their role in the market and, despite the spread of online publications, have their own audience. Try paid and free placement of ads and advertisements, analyze the effectiveness. As a rule, in small towns it is still an actual channel for attracting regular customers.

1. Collaboration with other artists

It would seem that the exchange of customers with their direct competitors cannot benefit the business. But there are conditions under which this can be a profitable move. Imagine that you have regular customers who sometimes would like to call the master at home or who simply find it difficult and far to travel to your salon. Such consumers can be transferred to other specialists, and from those, in turn, take away that part of the audience that is not suitable for these specialists for one reason or another (even if they simply did not agree on the characters). A few fellow competitors can bring tangible benefits to your salon.

1. Exhibitions

Never miss specialized exhibitions organized in the field of the beauty industry. There you will meet many potential partners and future regular customers at once in one place. This is a proven way to make a big statement about your salon. The main thing is to prepare high-quality self-promotion, stock up on handouts and excellent business cards, demonstrate your skills and attract as much attention as possible to yourself.

1. Self-promotion

We all know the saying "a shoemaker without shoes". So: try not to ever say this about you or your employees. A manicure master without beautiful and well-groomed nails looks very strange. If regular customers could forgive such an oversight, then for beginners this will only tell about the unprofessionalism of the person who is in front of them. A quality manicure can also attract the attention of people looking for their master, and outside the beauty salon. The main thing is to give them a business card in time.

1. ads

The classic mass posting of ads is a waste of time and money, because it requires a lot of work, but almost does not give a result. To use ads as an advertising channel, find bulletin boards in places where your target audience lives, rests and works. This will not only attract attention the right people, but also guarantees that the advertisement will hang longer than a few minutes, unlike the board at the entrance.

1. Chips

Review your list of services and determine what you offer or can offer that beauty salons that are in the same area or in the city do not have. Find that advantage in your unique offer, which will help you attract new visitors and acquire regular customers. It is quite difficult to come up with a trick, but you can always turn on your imagination and use the experience of others. professional areas. Maybe this is a special guarantee for the result of the procedure? Or a quick service? Pedicure and manicure in four hands in an hour and a half? Face mask while applying gel polish? Children's area? Men's office? Try to come up with something on which your uniqueness will be built.

1. Special conditions for clients' friends

Don't forget to run promotions for loyal customers as they can help grow your customer base. We all have hundreds of acquaintances, we are in contact with dozens of people every day, so there are always at least 5-10 people among them who will also need the services of a beauty salon.

For this group of friends of your customers, it is worth preparing special offers: for example, a winter SPA treatment with a 20% discount for both regular visitors and their friends. The promotion should always give a bonus to both the one who brings the client and the one who comes to you for the first time - both parties in this situation are interested in visiting a beauty salon. Give Special attention those customers who often recommend you bring a lot of people and have an extensive social circle.

1. Test Drive

It is useful to use the experience of other business areas for advertising: when selling cars, showrooms offer a test drive and the opportunity to drive a car you like, in clothing stores we are given a chance to try on things and see how they sit. Taking a cue from these techniques, we can offer regular customers to try part of a procedure for free. For example, if you decide to increase the number of orders for gel nail polish, then why not offer to cover one nail with gel during a manicure, and all the rest with regular polish of the same color? After a few days, any woman will notice a significant difference when a simple varnish begins to chip and peel off, and the strengthening coating will still look like new.

1. Service

Always remember that a happy customer will bring two, and a disgruntled customer will take ten. To avoid the latter, keep an eye on service levels. Good service sometimes turns out to be even more significant than the professionalism of the salon masters. A person satisfied with the service will become a regular customer of the company, and a person disappointed with even the rude intonation of the administrator will telephone conversation share negative emotions with so many people that it can not only cut you client base, but also seriously undermine the reputation of the salon.

In no case should the level of service change depending on whether the buyer comes to you often or appeared for the first time, whether he purchases solid service packages or does the cheapest procedure. Every customer wants to feel special, and no one likes to feel neglected by staff who seem to judge you by your wallet. Everything is in the details. Offer newcomers and regular customers not just tea or coffee, but several varieties to choose from or a mug of hot chocolate on a cloudy day. Make sure you have a diabetic cookie or sweetener for those who can't have sweets but really want to; prepare new and varied magazines in the waiting area.

Not a single beauty salon and not a single specialist can stay afloat without clients. Therefore, the main efforts should not even be directed to attracting customers, but to repeat sales and ways to acquire regular customers. Your salon will not be able to make a first impression on a person twice, so be as attentive as possible to visitors even at the very first contact and make sure that the service in the company is always on top.

1. Client base

A well-maintained, detailed customer base is not only an administrative and financial accounting tool, but also a way to increase a company's revenues. In fact, finding new customers is always more expensive and yields less results than working with regular customers and organizing repeat sales. Analyze the base, pay attention to the preferences of visitors and the frequency of procedures that they do, prepare personal offers.

1. Phone calls

A phone call instead of a letter or SMS reminder will be more effective due to the personal nature and individual approach. If the client has not been seen in your salon for a long time, then call to congratulate him on the holidays, ask how he is doing, offer a gift for his birthday or New Year. Moreover, such communication building can lead to closer relationships with people and will prove useful in the future.

It is strange that many masters do not use this channel to maintain relationships with regular customers, because this does not even require financial investments.

Combine this method with what is indicated in the "Cooperation with other masters" paragraph. If your visitor changed his place of residence and stopped going to you for a manicure, then why not recommend him an experienced master near the house?

• Beauty salon website as the best tool to attract customers

What should be done with clients of a beauty salon

To understand how good the service is in your company, analyze how many new customers you attracted over the past year and how much it cost, and then calculate the proportion of those who managed to keep as regular customers and motivate them to repeat purchases . If there are too few secondary clients in comparison with the primary ones, then this indicates that the level of service in the salon is far from perfect.

In order to retain visitors, it is important to constantly improve the service, and this requires an ongoing analysis of customer satisfaction and their complaints, as well as the improvement of loyalty programs. But keep in mind that collecting feedback is not the same as improving service; profiles of visitors should not go to the table, and you should not ignore their comments.

A high level of visitor satisfaction will be permanent only if several conditions are met.

1. The company must clearly and unambiguously formulate standards for the quality of work.
2. Every employee should have a stake in meeting these standards.
3. Requirements for the level of service should be known and understood by absolutely all employees of the beauty salon.
4. Questionnaires and questionnaires should always be ready for clients, which, after filling out, are analyzed by the company's management team.
5. The administrator of the salon is obliged to collect feedback from visitors.

In large firms, they open departments to work with clients and allocate a staff unit for handling complaints and resolving conflicts. This is a specialist who solves the problems of casual visitors and regular customers, receives calls and letters, collects claims and fills out questionnaires.

Beauty salons, as a rule, do not have such opportunities, therefore it is necessary that the fight against customer dissatisfaction be a common cause, and all employees, from the administrator to the masters, collect feedback. But it is up to the manager to analyze the data received and make decisions to improve the quality of service and prevent conflicts.

Satisfaction assessment also helps to develop the most attractive programs for regular customers, as a rule, certain bonuses are included in them.

1. Favorite client card

Issuing discount cards to your visitors is a proven and reliable way to motivate them to repeat purchases. Moreover: the system of discounts stimulates the purchase of the maximum number of goods and procedures at a time - it increases the number of items in the check.

Several discount systems for regular customers of the salon:

• one-time - a small discount (usually up to 5%) is provided once and for one service;
• basic discount - up to 10% when purchasing a whole course of procedures;
• stock discounts - pretty big discounts, at 10, 15 or 20% (for example, during seasonal events);
• discount for a subscription - often used when selling subscriptions to a solarium and varies from 5 to 15%;
• cumulative - a discount provided by a special card. The card is issued after the client has spent a certain amount for some time, the amount of which depends on the capabilities of the salon and the profitability of the action. Usually cards are divided into the following levels:
  • bronze client 5–7%,
  • silver client 7–10%,
  • gold client 10–15%,
  • platinum client 20–25%.

Loyal customer cards can be issued with the right to transfer, or they can be registered as registered and work only for one visitor to the salon. Cards can be issued perpetual, or you can announce that they have an expiration date. The main thing is to explain all the conditions to your client.

1. Company birthday

Do not leave this date unattended and do not make it an empty formality - use the marketing potential of the holiday and make it not only corporate, but also interesting for your customers. Prepare a presentation, gifts and surprises, promotions, discounts, sweepstakes, new loyalty cards. On the birthday of the salon, you can demonstrate new services and products, hold contests and motivate customers to sign up for the future.

1. Clients' birthdays

Do not ignore the personal holidays of your visitors, because they are the ones for whom your business was created, and those who bring you money. If possible, supplement your database with the dates of birth of each client of the beauty salon. Prepare branded surprises, souvenirs and useful gifts for them, call and congratulate, offer to come and receive their gift. Firstly, if a regular customer has purchased services from you for at least 5-7 thousand, he has clearly already paid off a small gift. Secondly, having come for him, a person will once again visit the salon and can buy some other procedure. Thirdly, it will definitely increase visitor loyalty.

1. Deposit

This is a great business find. Give your customers the opportunity to deposit. What does it mean? A person can leave a certain amount on a deposit in the salon, from which payment for the services rendered to him will be deducted. This simplifies the client's life, makes him definitely return for procedures to you, and also increases the level of confidence in the salon and distinguishes the company from a number of those that do not use this feature.

1. Credit

These are bonuses for regular customers, relationships with which have been tested by time. If you have no doubts about your buyer and his solvency, you can offer him procedures on credit.

1. Decrease in prices for goods and services

Basically, price motivation is expressed precisely in cost reduction, which increases the demand for the proposed procedures. But pricing methods don't work over long periods of time and can hurt the margins of your products and services. If you're going to cut prices, analyze the implications and estimate how quickly your competitors can follow you, taking their share of customers.

Reducing the price is justified only if it leads to a significant increase in sales in the salon. Please note that the profit from promotional sales does not always exceed your costs, which means that it does not always make sense. That said, there's one more pitfall in the whole situation: you'll easily give your customers reduced prices, but how do you explain the subsequent increase to them?

1. Booking

Service for regular customers can be booking is a high-class approach to working with those visitors with whom the relationship is already strong enough to know approximately when they will return to the salon again. The essence of the service is to fix for the client a certain procedure time that is convenient for him for six months or a year in advance. This relieves the visitor of the need to re-register each time and look for a window in the beauty salon's schedule. Of course, there is a risk of losing money if the client does not show up and you cannot find another buyer at the same time. On the other hand, booking makes the visitor stand out from the crowd, shows them your trust and how valuable they are to your business.

1. Loyalty Cards

You should not issue discount cards to your visitors without knowing anything about them. Analyze your customer base carefully. Get a dossier for each cardholder, in which the staff must enter the maximum amount of personal information: last name, first name and patronymic, interests, any services, frequency of visits, habits. The master should be able to find out this information at the reception desk in order to find the best approach to a regular client. People visiting the salon for the first time should also be included in your database. And about VIP clients, your employees should know as much as possible, down to their musical preferences, favorite smells and procedures that these people are interested in. Such an individual approach cannot be ignored by visitors, and the information collected will allow you to improve your newsletters and special offers.

1. Present

Holidays are the most active and profitable time for beauty salons. On the eve of such holidays as the New Year or March 8, the offices of cosmetologists, nail technicians and hairdressers are overcrowded, many visitors have to be turned away due to the absolute workload of specialists. But don't let your regular customers go unnoticed because of this. Present them with gifts, flowers, souvenirs, branded products, discounts and all kinds of bonuses.

Be sure to find out in advance if your visitors have children and prepare surprises for them (for example, for Children's Day). This will be a very pleasant gesture for clients and will definitely be remembered as a unique approach to working with people.

Nowadays, not a single serious beauty salon can do without its own small store with branded products or products chosen by the company's specialists. This saves visitors from having to spend time on the selection cosmetics, and allows businesses to earn on the upsell.

The same tool can be used to sell gifts to save regular customers time looking for the obligatory set of souvenirs and useful things to present to loved ones in holidays. Prepare gifts for children, men and women. Analyze your customer base and find something that will come in handy in the assortment of your store: high-quality jewelry or stylish ties, accessories or special literature. Choose something that will not spoil the image of the salon. To present the goods in a favorable light, issue in corporate identity own a small shop next to the reception or organize a corner that will update the offer of gifts for different holidays.

Of course, there are many different bonuses that can be offered to visitors, but the loyalty program must take into account other important components.

• Service level, which is influenced by many factors.

1. Salon qualifications. This is an extremely important point. The professional level of the masters must not only be high at the start, but must also constantly improve. Your employees must keep up with the times, regularly attend refresher courses and master classes. It is in this case that you will be able not only to fulfill your obligations to customers, but also to offer them new methods of satisfying their requests and modern procedures.
2. The quality of consumables. All cosmetics and all preparations used in the salon must be tested and effective. If you are not a thousand percent sure about something, do not take it to work with visitors, otherwise, if the result does not satisfy the person who underwent the procedure, you will definitely not be able to find a permanent client in his face. It is possible that, having saved a thousand rubles on any means, due to an insufficiently good effect, you will lose tens of thousands.
3. The quality and level of equipment. Any device and any object in your salon exists only for the convenience of the client. And if the client is uncomfortable, unpleasant and uncomfortable, then you did something wrong. Furniture should be beautiful, comfortable and functional, and equipment should be modern and working without failures. Do not try to save on the comfort of visitors, their mood in the salon affects the number of regular customers.

• Salon reorganization

In order to keep up with the times and competitors, every 4-5 years should be carried out reorganization. It can be either a major overhaul, equipment replacement, a change in the assortment and a cosmetic line, or a reform of the concept of a beauty salon. Without this, you will not be able to retain your customers for a long time, you will not be able to interest them again and again, and you will not repel the next blow of market competition. Keep track of new business ideas (and not only in the beauty industry), new players in the market, technology development and manage to implement it in your work.

• Work with personnel

No tricks and bonus programs will help you keep regular customers if the communication of employees with them is not up to par. It is the staff that is the face of the company, and it is communication with the administrator or the master that determines the attitude of the visitor to the company. Develop standards of behavior for employees, maintain etiquette, internal regulations and communication rules.

Communicate to your employees the idea that regular customers in a beauty salon need not only a manicure or peeling - they need good mood and a pleasant stay. Let the masters and administrators immediately build warm and long-term relationships with customers so that they gradually change their status from a visitor to a favorite client.

The staff should carefully listen to the opinions of the clients of the salon, note all their statements about competitors, new procedures and products, as well as about the fashion for anything. The information received should be transferred to the administration and all claims, wishes and ideas should be discussed by the whole team in order to find ideal solutions that will please the company's regular customers. Employees should collect feedback and, during subsequent visits to the salon, take into account the expressed wishes or complaints, and implement ideas into work as quickly as possible. If a person sees that his opinion is being listened to, and his reasonable requirements are being met, he is unlikely to leave the ranks of the regulars of an organization with such a service.

Conflicts must be extinguished at the very beginning. It is unacceptable for an employee to conduct such behavior that can lead to a controversial situation. If the initiator is the client, then the primary task of the staff is to resolve the problem and satisfy the desires of the visitor. In the event that this is not possible, information about the conflict must be immediately transferred to the administration and management staff.

And even this is not an exhaustive list of activities in order to attract regular customers to the salon. But the main thing in it is that all service standards, corporate culture and rules of conduct for company employees should be regulated and fixed.

• How to introduce new services in a beauty salon as efficiently and profitably as possible

Practice experience

Refer a friend and get 2 weeks free membership

Maria Kolachevskaya,

Service Director of the network of clubs "Fitness Territory", Moscow

Our network has been functioning for five years, and during this time, of course, we have acquired regular customers. According to the company's requirements, out of 100 contracts that have expired, at least 40 must be renewed in the next month (these are the indicators that we expect from clubs that have been operating for more than a year). To fulfill the plan, we have a program for regular customers.

Raising status for results. For visitors to our centers there are several types of cards: steel, bronze, silver, gold. A higher card status can only be obtained after a certain number of visits or after passing the TRP standards that we have developed in the company. Four times a year, we organize competitions during which you can pass the standard: clients run, pull up, long jump, bench press and do a set of flexibility exercises. Those who perform above a certain threshold receive new status. It gives them new discount a regular customer, a higher status card, gifts and a new contract. The TRP standards defined by our company are not easy to fulfill, but possible. For example, in the fall of 2015, 500 members of the club (adults, children and company employees) were given a new status. Even the director of the network passed the standards.

Thanks for the recommendations. This is a very simple move: for each client referred to a member of the club, we add at least two weeks to the membership for free. And a couple of times a year, the promotion allows you to get even more time in the club due to a larger number of referred friends.

Perseverance Discounts. The sooner a loyal customer decides to renew their membership, the better. Therefore, the size of the discount is determined by how much time before the expiration of the contract the card is purchased.

Result. All these activities lead to the fact that in clubs operating in the first year, we have 40% of renewed contracts, and in clubs that have been open for more than two years, almost 50% of renewals. Moreover, according to statistics, in some parts of the network, half of the contracts are concluded on the recommendation of full members of the club.

Promotions and discount system for regular customers of the beauty salon

Let's think about what promotions the salon can organize?

• Demonstration of a new procedure or service (manicure, haircut, styling, pedicure) in the format of a model show. This is both PR for the company and entertainment for visitors. At the same time, the show helps to earn "word of mouth".
• Bonus programs, promotions for visitors, repeated monthly or quarterly.
• Partner exchange of clients with companies that work in a related field or are located nearby. Loyalty programs can also be calculated on bonuses from partner firms.
• Internet consultations. This service works to attract new customers and raises the status of the salon.
• Gift marketing (branded souvenirs, branded products).
• Innovative technologies and equipment in the salon, the most modern and original services, such as fire haircuts - a spectacular and non-standard procedure.
• Television or radio broadcast about salon treatments and beauty. For such events, an expert practitioner is involved, answering questions from the public and giving lectures on various topics.
• SMS and email newsletters. These can be both thematically useful series of letters, and selling chains. Emails that are edited according to the interests and characteristics of your regular customers will be effective.
• Free distribution of product samples (or sampling).
• Master classes for visitors. Useful and practical tips that can make life easier for your customers. For example, seasonal lectures on how to save yourself from beriberi in spring or autumn, how to protect your skin from the sun, and how to take better care of your hair in winter.
• Open days and presentations are a way to showcase the beauty salon's new products, announce to customers what technologies will be used and what procedures your offer will be enriched with.
• Development, development and promotion of the official website.

These events will help not only attract new visitors, but also acquire regular customers, develop relationships with the existing customer base. All this affects the status of the salon, its fame, image and, of course, sales. The main thing is to be patient and not stop working on improving your enterprise.

• Types of clients of a beauty salon and the nuances of working with them

How to run a promotion in a beauty salon for regular customers

1. Clearly define your target audience and find a partner.

If you have planned to hold any action in the salon, then the first step is to determine the target audience of the event. Given the characteristics of the selected target audience, you need to find the most suitable partner who works for approximately the same group of people. Equal partnerships during the action lead to a win-win situation and bring the greatest benefit to all parties.

1. Formulate the theme of the action for regular customers of the beauty salon.

After determining a partner for the event, you should clarify the list of holidays that will suit both organizers thematically. For example, a salon collaborating with a jewelry boutique is holding a campaign “Skin is as clean as a diamond!” and launches a heavily discounted diamond cleaning service.

It is best if the promotions last about a month, and end with a culminating event, for which the organizers prepare customers. Such a finale can be a presentation of a line of peels or a new apparatus for cleansing the skin of the face, or an exhibition of jewelry.

1. Let your target audience know about the promotion.

It won't work and your loyalty promotion won't work if you don't let as many visitors as possible know what you're running. As a rule, it takes a month to disseminate information. All employees should be notified about the upcoming event, there should be noticeable entries on the website, the salon reception desk. It is better to make a mailing list by mail and sms, and also run advertising campaign, for example on television (if this channel leads to your target audience).

1. Action culmination.

By this stage, everything should be carefully planned. It is necessary to describe the roles of employees throughout the scenario of the event: who is responsible for the design, for meeting guests, for experts, models, etc. It is best to draw up an individual list of tasks for each beauty salon employee. Your holiday should be interesting and attractive for regular customers and newcomers, which means you should enlist the support of real experts and masters of their craft. The higher the status of the invited "stars", the more likely that visitors will bring potential customers with them.

It is believed that large-scale events are more convenient to hold at the end of the month.

1. Analyze the results of the action and summarize.

Write down all the successful and unsuccessful moves during the action, fix the experience gained: what did you do, how, why, what results did it lead to? Save all tried and tested formats and written scripts - they will be useful to you in the future, even if they did not work.

Discount system for regular customers of the beauty salon

Justification of the new bonus system requires an understanding of what discounts generally exist and for what purpose they are used.

There is such a thing as "discounts of good taste" - they are used by most types of business. These are discounts such as:

• promotions on the opening day of the beauty salon (relevant from one day to one month);
• discount for a regular client on his birthday (for one or more procedures, for one or more days before and after the holiday).

Other standard options for discounts in stores:

• seasonal - are used in those periods when the flow of customers usually falls and revenue decreases. You should not give discounts for classic hairdressing services (haircuts and coloring), because visitors will still come for these procedures;
• promotional - stimulate to go to your new salon, order a new procedure, sign up for a new master;
• apologetic - a way to apologize to a client who was inconvenienced by the salon (for example, the master was late or there was a nuisance during the procedure due to the fault of the company);
• discounts for regular customers - work to increase the loyalty of visitors to the salon.

Bonus systems, promotions and other marketing moves help to achieve various valuable results:

1. increase the client base of the company;
2. tie visitors to the salon and transfer them to the category of regular customers;
3. update the shopping mall by removing stale products from the warehouse;
4. increase the company's turnover (for example, through an upsell, during which additional products are offered at a special price or with a fixed discount).

However, do not overdo it with discounts on your services. Promotions with discounts should be a justified move and pursue one of the goals: to sell off the remaining products, to promote a service that is not familiar to customers, to remove goods with an expiring date from warehouses. Otherwise, the discount will only cause losses, not increase profits.

• Complaint about a beauty salon: how to respond and what actions to take

How to calculate discount

After you have found the rationale for launching discounts for regular customers, you need to calculate the profitability of the event.

To calculate the minimum and maximum possible discount, determine the amount that the salon needs to receive in order to recoup the costs. This amount includes: expendable materials, the work of the master and administrator, fixed payments of the organization (utility payments, taxes, rent, security, communications, etc.). Everything else is your income. The discount is issued by reducing the profitability of the procedure or product. Decide how much you are willing to cut off from the profits to complete the task.

The right approach to discounts

It is believed that the maximum allowable discount in a serious salon that brings a stable income is 25% of the cost. Use this bonus as little as possible. Even the closest friends and regular customers should not give discounts of more than 20%.

The most commonly used are discounts of 5, 10 and 15%, but they should not be given out thoughtlessly. First you need to evaluate what you will get in the balance and why you need to make a promotion. Imagine the situation: a lot of unsold shampoos and conditioners have accumulated in the warehouse, where the purchase price of the latter was the amount of 300 rubles, and you made a margin on them only 30%. You decide to make the following offer to your customers: “Buy shampoo and get conditioner at 30% off!” Great, you think, let's sell the batch at the purchase price and unload the warehouses. However, at the end of the action, it turns out that they went into the red. Because they missed a small mathematical clarification.

You made a mark-up on air conditioners in the amount of 30% of their purchase price, that is, from 300 rubles, and received a price tag of 390 rubles. But a thirty percent discount was already announced for the retail price, that is, they took away 30% from 390 and received air conditioners sold at 273 rubles. a piece.

So, as a result of this action for regular customers, you will not have to rejoice at the income and the solved problem of overstocking of warehouses, but from the profits received to extinguish the shortage - 27 rubles for each bottle. Look at it from the other side: you not only gave the buyers something, but also paid extra from your budget for them to take this gift.

So check everything carefully before giving discounts.

Who pays for discounts

It would be logical if the discounts were issued at the expense of the company's budget, and not the earnings of the craftsmen. After all, the latter still do their job and, in theory, their salary should not decrease. However, in fact, it is precisely from the income of the staff that discounts are deducted: if a specialist received 40% for a manicure for 500 rubles, and then the company announced discounts to regular customers, then the master will receive his share from the promotional cost of the procedure, for example, from 400 rubles. And it noticeably hits the pocket.

Therefore, it is extremely important to negotiate with the staff. Convey to specialists the idea that, of course, during the promotion, the income from each individual service will decrease, and not only for them, but for the beauty salon in general, but the main thing is that the discounts will not last long, and in the process the company will be able to attract new customers, who will return.

Information about experts

Bruno Leproux, CEO of Yves Rocher Vostok, Moscow. "Yves Rocher East". Field of activity: production and sale of cosmetics, services of beauty salons. Form of organization: LLC. Territory: about 220 boutiques and 30 beauty salons - in 90 cities of Russia. Number of employees: about 900 Number of purchases per year: about 6 million Number of regular customers: about 2 million Experience General Director in office: since 2007. Participation of the General Director in business: a hired manager.

Maria Kolachevskaya, Service Director of Territoriya Fitness club network, Moscow. GK "Territory of Fitness". Field of activity: a network of fitness clubs. Number of personnel: more than 100. Territory: Moscow, Balashikha, Samara and Cheboksary. Company turnover: 500 million rubles. (in 2014).

We released new book"Content Marketing in in social networks: How to get into the head of subscribers and fall in love with your brand.

It's no secret that in any business, one of the most important factors for the preservation and development of the company is properly built relationships with customers. Now in the world of the Internet, where almost any information is available to everyone, only those who put the client at the center of their activity remain competitive. How many grateful customers we have depends on how successful our business will be.

How to build long-term relationships with regular customers?

Each of us at a conscious age begins to understand that in different areas of our lives, with different people you have to find your own way. Of course, if it is important for us to maintain or create long-term trusting relationships. Sometimes it comes easy - when it turns out that this is "your person", then over time you open up to each other, and this develops into friendship, or something more. And here everything seems to be clear. It is a lengthy and very frank process that builds trust.

But how to create a trusting relationship, in areas not personally related to their lives? How to build such relationships with clients?

First you need to decide what is the loyalty of our client at the time of working with him. For example, the location of the client to our studio best shows not only his positive attitude to our services and offers, and his willingness to act within the framework of this relationship. This can be found by asking the client to answer one question: "What is the probability that you will recommend us to others?". Offer to rate it on a scale from 0 to 10, or try to imagine how the client would answer this question. If you want to know about the attitude of a particular person towards you, you can ask a clarifying question, for example, ask him to name the main reason for his rating.

We define the relationship "Employee - Client"

So, all our clients can be divided into groups, starting from how they answered the question. Each of the groups shows how their behavior can be interpreted and assigned to the appropriate type. All this requires different actions from us.

Promoters. Loyal

People who value us highly (9-10 points) show us that we have been able to make the life or living conditions of the consumer a little better. These are trustworthy customers (loyal), they often come back, wanting to re-receive the service or make a purchase. These are the clients who advise us to comrades, friends, employees, etc., they are ready to take the time to participate in the survey of our company and give us fruitful feedback, and sometimes even come to us with suggestions. You yourself understand that without such clients it is difficult to run a successful business, you need to be a supporter and promote the passion of promoters, strive to develop and strengthen long-term relationships with clients of this type, and not leave them, thinking that they are already interested in cooperation.

Passive

People who give us a 7 or 8 rating, they paid the agreed amount and got what they expected and nothing more. They are satisfied, but they cannot be called loyal. This is a different behavior and attitude. In general, they do not recommend the company, and if they do, they are not very enthusiastic. If a competitor has discounts or Better conditions, then they will most likely go to them. In general, you cannot unconditionally count on them. Therefore, the goal of the company is to try to improve the "employee-client" relationship, the conditions for these customers, to make periodically interestingoffers to them, increase their level of satisfaction, win their trust and gradually move them to a higher rank of relationships with regular customers.

critics

There are also clients who give you a mark of 6 points or less, from here we can conclude that they did not like working with the company. They are unhappy, and perhaps even disappointed, that they have wasted their time on you. Most likely, they will criticize the company and share their negative impressions in front of friends and acquaintances. If they are forced to communicate with you anyway (for example, because there are no other offers), they will still harm. Their destructive actions can change the attitude towards the work of our employees. Of course, the first thing to do if you encounter critics is to find out what exactly they were disappointed about. In some cases, it makes sense to apologize to try to deal with the problem and gradually begin to building long-term relationships with the client.

If the company is truly committed to improving the lives of customers, then the groups will help to understand how we are succeeding in this. Promoters show achievement, triumph. No one will appreciate it if they have not felt that this really made life better. Passive customers are just satisfied customers, a very mediocre result. Critics, of course, a serious problem, but solvable. It just means that something is not working right and it is important to find and fix it.

Formation and development of long-term relationships with the client: action two

The next step - we can develop a management system, work with these three groups. We have already taken the first step - we have classified all customers based on the question.

The second - we enter an indicator (index). We take the percentage of customers who rate us 9-10 points, subtract from it the percentage of critical customers, and as a result we get the so-called net support index. We can track further work with it weekly or less often, depending on how quickly we plan to make the company progress and how much we are ready to focus on implementing improvements and working on our mistakes.

And finally, the third main step is to build the work of employees, introduce a systematic and targeted study of how the assessments obtained as a result of the survey can be used.

How to build a long term relationship with a client?

Companies can constantly single out Promoters and Critics among their clients. The categories and related feedback should be understood by all front-line employees, and this information should be reviewed periodically and communicated throughout the organization so that employees can track their performance and understand what needs to be changed in their strategy.

The system can be built feedback, when, after the client's answer to the question "how likely is ...", the employee contacts him and finds out the reasons for his assessment in order to discuss the current situation and try to solve problems.

As a result, the information received from feedback forms the basis of specialized staff training and leads to advanced training of specialists working directly with clients. Before starting to communicate with clients on their own, each new employee is undergoing education or training focused primarily on how to leave a positive customer experience with the customer.

P Building long-term relationships with clients is a very long and serious process that needs to be approached carefully and measuredly.

Adapted from the book: Fred Reicheld, Rob Markey. “Sincere loyalty. The key to winning customers for life."

Regular customers are a "golden" reserve. After the first purchase, it should not disappear from the . Therefore, you avoid the situation when an unbalanced business model is formed.

With this model, the result of working with regular counterparties is at an unacceptably low level, since they are simply not given due attention. As a result, the company spends an excessive amount of resources on attracting new ones.

Keep in mind that repeat business with regular customers is possible even in areas that are characterized by a large long deal and a long product life.

Loyal customers: where to start to balance the business model

In order for buyers to become permanent and continue to bring profit to the company, they must be distributed as follows.

1. Buyer. Made one purchase.
2. Client. Made a repeat purchase.
3. Regular customer. Buys systematically from you and competitors.
4. Adherent. Buys only from you.
5. Brand Advocate. Buys and recommends only from you.

Once you've sorted out all of your current counterparties, count how many there are in each of the categories above. After that, think about what you can do to move them towards "permanent". It will be much easier and cheaper to sell them than to attract new ones.

All these stages constitute a "sales skirt". That is, first the lead enters the funnel, becomes a buyer, and then continues to move down to the status of a permanent and further brand advocate, buying more and more often.

To understand how you can increase revenue through regular counterparties, we recommend that you calculate the LTV indicator (Lifetime value or customer value).

Regular customers: how to calculateLTV

The indicator is calculated by the formula:

LTV = S x C x P x T

S - average bill;
C - average number of purchases per month;
P - profitability as a percentage of the check amount;
T is the average "lifetime" of a customer (the average number of months a customer remains an active customer).

By measuring this indicator, you can understand how much you earn on average from your regular customers. The higher the LTV, the more profit You are getting. The goal is to increase LTV.

There are 3 ways to improve LTV

1. Attract More “Good” Leads

"Good" buyers are those who clearly fit the portrait of the company's target audience. ABCXYZ analysis will help to identify them. It will show who buys more and more often.

2. Convert "don't care" into "good" buyers

This category includes those who have made a second purchase, and those who systematically buy from you and competitors. Calculate averages for them and figure out how to convert them to “good”. Develop a marketing strategy. Loyalty programs, promotions, test drives will be appropriate. Also, improve the product.

3. Increase the average check

It is necessary to calculate the penetration rate - your share in regular customers. This will give an understanding of how much they buy from you, and how much from competitors. Then figure out what you need to do to get them to buy only from you. To do this, you need to ask them a direct question: “What needs to be done so that you buy more from you?”. Working only in this direction will increase revenue from regular customers by 15%.

Loyal customers: what is ABCXYZ analysis

It is necessary to analyze the base of regular customers in order to "reach" them to the level of "good". For this purpose, there is an ABCXYZ-analysis that allows you to segment the entire mass of current buyers according to the criteria of volume and regularity of purchases.

What does ABCXYZ analysis give you?

First, you will understand exactly who your target audience is.

Secondly, you will be able to pull up individual "lost" customers to the level of consumption of the target audience.

Where to get data for ABCXYZ analysis

You can easily pull all the information out of the system. Not CRM systems means that it needs to be implemented urgently. In the meantime, conduct an analysis based on bank statements.

As for retail, here the client mass should be analyzed based on the use of loyalty cards by buyers. Therefore implement special program commitment, issue cards and use them to identify customer purchases.

Loyal customers: how to control their backlog

CRR (Customer Retention Rate, or customer retention rate) will help you with this. It shows how quickly buyers leave you.

CRR is calculated using a simple formula:

CRR = ((E-N)/S) x 100

E - the number of buyers at the end of the period;
N is the number of new customers acquired during this period;
S - the number of buyers at the beginning of the period.

According to a Harvard Business School report, a 5% increase in CRR results in a 25% to 95% increase in profits.

Loyal customers: how to get them to buy more and more often

There are several ways available to everyone to retain loyal customers.

Emailing

This tool should not be underestimated. If this is the right channel, then it is important to simply set it up correctly. This means sending letters not only from commercial offers, but also provide useful information as part of a content marketing strategy. (Read more about this in the article “: case studies on the connection with revenue growth”).

Stock

This is a good reason to return to your regular counterparties again and again. The mechanics of the promotion again depends on the working sales channels. For example, you could send out a promotional offer automatically to your current database. The frequency of such initiatives, "awakening" regular customers, should not be lower than several times a month.

New products

As soon as you introduce new products into your line, they are first of all transformed into new deals on the current base. This is because regular customers have a certain amount of loyalty and trust.

Group tasks for managers in CRM

You set the task for employees to work out regular customers and, thus, creates activity on the current base. For each manager, a selection is made among permanent counterparties and the implementation of all steps is monitored.

Mailings to regular customers with certain transaction statuses

This type of work also creates additional activity in the current customer base. You individually work with each and encourage them to further move up the funnel and then the sales skirt.

We examined the tools for monitoring the base of regular customers, as well as their activation. Balance your business model so that it is not skewed towards attracting new customers. Count LTV and CRR, and get creative with loyal customers to buy more and more often.

Quality customer service means fast and positive response to customer requests. Clear communication process, effective customer service policies, thorough training and non-standard approaches to problem solving are also important components good service. A dissatisfied customer will tell 8-10 people about their experience, so you need to ensure that only good things are said about your company. Keeping your customers satisfied with your service will take some work, but this will increase customer satisfaction with your work and help you retain customers, which are important prerequisites for business success.

Steps

Creating the Right Environment for Clients

Try to please the customer the first time they come to you. Many people think that customer service is all about dealing with complaints, but the goal of any company is to ensure that the client does not have a reason to complain. If the client is already disappointed in something, it will not be easy to correct the situation. Develop a system for working with customers, thanks to which they will have less reason to express dissatisfaction.

Decide how you envision your ideal client. Tailoring service to each unique customer is difficult and expensive. Instead, think about what your ideal typical client should be. Develop rules, taking into account the qualities of such a client. Ask yourself the following questions:

Exceed customer expectations. Give customers not only the bare minimum, but more than they expect. This will impress your customers and help you retain them. If you strive to exceed expectations, you will do something nice for customers, and they will be understanding if there is any problem in the future.

• For example, if a customer expects to receive a service within 10 hours of ordering, try to provide the service within 8 hours.

1. Customize your workspace to suit your client's needs. Your office or store should be comfortable, clean, and one you want to come back to. The space should be organized logically so that the client can easily navigate it. Below are some examples of successful solutions:

   • Allocate a few parking spaces for customers only.
   • Equip entrances and exits with facilities for the disabled.
   • Place clear signs in the room.
   • At the entrance and on the stairwells, lay out information brochures, guides or place a map of the store.
   • Place an employee near the entrance to help customers find the right place.

2. Pay attention to all customers to make them feel special. Customers love to be served personally. Your company's philosophy should put the customer first, and treat them like someone of importance, not just a passerby. For example, customers like it if:

   • Employee introduced by first name
   • The employee asks for the customer's name
   • The employee listens to the specific requirements of the client
   • The employee helps in choosing, and not just tells about all the services or products of the company

3. Double-check the quality of service in the office. Put yourself in the client's shoes. Try to check the quality of service to understand what else needs to be improved. Here are some ways to evaluate the quality of service:

   • Call the office and check if your voice menu is convenient to use.
   • Send an email and see how quickly the response comes.
   • Walk around the store and see if all the products are well labeled, arranged in a logical order, and if all the goods are in short supply.
   • Write a message to the chat on the company's website and see how quickly your problem is solved.

4. Provide customers with a self-service experience. Cash registers for self-calculation in the store, forums with tips on possible solutions problems and automated services will help you better serve your customers. Many customers like these options because they allow them to shop at any time, including before or after the firm's business hours. If everything works smoothly, customers will be even happier.

   Know at what time you usually have a flood of visitors. Find out at what time there are usually a lot of buyers, and at what time there are few. During busy hours, make sure you have enough employees working. It all depends on the specifics of the business: perhaps you have an influx of buyers on holidays, at lunchtime or in the evening or on weekends. Your customers will be satisfied if the right number of people work at this time.

   Make sure that your prices are no higher than those of all competitors and meet customer expectations. The price should be commensurate with the quality and should not sharply exceed the price of competitors. Promotions, discounts regular customers and liquidation of collections will let your customers know that they are not in vain loyal to your firm. Always make sure that the goods are correctly labeled, otherwise customers will be unhappy.

   Keep your promises. Don't break the promise given to the client. Promise only what you can deliver, and then deliver the favor on time.

   • For example, do not promise a customer a refund if you are not sure that he can count on this refund. Don't promise to give a customer a 30% discount when they can only get 15%.

5. Give employees the freedom to make decisions. A well-thought-out customer care policy will make your job easier, but it's also important to trust your employees. Not all situations are covered by internal rules, and sometimes decisions need to be made quickly. Let employees decide how they should deal with a customer complaint or unusual situation.

   • For example, your employee may decide to give dissatisfied customer two coupons at a discount, although the company rules require issuing only one coupon at a time. You should not be angry with the employee - it is better to believe that his actions allowed to solve the problem.
   • At the same time, it is important to explain to employees in which situations they can solve the problem themselves, and in which it is better for them to turn to a supervisor. A set of rules and guidelines will allow employees to better understand company policies.

6. Reward employees who demonstrate good results. If an employee receives something for excellent customer service, he will understand the importance of quality service for the entire company. Once a month, reward the best employee in the customer service department. You can also pay bonuses to team members who are engaged in customer retention.

   • If you immediately determine key indicators and requirements for them, you will be able to use the results of the work of employees to encourage their work. If you're surveying customers about service quality, reward the employee who gets the most points. If you track the speed with which employees solve customer problems, pay a bonus to the one who quickly and correctly handles problem situations.

7. Teach employees how to properly communicate with customers. Explain to them how important it is to have a good posture, clear speech, good mood and look like a professional. When dealing with people, first impressions play an important role. Train employees to be especially clear and speak slowly when talking to customers on the phone.

   Schedule training sessions. There are many ways to learn the necessary customer service skills. For example, you can simulate situations, hire trainers to conduct master classes, and take training on the Internet. Even a two-hour session will help your employees learn something new about customer service.

Communication with customers

Follow the rules of telephone etiquette. Etiquette refers to clarity, timeliness of responses and willingness to meet the needs of the client. The client must feel that his problem is being dealt with, even if he is in another city or another country. The rules of telephone etiquette include the following requirements:

• Pick up the phone no later than after three rings.
• Keep your voice friendly.
• Speak slowly, clearly, not too loudly and not too quietly.
• State your name and the name of the department in which you work.
• Ask the client how you can help them.
• Help the client: transfer the call to another employee, return money on an order, or answer a question about using the product.
• Clearly explain what needs to be done to solve the client's problem.
• Be honest about what you can do. If you can't answer a question right away, ask for clarification and call back later.

1. Avoid negative language. Customers don't like being told "no" or "never". Instead of categorical phrases, try to use positive language that expresses your desire to help the client. Be honest, but also emphasize that you are trying to solve the problem.

   • Instead of saying, "I don't know the answer to this question," say, "I'll find out who can answer this question. Can I call you back in a couple of minutes?"
   • Instead of "This is not my job," say to the client, "Can I transfer you to another department? They will help you."
   • Instead of "The company will never do this," frame your thought as follows: "I will do my best to make you satisfied. I will talk about possible solutions to the problem with the supervisor."

2. Instead of forcing the customer to stay on the line, offer to call them back. Customers do not like to hang on the line endlessly waiting for a response. If the phone keeps ringing, arrange with the client that you will call back as soon as possible. Assign a person responsible for calling the customer at the appointed time. Thanks to this, the client will not lose his temper and will not lose valuable time.

   Respond to customer inquiries within 10 hours. Processing time is one of the most important factors in working with clients. Respond to all questions or complaints within 10 hours.

Site optimization

1. Place a detailed section on the site with questions and answers. Customers love to have online resources at their fingertips where they can find answers to their questions. This will free your telephone lines and boxes Email from unnecessary calls. A well-written Q&A section will save time for you and your clients. This section can describe everything from how you do business to specific features goods. Each question should have a clear and understandable answer without technical jargon. The questions will depend on the specifics of your business, but the following questions are most commonly included in this section:

   • What documents do I need to have with me to buy this product?
   • What is the difference between the regular and premium packages?
   • Are there discounts for bulk purchases?
   • How to activate this application?