The Best Marketing of All

I had a reminder this weekend about the importance of good customer service. I know this isn't a ground breaking marketing technique, but when you get it right its invaluable! And when you get it wrong its utterly detrimental!

I went to have my hair cut on Saturday, feeling all excited about walking out with fabulous, shiny hair. I walked into the salon, the staff knew who I was and offered me a drink straight away - good start! Even better was that I picked up a CURRENT magazine and caught up with some gossip! I was feeling pretty comfortable about the whole experience when the stylist came to get me, I had not met her before but she did not introduce herself...this alone was enough for me to start feeling unsettled. She sat me down and vaguely asked me what I wanted done. We selected a colour together & off she went. Once the colour was done she wasted no time in cutting my hair...without really telling me what she was going to do...not feeling so confident now. Once she had finished cutting, she dried my hair and went to send me on my way. I looked at myself in the mirror, the horrified image that stared back at me surely didn't belong to me, but to a goth with a fringe sticking up like Tin Tin! I decided to mention the colour was way darker than expected. To this she replied, 'yeah sometimes that can happen, see if it fades after a few washes'. I followed this up by asking why my fringe was sticking up (which certainly wasn't the look I was going for)...to which she replied 'yeah sometimes that can happen when you blow dry it'. This lady really wasn't listening to what I was trying to say! She didn't ask if I was happy, she either didn't look at me, or care to gauge my reaction. Not being a very confrontational person, I left and headed home, feeling very upset and angry that I just paid to have my hair ruined!

So what did I do about this? The first thing I did was complain to my flatmates, who asked where I got it done, and I told them. I updated my Facebook status to tell everyone I was sad that my pampering hair appointment turned into a disaster. I seethed about it for hours before I decided to call and speak to the owner. I could only leave a message so I spent the whole weekend feeling angry. When I got to work I told people at work! After spending years trying my utmost to go above and beyond what my clients and patients expected of me, I was upset that I wasn't heard, or cared for as a customer.

So what does this one encounter mean for the hair salon I attended? Well they lost a customer, they lost potential referrals and even though it was one stylist in a salon of many, it gave the whole business a very tarnished image. Does bad word spread faster than good? Of course it does!

It is essential that you and your staff remember why you come to work...to serve your clients. A fantastic experience will ensure that you have good word of mouth, will reinforce to other clients their loyalty to you & increase the all important internal referrals! A bad experience will have the totally opposite effect...can your business afford to lose any clients?