How to keep EVERY client happy

Even in this ever-more digital world, word-of-mouth counts for a lot in the hair game.

Everyone wants to know they’re coming to you for their haircare and that they’re guaranteed to leave with a smile to match their new do.

But are you missing a trick?

According to one study penned in 2020 (Lee & Kim), not only is word-of-mouth essential for the growth and maintenance of a haircare business but levels of satisfaction play a huge role in whether your clients will come back or not, and it's not always down to nailing the procedure.

Here are three ways to help you give the best experience possible and have clients coming back – and bringing their nearest and dearest – to your chair.

Working out what’s best – be clear to the client about what you can do so that their expectations meet your capabilities. You’ll most likely be able to offer every treatment under the sun but we’ve all had a client who has seen something somewhere that simply isn’t going to be doable. Some hair types make certain styles impossible and other hair styles suit particular face shapes and skin tones.

Maintaining strong human connection – even when a styling result meets our expectations, we might still be put off returning to a hairdresser if we didn’t enjoy being around the people there. This is why training around professionalism and client care is essential (click here to read our blog on building a successful salon team). It’s also one reason why people are keen to spend more with haircare businesses that provide a more bespoke, personable experience – we can all get a haircut anywhere but, for many of us, the people doing it make the difference.

Transparent dissatisfaction procedure – look, we’re all humans and we all make mistakes. Sometimes, even when we do things we’ve done a thousand times before, something doesn’t quite work out; we may not even know what went wrong.

It happens.

And, if it does, being transparent about it is the most sure-fire way to diffuse a dissatisfied client.

It’s worth knowing here why people choose not to buy from businesses. Typically, it comes down to price, convenience and (this is the key one) risk.

Ensure that – either through your online presence or in person – you make it clear to your clients that, should they be unhappy with your work, they are free to tell you and you will do what you can to correct anything that goes wrong but also reassure them that this is extremely rare. 

This way, you remove the risk they take in choosing to visit your chair. 

If it does happen though, it might sting on a personal level so REMEMBER THIS – they aren’t dissatisfied with YOU, only the work you’ve done. There’s a lot more to you than one hair styling experience so don’t take it to heart. 

Suggest alternatives – if things do go awry, follow this up by ensuring you have a plan in place to rectify whatever went wrong.

Hair been cut poorly? Suggest a corrective cut you can provide instead or offer for them to come back for free next time.

Colour not quite worked out? Well, is there something you can do to change the tone?

Can the client be booked in again on short notice for something else?

These solutions go a long way to proving to the client that you want them to return to you and that you’ll do all you can to ensure their next experience is a better one. 

Here’s the kicker

A key takeaway from Lee & Kim’s (2020) research is that some people even find a reflective attitude to mistakes more impressive than blanket perfection. It makes you seem more human but, at the same time, dedicated to being the hairdresser they should trust.

To sum up

Setting clear expectations reduces the chances of dissatisfied clients.

If that isn’t enough, being totally transparent about your mistakes can still win the round, especially if you have a plan in place to rectify it or make them feel better the next time they visit you.

Want to deliver your clients the best aftercare following their visit? Click here to find a range of products that will keep their new do fresh for longer.