Holiday Salon Strategy: Upgrade Your Client Communication

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Show of hands: Who likes to send text messages to clients for upcoming appointments? 

Now keep your hand up if you’ve ever:

... accidentally deleted a text message from a client?

... switched to a new phone and then unable to import all your old numbers? So when a message comes in, you think to yourself, “Who is this text even coming from?”

All of us have hands up? Okay.

Now, let’s keep those frustrations in mind as we talk about the importance of client communication, especially around the holidays. According to HubSpot’s 2018 “Consumer Customer Support Survey,” 82% of customers expect to receive an immediate response from the brands they contact. And 58% of those customers prefer to be recognized or remembered when reinitiating service. Client communication falls under one of the soft skills businesses require to close sales, increase retention, and customer loyalty all of which are especially critical during the holiday season. But maintaining a high standard of communication with clients while still performing the duties of managing a high-volume salon or spa can be extremely challenging. One option to manage this challenge is to partner with a business management platform that understands the importance of impeccable client communication and equips your team with the means to make easy communication a reality. 

We may be biased, but our Messages has you fully covered when it comes to easy and thorough client communication. This add-on includes a dedicated tab that stores incoming and outgoing SMS text messages sorted by client. From there, it’s two easy clicks to view the full Client Profile for whoever you are speaking to, so you can personalize your conversation and have a view of their history, past purchases, social profiles, and more. Plus, the Caller ID feature lets you say bye-bye to the days of forgotten numbers and errant messages. Whether your phone doesn't stop ringing or clients are texting in a bunch of questions, we've got you covered.

When you think “Caller ID”, you may be picturing the little box hooked into a landline. Scrap that thought, because this is far more intuitive and effective. Boulevard’s Caller ID feature is fully integrated into the platform, meaning whenever someone calls your salon or spa, all of their information pops up right in front of your receptionist — instantly bringing everything they need to know about the client directly to the front desk. When a call comes in, the Caller ID not only shows the name and number of the client, it also includes the client’s upcoming or previous appointments along with a Calendar icon that you can click to take you directly into your calendar for easy scheduling. And to keep up the personalization, when existing clients call, you can click their name to see their full client profile. For a new client calling, simply click to set up a new client profile as you take all their info over the phone. It’s really that easy.

Our teams are going through Boulevard training today for the first time and I keep getting slacks with caps and emojis about how everyone is LOVING it.

Even though this feature sounds like a huge time saver, we understand why some businesses may be scared to make the switch from their current system to Boulevard. “Data migration” sounds like a long process and can be intimidating. But rest assured, we work with you every step of the way to carefully move over all of your info to the last data point — and we’ll have it done in a matter of hours. That’s right, all of your customer information, appointment history, and business details gracefully moved onto Boulevard in the time it’ll take for you to get your own hair done done. From there, we offer quick and comprehensive ongoing training sessions to bring you and your team up to speed and running with confidence. Don’t just take our word for it. The manager of Heyday skincare raved, “Our teams are going through Boulevard training today for the first time and I keep getting slacks with caps and emojis about how everyone is LOVING it.”

So, put the Post-it notes down, stop stressing about forgotten phone numbers, and do yourself, your team, and your business a favor by making the switch. In just 90 days, we guarantee you’ll see more services booked, a higher retail value, more gratuity, and fewer no-shows and late cancels. You and your clients deserve the upgrade.