Six steps to success with versum

It’s no secret that returning customers are most valuable for your salon. The challenge however, is to build exceptional customer experience and encourage them to keep coming back. We can all agree that understanding customers’ needs and discovering expectations is vital for your business to prosper.

Information is key and only with it can you give customers what they truly want. So what should you do with it once you have it? Versum have got a six step plan to help you get the most out of your database so you’re ready to build long-lasting relationships with customers and take your service to the next level.

1. Getting Started

Start collecting information on customers as they contact you or walk through the salon doors for the first time. Begin with basic information like phone numbers, email addresses and birthdates. Advanced salon software such as Versum will allow you to store and use this information to send out automated messages. From a text or email appointment reminder to a thank you message after their first appointment, communicating with customers at an early stage will drastically increase your chances of turning walk ins into regular, loyal clients.

2. The Finer Details

As your relationship with the customer develops, employees will be able to gather more specific information, like customer preferences, any allergies and favourite treatments.

You can also ask the customer about their most recent trip abroad (they’ll love it when you ask about it after they return!) or how much sugar they take with their coffee. You can create a customer description which will be displayed next to each of the customer’s appointment, so that any of your stylists will get all necessary information they need about the customer at a glance.

With such an extensive pool of knowledge on your customers stylists can reduce preparation time and truly provide exceptional services. Employees who know a customer’s expectations, past experiences and favourite treatments will be able to provide reliable recommendations in salon as well as following up with take home products.

3. Complete Appointment History

Versum automatically creates a customer history record based on their visits and purchases. All the information is safely stored online and backed up, so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be able to access it anytime and anywhere you need it. And fast! Having a quick look at the appointment history will allow your stylists to choose the appropriate treatment and products to be used. The same holds true about the customer preferences, like favorite services and products. The stylist will be able to simply ask the customer – “Anna, can we go with the same hot pink dye for your ombre, as usual, or would you rather try some new exciting look?” And if the customer still can’t decide – show them some before and after photos stored in the system, helping them to make up their minds.

4. Don’t Ignore Customer feedback

Your customers are your promoters; they share experiences they’ve had in your salon with friends and family. By using appropriate salon software,you can send them automatic review requests, and post their replies on your online booking website and in the social media. In return, reward customers with a well-deserved discount or a free bottle of your most popular shampoo, and watch your customer loyalty rate skyrocket. Don’t ignore negative customer feedback! Make sure you apologise in the right manner and use this valuable information to improve your services, products, or customer service.

5. Filter your data to improve the effectiveness of your marketing efforts

Before you run your next promotional campaign, think what information to base it on. Analyse your customer appointment history and their visits. Why? This collected information is the key to sending  personalised promotional campaigns that will hit the bullseye. While it would be impossible to go through all the customer records manually, one by one, Versum has built-in, elaborate search filters that will let you pinpoint which customers had a colour, cut or hair extensions. Using this information, you know which clients will be happy to receive 10% off their appointment and with a single click you will be able to send them a message containing an irresistible special offer.

6. Marketing automation – your personal marketer

Now you know which services are most popular in your salon, and you’ve got super satisfied customers, but your hands are full and you’d like to stay in touch with customers once they’ve left your salon. Send out predefined messages to your customers after a thorough, automatic analysis of their history in the salon and their buying behaviour. You can use it to remind clients to rebook another appointment in a series, send out automatic thank you messages to build lasting relations with new customers, or motivate those that have not visited your salon for some time to come in for a discounted treatment. What’s best about this is you don’t have to lift a finger to do it, simplyenable pre-defined email campaigns and the system will make sure that your customers receive personalised messages just when they need them.

Versum is all-in-one, easy to use salon and spa software that helps beauty businesses manage and streamline everyday tasks, build lasting relations with customers and better promote services. As a web-based tool, Versum allows remote access on any Internet-enabled device, giving salon owners full control over their business at any time and any place. Created specifically for the hair & beauty industry, Versum has plenty of well-designed and intuitive features. For more information visit the Versum website.