5 Star Holiday Service

5 Star Holiday Ser vice

Angela Clark, American Grooming Academy

More than any other time of year the holiday season is an opportunity to acquire new customers. By accommodating those struggling to find last-minute holiday appointments doors open with opportunities to secure new regulars.

It is also a time to appreciate your loyal customers whose holiday appointments were booked well ahead of time. Let your loyal customers, new and old, know their feelings and needs are important to you and your business.

Being there for your customers with grooming services always reflecting the best wins your customers’ hearts.

Holidays are a great time to give your customers more than what they expect. It is the perfect time to exceed customer expectations. Here is how you can provide five-star holiday service as a pet care professional.

Future customer habits can be created by making rebooking hard to resist. Design a holiday-inspired card and enclose a photo of their pet plus a gift card for $5 to $10 towards their next appointment. Set a future expiration date of 8 weeks, such as February 25th, 2020. The limited expiration date motivates scheduling the next appointment within eight weeks.

Infuse scents that trigger fond holiday memories. Create an atmosphere of warmth your customers will associate with you. Diffuse holiday-minded essential oils such as sweet ginger, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, sweet citrus, pine, nutmeg, anise, cedarwood, peppermint, clove and lavender. These scents can embed you in the memory banks of your customers.

Add value with finishing touches such as festive holiday bows and bandannas, red and green (or red and white) nail polish. Many customers love a spritz of holiday cologne, or light essential oil bandannas that serve as a reminder of the positive experience their pets had in your salon. Careful, honor those who are sensitive to scents. Note preferences in customer records.

Excellence under ordinary circumstances makes big impressions. Your holiday services communicate even the ordinary services you provide year round are special. Your customers will tell friends about your excellent services and return time and time again. returning customers smiles say you remember them, and are happy to see them and their pets again. Use the customers’ and pets’ names when greeting them. That is really impressive and personalized. Be prepared for them to return. Review your schedule of returning customers ahead of time. “Remember” how they like their grooming styles and services.

The services you provide to pet owning customers is as important as the haircuts and comfort you give their pets. Smiles show you know this, and enjoy serving them. Impressions like this will keep everyone happy!

Tune in, listen and communicate with your customers! Effective customer communication is the cornerstone of any successful grooming business.

In order to maximize your ability to communicate with your customers, remember these six key points:

Smile and let your customers know how happy you are to welcome them. Put eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reservednew customers at ease with smiles. For 53 (Continued on page 54)

Be a good listener. When a customer is finished talking verbally respond to them repeating what you think you heard. This will ensure you clearly understood their messages or requests.

► Do Not Interrupt

Allow your customers to finish verbalizing their thoughts before you respond.

► Use Easily Understood Words

Steer clear of industry terms or slang. Use words and phrases that your customers can understand and visualize.

► Stay Positive

Focus on what you can do for your customer, rather than what you cannot do. By addressing your customers with “can do” statements, they are more likely to return a positive response.

► Demonstrate Courtesy

Asking relevant and strategic questions in a polite and professional way goes a long way towards demonstrating highquality customer service.

► Photographic Evidence

strate what you are visualizing, or what the customer is struggling to describe.

Aspire to be the best YOU there is. Be knowledgeable, courteous, trustworthy and caring to pets and pet parents alike. Provide individual attention to every customer upon arrival and departure. They should feel important for the role they play in their pet’s care. Teach them ways to improve the bond they have with their pets. Gaining customer trust requires understanding that their pets are family members, and you are worthy of their trust. Once you have truly earned customer trust with their pets, they will be loyal to you for a lifetime.

Responsive groomers are quick to meet the needs and expectations of customers and pets. Be responsive by offering these elements of good customer ser-

vice to your customers all year round.

Deliver results quickly. Be reliable, timely and always voice concerns for the safety and welfare of the customers and pets in your care. Remember when you deliver excellence under ordinary circumstances you exceed customer expectations every time. They will be inspired by the care you provide for people and pets. Practicing it builds your customer base through loyal customer relationships. Use it with those new customers you squeeze in this holiday season to develop regular clients.

Through five-star customer service loyal Giving five-star customer service means client bonds that may last lifetimes of always providing the customer with an your clients and their pets. ◄ experience that is better than average. eGroomer Journal Copyright © 2011 Find A Groomer Inc. All rights reserved 55 PetGroomer.com Magazine www.petgroomermagazine.com Subscribe Free © 2022 Find A Groomer Inc All rights reserved