SALON’S CUTTING-EDGE CUSTOMER SERVICE

PUTTING the customer first is something that every business knows to be a priority, but my experience as a Change Agent and as a consumer is that common sense is not always common practice. It’s quite shocking to find, as a customer, the number of service providers who treat the contempt as a mere cliché, rather than a basic ingredient for doing business in today’s changing world.

I’ve seen in so many industries, whether B2B or B2C, that the organisations which prioritise the customer get more sales. One example is my local hair salon in Leixlip. For more than eight years I’ve been going to The Salon on a regular basis. Still having a thick head of hair, I give salon owner Pat Byrne a run for his money. Apart from the banter and craic I have with him and his wife Anne-Marie, I do get a decent haircut. That aside, I’m always impressed with the level of premium service given to all customers. I try to arrive early to soak up the atmosphere and watch how customers are treated. From the time they arrive to the time they leave, I’m inspired by how each is made to feel special.

From Ballygowan Water in a glass bottle to barista coffees by Lavazza, customers are made to feel comfortable and almost at home. There is a friendly familiarity with regular customers that is not intrusive. They never seem to feel rushed, and are listened to intently. And that is consistent. I see it on every visit and from every team member.

On a recent visit I observed a difficult customer complaining about a cut she had received recently. I listened as Anne-Marie initially empathised, then probed for more information about her expectations and what she felt was wrong. She then agreed a way of correcting the cut and sent the customer out smiling. What’s more impressive is that the client was a new customer to the salon. That’s putting the customer first — and it starts at the top.