ONE. attract more new customers
the top 2 ways to attract new customers are:
- ask for referrals - many of your customers would be happy to introduce their friends but need to be prompted. the best way to do this is to include a coupon at the bottom of your appointment reminder or booking confirmation emails which offers a discount for a friend who isn't already a customer. make it easy for them copy and forward the offer and include a tracking link so you can measure results.
- promote online - regularly update your facebook page, keep your 'google my business listing' fresh and accurate, have a high-ranking mobile-friendly website and link back to it from everywhere you can such as local business directories, facebook, blog and twitter posts
TWO. increase repeat visits
to do this you need to know who your customers are. if you already have a system to record customer appointments you are half way there. make sure your checkout process includes asking customers if they would like to provide an email address or share their birthday so you can send greetings and special offers. set up email mailouts to send a birthday greeting and/or offer and regularly email customers who have not been in for over 5 weeks sharing a new or special retail product, or a popular service trend they may be interested in along with a link to your booking page or telephone number.
THREE. accept gift vouchers
40% of customers using a gift card spend more than they planned to, with a 20-50% higher average spend amount than non-giftcard-paid-purchases.
FOUR. track 'net promoter score' (nps) customer satisfaction rating
what you measure you can improve, and improving nps is consistently correlated with an increase in profitability.
what is it
after each interaction with your business customers are asked to respond to the question: how likely on a scale of 1 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely) are you to recommend us to a friend?
we recommend the question be sent as an email with the subject line 'How was everything?'. Following the 1-10 rating respondents are invited to provide further feedback in an open response.
why it works
customers who are passionate detractors or promoters/advocates of your business want to be heard because people like to talk about what they are passionate about.
these people can provide the most valuable insights which you can take action on.
when a detractor provides feedback you can followup with a telephone call and offer an appropriate remediation such as a discount off their next visit, or a simple and sincere apology with an offer to do better next time or further enquiry into what other ideas they have to share.
any of the above actions can turn a detactor into a passionate advocate as you have shown you care and taken the time to listen.
when a promoter provides feedback this can assist you to understand what makes people passionate advocates for your business and leverage this information to grow customer advocacy.
remember every increase in your Net Promoter Score (which is a calculation which measures the number of promoters relative to the number of detractors) translates to a tangible growth in business profitability.
added bonus
the added bonus of asking the 'how likely would you be to refer us to a friend' question is that it creates the suggestion in the customers mind of referring a friend to your business. people are much more likely to send referrals your way if you remind them
why email not sms, phone or face to face
email is unobtrusive. moderately satisfied customers will happily ignore your 'How was everything?' email. on the other hand an sms or phone call may be unwelcome if it interrupts a customer who has no desire to provide feedback. Promoters and Detractors will be more motivated to respond and provide feedback and in fact will appreciate that they have been given the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings.
why not add other survey questions?
other questions are not necessary and create no value for the person providing the feedback. this is one case where shorter is definately better. people should feel good about responding, not like they have been robbed of their valuable time for no benefit. that is certainly not the way you want your customer to feel in relation to your business.
Sassable is a trusted name that has been providing online services to hair and beauty providers for over 5 years. Our services have encompassed health and wellness providers for the last two years. Our online appointment book system provides automated tracking and measurement of NPS as well as other proven tools to grow your business.