Reopening: How to reassure your clients
By Chloe Randall | 23 March 2021 | Feature
It is vital to let your clients know what to expect on their return to your nail space, and reassure them of the measures you have taken to protect them. We speak to some nail professionals who share some tips on communicating with your clients when reopening…
Liza Smith, salon owner and CND educator on client communication:
“We haven’t stopped communicating with clients throughout the pandemic and in all honesty, we communicate better now than we did before,” comments Liza Smith, salon owner and CND educator.
“We no longer take it for granted that we will see our clients face-to-face and we have had to find new ways to keep up the engagement.
“We learnt last year not to book everyone in, only to waste hours/days ripping it all out again. We are creating a form for a waiting list that will collate the treatments people want first, so that we can plan our diaries.
“We have a small WhatsApp focus group of clients that we test things on and also ask them to tell us if they feel they need something that we don’t provide. It was in place before lockdown 1.0 and it has been invaluable.”
Appointments
How you organise your waiting list and appointment bookings is down to you, with many choosing to wait until government announcements are official before opening their books. Just be sure that you factor in breaks for your own personal wellbeing. Your clients have waited for your service for some time, so they can wait another week if needs be; you want to perform at your best!
“I haven’t seen my clients since before Christmas, so I have been checking in with them and sending messages and many have been tagging me in numerous memes on Facebook,” comments Abi Garvey, Pure Nails educator.
“I have kept them up to date with any announcements in regard to opening and how and when I will be taking appointments.”
Social media
Social media is a quick way to communicate with clients en masse.
“It offers a clear and consistent message to all,” comments Paulina Zdrada, salon owner. “We have utilised blast messaging via SMS and email too, which proved incredibly valuable at the end of lockdowns one and two.”
“We have utilised social media as our main broadcasting method to reach our clientele and get the ball rolling with bookings,” adds Laura White, educator at The Creative Beauty Group. “We have called clients personally to reach out to them, catch up briefly and arrange appointments for them to ensure their return to us is everything they want– and hopefully more.”
Clarity is key
“I am planning to post clear information and instructions about new rules in my salon on Facebook and Instagram, but that’s not all,” reveals Agata Krawczyk, Indigo Nails educator. “To make sure everyone has seen my post, I will be contacting each of my clients privately and asking nicely to confirm that they understand the new rules and will respect them. This will help me to be sure that everyone who will come to my premises will follow the rules and stop the spread of the virus.”