Do you know what your clients really value about your spa or massage practice? You can assume satisfied clients like the results they get from your services and feel no need to look elsewhere. But there are certainly other qualified skincare specialists and massage professionals in your market, so for many clients, their loyalty may stem from something in addition to your expertise. Maybe they like the atmosphere of your establishment, the competitive pricing, the customer service, and personal attention in addition to the wide range of services and retail products.
Whatever drives clients through your door and keeps them coming back is important to know to attract new clients and retain current ones. In fact, retaining current clients by consistently meeting their expectations may be more critical since, according to Kissmetrics, it can cost 7x more to acquire new customers than retain current ones. And most of the time, clients (68%) leave because of the treatment they have received. So unless you spend some time doing your homework, you may never know what keeps a client or drives one to a competitor.
Find out what your clients think
There are several ways to find out what clients think about your service and product offerings. Put together a formal plan to get client feedback routinely. Here are some activities to consider:
Email outreach
Check-in with a new client by email after a first visit. Ask for feedback on the treatment or customer service relative to an initial call, reception, answering questions about retail offerings, or paying for services.
Check online reviews
Online reviews are one of the best ways to find out how clients rate your services, customer service, and more. In addition to Yelp, there are several other online review sites where you may want to add your spa or massage practice. A list is available at: “15 Business Review Websites to Promote Your Small Business or Startup.”
Surveys
There are several online survey platforms you can use, such as SurveyMonkey. They are easy to set up, send out via email and analyze the data. Keep the survey short of encouraging more participation – five questions is optimal but don’t go over 10. Craft your questions for user input. Don’t ask for information that would be ‘nice to have,’ but you won’t necessarily use it in making changes in your business. You also can run a short survey on your spa or massage practice website.
Ask them
Please don’t be shy about asking clients for feedback when they are in for a massage or skin treatment—clients value it when you ask them for their opinion because it says that you care. The key to getting feedback, however, is to act on it. If you hear many of the same suggestions – or criticisms – from clients, do something about it. Then let clients know by email or in person that you took their input seriously and made the suggested changes or why you weren’t able to. But always let them know you appreciate their input.
Consider your clients your partners. Getting their input makes them more invested in your spa or massage practice.