How can mystery shopping benefit your salon business?

Published 02nd Mar 2018 by akesha
How can mystery shopping benefit your salon business?   When you’re running your own business, it can be very easy to get caught up in the smaller, day-to-day processes of working life and lose sight of the overall picture, particularly in a busy industry such as hairdressing where no two days are ever the same. However it’s the overall picture that the most important people – your clients – will notice first, so it’s vital that every aspect of your business is examined and revisited on a regular basis to ensure that each area continues to thrive and deliver on your expectations. Here, Salon Evolution director, Steven Gunnip, discusses how mystery shopping can benefit your salon business. An outside view At Salon Evolution, we mystery shop our partner salons across the UK on an on-going basis, offering feedback that enables them to reassess their businesses. Salon owners have a perception of their service offerings that doesn’t always tally up with reality, and mystery shoppers can help evaluate whether this rings true. As someone who is heavily involved in the business, you can lose sight of what’s really going on. Do you create a wow factor? Never underestimate the value of customer service. Clients are looking to experience the ‘wow factor’ every time they visit, so make sure you are providing the best possible experience on every level, every time. It’s the little details that clients appreciate most and customer service should be one of the key elements you aim to explore during mystery shops to ensure you continue to deliver a consistently premium client experience. Determine your priorities If you are looking to enlist a mystery shopper, start by examining your business plan and considering your long-term goals, identifying the main areas of importance, so these can be addressed during the process. Ensure that mystery shoppers don’t just visit at one set time, but at different periods throughout the day, week, month and year. This will help to build that crucial overall picture of your business and allow you to see how the salon performs and the customer service that is carried out during peak periods when it is busy, but also how to maximise any potential opportunities during quieter times. Compare your competitors While your biggest competition should always be yourself, it's also a good idea to examine other salons in the area, and the service menus they offer. Don’t be afraid of your competitors and seeing how your salon compares to them. Play to your strengths – what do you offer that no one else in the vicinity does? This is your niche, so make sure that you highlight this to new and existing clients to really set yourself apart. Carrying out mystery shops on the competition can also be a great way to assess your pricing structure, particularly if you want to make changes in this area. This is something you can even do yourself without the need for outside involvement. Most salons have websites where pricing information can be found, but it’s also a good idea to pop in and get a feel for the salon too. Examining the results can then indicate whether a pricing structure needs readjusting. Don’t make the mistake of setting your prices too low with the aim of being cheaper than the competition, but recognise that setting your price too high may also be detrimental if clients can get similar services for cheaper elsewhere. Set your price list so that it is competitive, but also showcases the salon’s qualities, stretching from a lower price bracket to a higher one, to cater for all areas of your target market. Aim to provide value for money above all else – clients won’t mind spending that little bit more if they are getting a great service and fantastic result. Welcome feedback Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, be open to the feedback that you receive at the end of every mystery shop. Bringing in a mystery shopper can be a multifaceted process, so it’s really important that you take on board every piece of information that is gathered throughout. You may hear some things that surprise or even disappoint you, but by being open-minded and willing to change things for the benefit of the business if needed, mystery shopping can be one of the best things you do to ensure your salon’s success. Salon Evolution is a business development and marketing agency founded by Steven Gunnip and James Hunt in 2007. The agency was created in response to a growing need in the Hair & Beauty industry for salons to better understand how to use their existing resources to generate more income. If you think your salon business has what it takes to stand out in the industry then register your interest for the 2018 British Hairdressing Business Awards by clicking here 
akesha

akesha

Published 02nd Mar 2018

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