Customer Service Key To Client Loyalty

One of the most important aspects of running any business is creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with customers. This is especially crucial for service industries, such as indoor tanning, where employees and clients have frequent interaction. Salon operators need to put customer service high on their to-do list to retain client loyalty.

The old adage “the customer is always right” is particularly true in the indoor tanning industry when it comes to handling complaints because tanning is a business built primarily on referrals.

It is much easier to keep a customer that currently patronizes your salon than it is to try to regain one that has left. The majority of customer complaints, even those that may start off with the client being very irate, usually can be handled in a calm, mature manner. A good strategy is to “kill them with kindness”.

It is important that employees never argue with a customer. Employees should listen carefully to the customer in order to determine the reasons that they are unhappy. When the employee does not have the authority to resolve the problem, the customer should be politely informed that their issue will be handled by someone who can rectify the situation, such as the owner or manager, in a timely manner.

Consider working up a list of past complaints and develop methods for handling them should they happen again. New employees can practice “role playing” exercises so they will be prepared to handle specific complaints that may arise.

There are situations in the tanning salon where the customer is not always right—such as any issue relating to safety. For instance, if a client states that they do not intend to wear protective eyewear while tanning, they must not be allowed to tan. A client also must never be allowed to tan longer than the Maximum Timer Interval (MIT) posted on the tanning unit. There are no exceptions to these rules.

Ultimately, anything that might impact the safety of the client is the responsibility of the tanning salon—not the client. Therefore, in these situations the client is not always right.

Customer Service

Your philosophy of customer service should be to provide necessary information to your clients in the most friendly and professional manner possible. They should be educated about your equipment, tanning packages, lotions and their phototype/subtype. In addition, each new client should sign a Client Release and Informed Consent form in order to ensure that they have been apprised of the potential risks and regulations of indoor tanning.

You also want to educate your clients as much about the science of tanning as possible, while taking care not to overload them with more information than they are able to comprehend. Each client has a different educational background and, therefore, a different threshold of understanding. It is important for you to stay current with the latest information so you can deal with all levels of clients.

It is also important to understand that, if a question arises and you are not sure of the answer, it is not a good idea to guess at the answer; instead find the actual answer and let the client know at a later time. This is a much more professional approach than possibly providing wrong information.

It is the responsibility of all employees to work within the company guidelines of professionalism at all times. Should there be a situation where an employee feels that they have been instructed to operate in a manner that is against federal or state tanning salon regulations and not in the best interests of the client, it is incumbent upon the employee to bring the matter to the attention of the owner or manager for resolution.

Finally, the client deserves an appropriate and professional level of attention from the time they enter your facility until the time that they have completed their tanning session and leave. Saying “goodbye” when they leave is just as important as saying “hello” when they arrive.