Customer Service, Cleanliness: Recipe For Success

If you were asked what makes your salon better than your competition, what would your answer be? Chances are you would respond that either your customer service or cleanliness is what sets you apart from other salons. That is our answer, as well—because we consider those two things to be a top priority in the service industry, especially for tanning salons. At all of our 29 locations, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service and cleanliness, and we expect that every customer will find comfort in the uniformity we strive for throughout the company. Here is what we do at our salons to ensure our customer service and cleanliness is top-notch:

Customer Service

The greeting: The customer’s presence should be acknowledged as soon as they step foot into your salon. They should feel welcome and comfortable. Our employees are expected to greet each customer with a smile and a friendly, “Hello, welcome to Total Tan!” Remember that first impressions can make or break a sale—not to mention the customer’s decision to tan with your company. Likewise, our employees make it a point to say goodbye to customers as they leave the salon.

The tour: All customers receive a complete tour of our salon, which includes an introduction to our equipment and layout of the store. Important things to point out include: the location of restrooms and exits, how each bed operates and the difference between the upgrade units and the base equipment. We also suggest that our employees take lotion and eyewear along with them and tie those add-on sales into their tour. For example, our employees can pitch a lotion for a particular unit by saying, “XYZ lotion works well with the bronzing rays found in this bed and can help you quickly achieve your overall tanning goal.”

The products: It is important for employees to be knowledgeable about all products sold in your salon. We conduct annual training seminars for all of our employees as an introduction to our new product lineup for the upcoming year. It is because of this that our employees are familiar with and knowledgeable about our products before we even put them on the shelves, which we find will help sales.

The customer’s needs: Always make sure you are aware of why the customer is there. Are they tanning for an event? Or are they planning on tanning year-round? If they are tanning for an event, how long do they have to achieve their tanning goal? These are all questions our employees ask in order to develop a customized tanning plan for each customer.

Cleanliness

The interview: Our managers are very straightforward about cleaning duties when interviewing potential employees. They tell them upfront that this job is hard work. I think many applicants assume a tanning consultant position will mostly consist of standing at the front counter talking to customers. However, that makes up only a small portion of a tanning consultant’s job duties. The majority of their time is spent cleaning.

The duties: Remember, a customer’s first impression isn’t limited to when they initially enter the salon—it also extends to when they enter the tanning room. When it comes to cleaning, the equipment is the main focus of the room, of course, but it should not be the only focal point. Every part of the room should be spotless—from the bed to the walls to the floor and anything in-between. After all, would you want to lay down naked on something in a room that wasn’t 100 percent clean? I didn’t think so.

It is best for employees to clean the bed while the acrylics are still warm. The top and bottom acrylics should be wiped down with a clean towel and sanitizer. There should not be any lotion or fingerprints remaining. The top and bottom case of the bed, along with the handle, should also be wiped down in the same manner. The headrest should then be cleaned and placed on the bed, and a sign stating the room and bed have been cleaned and sanitized should be placed on top of that. If your salon supplies eyewear for the customer, it is important to clean that as well.

After the bed is completely clean, the employee must then wipe down the walls, door, shelves, radio/volume knobs, stool and anything else in the room to ensure there isn’t any lotion on anything else. They must also empty the garbage can and make sure there is no other garbage hiding anywhere else.

The last step in cleaning the room is to vacuum the rug or clean the floor if there is no rug. Even a tiny piece of sock fuzz is enough to make a customer squeamish about how clean the rest of the room is. After the room is clean, it is important for the tanning consultant to look it over one last time to make sure everything is in order for the next customer.

The timing: After the tanner leaves, it is important for the employee to clean the room as soon as possible, especially if the tanner used a tingle lotion. This applies to both busy and slow days—in fact, it should be even easier for employees to keep up with their cleaning duties during the off-season. But, because the employees do not have a lobby full of customers, they do not necessarily feel pressured to clean the rooms at rapid speed. So, it is very important to check up on your employees and make sure they are putting the same effort into their job year-round. The last thing a customer wants is to be being rushed through the register, wait 15 minutes for a bed and then be put in a dirty room. And trust me, you will hear from an unhappy customer if that happens.

You say that your customer service and cleanliness set you apart from your competition. Now it’s time for you to go out there and prove it—to your customers and your competition.

Cyndi and Keith Leonard are the owners of Blasdell, N.Y.-based Total Tan Inc., a chain of 29 tanning salons across New York and in Erie, Pa. Cyndi has a degree in marketing and management from Siena College, and her background includes stints in sports marketing, event promotions, advertising and operations. Keith’s background was in the animal-feed industry, which led them to leave the Albany area and move to Buffalo in 1992 to open a large pet supermarket. In 1994 they realized the potential for more professional salons in their area. Armed with a wealth of sales, operations and marketing acumen, they opened their first Total Tan and have been growing ever since. The salons offer tanning and sunless services, and feature more than 800 units.