While this first impression may have been successful enough to get an appointment booking, the journey to building a relationship with the client and retaining their satisfaction with the services and products provided is just beginning. It is up to the skin care professional to help the client experience all that the spa has to offer.

The first time a client hears a voice on the other end of the appointment booking line, they cultivate an impression of their expectation of the spa’s service. Was the receptionist warm, friendly, and welcoming? Were their questions answered? Was the receptionist knowledgeable and accommodating? Was their experience booking an appointment easy, convenient, and pleasant? When they entered the spa, were they met with a warm welcome? These simple moments are absolutely crucial for first impressions. They lead the client into their overall experience and can absolutely make or break a business, no matter how stellar the treatments.
Customer service is the heart and soul of every business. In a skin care establishment, clients are a vital asset. Long after first impressions are made, much care is needed to retain clients. Professionals should think about what their spa provides that keeps clients coming back, as well as what it is about their business that sets them apart from the rest of the competition.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Creating a warm, inviting atmosphere is essential. The receptionist’s duties should include serving the clients by offering them tea, water, or something else to drink. Even though fruit- or vegetable-infused water may be out for them to help themselves, the receptionist should still offer them something to enjoy while they wait. This service invokes a feeling of comfort, nurture, and warmth. Clients should feel like they are going to the professional’s home and are being greeted as a welcomed guest.
Cleanliness is at the top of most clients’ first impressions list. If a client were sitting in the lobby, waiting to receive a service, and lifted a magazine off a table and saw a layer of dust, they would probably get a negative impression of the spa. Retail shelves, seating, window sills, moldings, pillows, and wallpaper should be kept clean and tidy at all times. Furthermore, the restrooms should always be stocked with necessities as they are a fantastic place to showcase a pleasant hand soap, lotion, or fragrant candle that may be carried for retail.
Staff presence is also important when it comes to first impressions. If the front desk receptionist is busy, it is important to create a comfortable atmosphere for the client amidst the necessary on goings of the business at hand. However, if staff members have down time and are just standing around talking to the front desk receptionist socially, playing with their cell phones, or doing anything that is not business related, clients could be turned off by this behavior. For example, most clients do not care to hear about a professional’s Saturday night date while they are waiting in the lobby to be taken back to receive a treatment. The staff should always be mindful of the atmosphere in which they would wish to be greeted and spend time, in order to appropriately tee up for the client’s next experience.

NATURE VERSUS NURTURE
A client’s expectation is to have a valuable and good service provided and to have that type of service consistently be acceptable. Professionals should take this opportunity to go above and beyond by nurturing the client. There are many ways in which opportunities can be used to nurture the client’s best interest and create exceptional customer service. For example, a client’s expectation for a facial treatment may be to just simply relax. If a professional spends the better part of an hour service talking about product ingredients or how wonderful a particular product may be for the client (simply to upsell them), the client may not have felt nurtured. A better approach is to find or even create a moment of time that would be appropriate to cover that kind of information. For example, after the service is completed, professionals can carve out a few minutes to inquire if the client enjoyed relaxing and state that it would be beneficial to discuss some concerns, suggestions, or products that may be useful for them. There is no harm in informing and educating the client at the appropriate time. However, if their cues are ignored or their relaxation time is monopolized in order to get that information across, they may feel that their relaxation needs are not being met. Communication in all aspects of client care is fundamental to nurturing them properly. From the moment they step into the treatment room, the skin care professional must know the client’s goals because meeting those goals is essential.

GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
Complacency can seep into normal routines very quickly. Unfortunately, that kind of energy can come across to a client. When a client visits an establishment that is operated almost robotically, it can feel like the spa is on autopilot and that the staff is not truly hearing what they have to say. That behavior does not make a client feel comfortable; instead it makes them feel like a number. In this business, client-relationship building is one of the most important aspects of customer service. Authenticity and genuine care and regard for clients are both heard and felt when the professional is authentically and genuinely connected with the client.
The simplest and smallest of gestures can speak volumes about the professional and the establishment itself. The thoughtfulness of offering a small, healthy snack for a day spa ritual, a cold, fruit-infused glass of water or warm tea at the end of a service, or a piece of dark chocolate at the beginning or end of a treatment can signify comfort and indulgence and induce the feeling of being nurtured. When checking out a client, how they are cued to buy skin care products and how they are asked to re-book for a return appointment can also become a positive of negative experience that is determined by how the task is presented.
Listening and communicating with the client is vital to properly caring for them. For example, if a professional is treating a client for a bikini service and that client happens to share with them that she is leaving for vacation to Hawaii in a few days, the professional should inquire if she needs any travel-size skin care products or simply remind her to not forget to wear sunscreen. The professional may also mention products that they prefer and carry for retail and then follow up with a complimentary sample size of that sunscreen to ensure that she has an opportunity to sample it at the perfect time. When professionals connect, communicate, listen, and learn what clients may need, opportunities arise for them to inform, educate, and treat clients with excellent customer service. Building on the previous example, professionals can take their customer service a step further by noting the client’s mention of her vacation in her file and asking about her trip and thoughts on the sunscreen the next time she returns to the spa.
Because professionals treat so many clients, minor details may slip their minds unless they were noted. Making notes is an excellent way to remember to connect with clients and signals to them that the professional cares enough to do so. Another suggestion is to send thank you cards that are personally handwritten from the professional or from the establishment itself. This gesture is an excellent way to show appreciation to clients and set the spa apart.

TROUBLESHOOTING
While professionals should always do their absolute best to provide quality services, go above and beyond, nurture, and cultivate client relationships, it is nearly impossible to make everyone happy 100 percent of the time. No matter what the issue is, professionals have the opportunity to shine the most is when they must handle a disgruntled client. A popular saying is that the customer is always right. However, this statement is not necessarily true. There will be times, as unpleasant as they may be, when the professional must handle a situation in which the client may not be in the right. However, the politeness, empathy, and professionalism in which the matter is treated will be the most important highlight; no one wants to send a client away upset or dissatisfied. The manner in which the professional tries to correct a client’s dissatisfaction may help to retain that client and gain more respect for how they were treated when something went wrong rather than when it went right. This response is even more important if the problem took place on a first visit.
Another excellent tool to utilize is to gain the client’s feedback from a survey. Whether the survey is anonymous or not, it is a great way to have accountability within the business infrastructure. For example, if there happens to be multiple locations, it may not be possible for the professional to be at every establishment all of the time. Surveys are also a great way to simply measure the client’s satisfaction. Furthermore, they can be a great way to strengthen the staff members in customer service.
In the generation of social media and other public forums, business practices are showcased for all to research, including bad customer service ratings, which often serve as a digital grade card. While some professionals may find these platforms a bit intimidating, it is important to make them useful tools. It can be an eye opening experience to read the client’s reviews, in their own words, of what their personal perception was of visiting the establishment and their thoughts on the treatment and the customer service. No one wants to receive a bad review, but it can be an opportunity to turn a sour lemon into lemonade.

Catherine Kooiman founded Skin So Sweet in June 2007 as a one-room rental aesthetician in Huntington Beach, Calif. With over 15 years as a certified aesthetician, she quickly became an expert in sugaring as she realized it was the most effective treatment for hair removal. Kooiman has a strong passion for sharing her sweetest sugaring techniques. She also founded Sweet Professional™ Inc., to provide aestheticians the opportunity to purchase high-quality professional organic sugar products and supplies. In her free time, Kooiman is a consummate visionary who explores new creative opportunities and enjoys cooking and entertaining with family and friends.