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SEARCHDelivering excellent customer service in the salon begins the time your client walks in and ends when they leave your salon. Rudy Moser, owner of a.salon in Chicago, discusses how he uses integrated software, takes American Express cards, and handles credit card tips to provide world-class customer care to his clientele.
A few years ago, if you asked a client what makes her salon shine in the customer service department, she may have said, “the glass of champagne I am offered,” or “the hot towel at the end of my service.”
But in our pandemic world, these types of little extras have fallen by the wayside as salon owners embrace other ways to deliver an amazing experience to their clients.
Touchless payment, curbside pickup, express services and a clean, sanitized environment are front and center in 2022. And most of all, clients want convenience.
Before opening a.salon in Chicago, Rudy Moser worked in corporate America. And he remembers the frustration of pulling out his preferred credit card only to be told it wasn’t accepted at the business he was patronizing.
So when he opened his own business with wife, Amy, he knew he would be accepting all credit cards, including American Express.
“We don’t believe in restricting the path to purchase,” Moser says. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible.”
To keep it simple for both his team and his clients, Moser uses Rosy Salon Software, which is integrated with his payment systems.
“Clients can tap their credit cards once and we can have it on file for future payment,” he says. “And we allow tipping on credit cards as well.”
Those tips go straight to his stylists’ paychecks, a change they have welcomed.
“No longer cashing out tips is more convenient for us because it saves us trips to the bank every day,” Moser says. “But our stylists love it, too. They want to start building their income to buy a house or car—they love having their tips built into their paychecks.”
a.salon’s fresh design and extraordinary talent attracts a wide range of clients, including high-end guests.
“There’s not a lot of salons like us in the Pilsen neighborhood where we’re located,” Moser says. “We post our work, promote our stylists on social media and do the hair of the employees at neighboring businesses.”
Clients quickly become advocates of the salon, generating new business.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s their first visit or their fiftieth,” Moser says. “They’ll get the same quality every time.”
With inflation skyrocketing and the country still in a pandemic, many business owners are starting to worry. But not Moser.
“We are really good at our thing,” he says. “Our job is to make sure our clients feel better walking out of the salon than they did when they came in.”
A big part of that is the check-out process. “It should be seamless,” Moser says. “They shouldn’t have to wait too long or worry about whether their preferred payment is accepted.
“People can pay with a bag of nickels or their American Express card—nobody should ever have to scramble around looking for another form of payment.”
Moser’s success has led him to buying a second location—the famous J.Gordon Designs in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Another market, another opportunity to succeed through exceptional customer service.
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