10 things your spa customers should never see

An excellent guest experience in your spa means putting your best foot forward, always. Spa customers should only ever see the good in you and your establishment, and should never see the bad or the ugly.

Here are 10 things spa customers should never see.

A mess

It should go without saying that a guest should only ever see a clean and well prepared spa. Stay on top of this. There’s no excuse for a messy or dirty space. A full schedule, absent team members, or a sudden crises don’t give you leave to bring customers into a less than spotless environment. It’s something a customer will not forgive, and they will be savage in their online reviews.

Drama or conflict

Spas can be dramatic workplaces, as we recently discussed in detail, but your customers should never see the negative stuff going on behind the scenes. If there is animosity or competition between team members, keep it out of sight of guests. Better yet, fix it, or avoid it in the first place. Guests can feel tension in the air, and it’s human nature to want to avoid it.

Attitude

I was recently in a store where an employee rolled her eyes at and said something pejorative about a customer behind that customer’s back. I imagine she won’t have her job for very long. Your staff should always be courteous about guests, regardless of their personal opinions. Anything less is unacceptable, childish, and embarrassing for your business.

Anything confidential

Confidential information can leak by accident. We’ve heard stories, for example, of front desk staff asking health questions of guests when there are other guests in the waiting room, within earshot. This isn’t just discourteous, it’s also potentially illegal. Be sure to keep all confidential information away from guests and ensure that your spa and spa software are compliant with local laws and regulations such as HIPAA and GDPR.

Your anger or frustration

No matter how hard things can get behind the scenes, the customers should only ever see you smile. It can be tempting to vent, complain, or overshare with guests, particularly when you know them and see them regularly. But they are still guests, not friends or family members. Save your venting for outside of the spa.

Disorganization

Are you flustered? Are things going wrong and getting out of hand? Did your most popular massage therapist and one of your mani-pedi stations get double booked? You can avoid these types of issues with a spa software that handles your bookings and employee schedules, so that you don’t have to worry about it. If they do happen, handle them with grace and self assuredness.

A missing space where their favorite product should be.

Retail sales are difficult enough in spa without having to worry about running out of products people actually want to purchase. And sometimes, particularly because retail is often slow, inventory gets forgotten because of all the other items that need immediate attention. Don’t let this happen. Stay on top of your inventory and ensure that guests’ favorite products are always available to them. Spa management software can and should take care of this for you.

An exhausted employee

Unfortunately, it’s a common practice in spa and wellness to overwork employees to the point of burnout, a cruel strategy that is in direct contrast with the entire concept of “wellness.” If you can’t be moved to avoid this on the basis of kindness, you should know that it is a short sighted strategy that will cost you in the long run in employee attrition and dissatisfied customers. Customer should only ever see happy team members who are ready and eager to work.

An employee being corrected or berated

Employees should never be berated in the first place, let alone in front of customers. Management should always treat team members with the respect they would like to receive in return. And, if you must correct a team member, do it out of sight of guests. Doing so in front of guests undermines confidence and causes resentment. Don’t do it.

Unhappy fellow customers

Your best line of defense here is to keep your guests happy at all times. But if you do find yourself faced with a complaining customer, take the conversation out of sight and into a private area. Guests should not be disturbed by this. And no matter how right you are, or unfair the complaint, it can still reflect badly on your establishment.

 

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com