How to Make Sure Your Beauty Business Delivers an Exceptional Experience Across Your Locations

The past year has stretched the salon and spa industry in new and unexpected ways. Across the globe, beauty franchises were forced to turn on a dime—having to react and evolve quickly to protect the health of their clients and their staff. It left a lot of folks wondering if things were ever going to be “normal” ever again. Now that we are living in a more vaccinated world, your locations have been able to reopen and welcome back customers that are eager to get back to their normal beauty routines.

Since beauty brands widely depend on delivering services that require a hands-on approach, your franchisees or managers may be wondering how they can offer their usual services while still keeping clients comfortable. Feeling safe still matters to clients.

Equally important, though, is that COVID accelerated trends that are now here to stay. Virtual check-in, contactless payments, curbside retail pick-up: these all add up to a great client experience—pandemic or not. That’s precisely why now is the perfect time to take advantage of the seamless (and low-touch) features your salon software or spa software provides.

Here’s how to make sure your brand is delivering an exceptional experience—no matter which location.

Communication is key 

One of the best ways you can offer support to your franchisees or managers is by opening the lines of communication and being available at any given time. As a franchise or multi-location organization, you’re in a unique and favorable situation because you can leverage best practices and idea-sharing across all your locations. The key is to make sure everyone is on the same page when it comes to best safety and operational practices. Be sure you are regularly checking in with your regional managers or franchisees to ensure that they have the support they need and that the experience across your brand remains as consistent as possible.

Offer a seamless, low-touch experience across all your locations 

Even though your franchises or locations are now operating in a more vaccinated world, the need to reduce risk is still important. And just as your customers have adjusted to some COVID conveniences, like contactless payments, you want to continue these across all of your locations. Your franchisees need spa or salon software that helps minimizes physical contact and maximizes client experience across your entire brand.

Together, Mindbody and Messenger[ai] can help every location create a seamless journey for clients from the moment they book, minimizing contact all along the way.

Here’s how Mindbody and Messenger[ai] help beauty brands do just that:

Online booking 

This is where your clients’ low-touch and exceptional journey with your brand starts. Your franchisees can empower clients to book online through their website, the Mindbody app, or their branded mobile app. Locations can take advantage of Mindbody’s AI receptionist, Messenger[ai], to turn missed calls into appointments.

Paperless waivers 

If a client needs to fill out any waivers or forms before their service, Mindbody can prompt them to fill them out before they arrive, eliminating any need for shared tablets or clipboards when they arrive.

Virtual check-in 

With virtual check-in through Messenger[ai], clients can simply text when they are approaching the establishment. From there, the software automatically notifies the staff member assigned to the service of the client’s arrival. It’s a convenience clients have come to expect.

Additional opportunity to upsell with the business app  

Retail is a vital revenue stream for your brand. Make it easier for service providers to upsell. With the business app, staff can see what clients have purchased in the past and suggest products clients are sure to love. There's no need for clients to make another stop at the front desk—giving clients superior service and minimizing physical touchpoints. Even better—after your staff uses their personal devices to add retail purchases, they can check clients out on the spot, letting them float on out after their appointment.

Contactless checkout 

Reducing contact before and during the appointment is only half the battle—your franchise owners need to streamline the checkout process as well. With Mindbody, you can choose to collect credit card details, a deposit, or full prepayment when they book, making checkout contactless and simple when they visit.

Automate rebooking 

Your beauty franchise’s software should make rebooking as simple as possible. With the business app, a service provider can rebook clients the moment the service is over. Locations not able to rebook a client before they’re out the door? Messenger[ai] automatically follows up with clients 30 minutes after the appointment to encourage them to set up another appointment with a customized, on-brand text message.

With a low-touch experience across all locations, your brand can protect clients and staff and offer the exceptional service your business is known for.