Barbershop Customer Service

“Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.”

Saying goodbye to the customer in the correct way is just as important as welcoming the customer into the barbershop. We want the customer to feel just as appreciated and important as they felt when they came into the barbershop.

There are a few important things to consider doing every time a customer gets out of your chair and leaves the barbershop. It is really important to reinforce the service they are getting. We are selling ourselves the whole time the customer is in the barbershopshop. It is a good idea to compliment the hair cut in a way that does not come off as arrogant or bragging. For example, “This low fade really suits you”, or “This haircut will really grow in nicely". Something along those lines will work nicely.

When the customer gets out of the barber chair walk them up to the reception desk or wherever they are going to pay for the haircut. Thank your customer with a hand shake and always use their name. It is also a good idea to leave off with something like “It was nice talking to you today” or “I look forward to seeing you next time/month”. This is a great way to leave off so your customer feels just as appreciated and welcome on the way out of the barbershop as they did on the way in.

Service and Manners in a Barber shop!

One of the major keys to success in any customer service-oriented industry is creating customer loyalty. This is particularly important in a barber shop, where customers may need to return every 1-4 weeks to maintain a classic short hairstyle. To create a smooth, reliable, and comfortable environment for clients, a barber must be able to provide a high standard of customer care.

Creating an Inviting Space

A customer’s first impression is formed before they’ve even interacted with anyone. Is the shop clean, organised, and inviting? The last thing you want is for a new customer to feel awkward or confused when they walk in, so be sure to lay out the shop in a logical manner. In a barbershop, the first person the client usually sees is the receptionist, who should have a friendly, approachable expression. The customer should be greeted by the receptionist or first point of contact in the shop, and asked how they can be helped.

Greeting Customers

After checking in for an appointment, the customer can be directed to the waiting area where they are free to relax with reading material. It’s a nice touch to offer a cup of tea, coffee, or water while they wait. Appointments should be timed realistically so that the customer doesn’t have to wait for too long before their service begins, and if the barbershop is running behind schedule the customer should be notified. When the barber is ready for his or her client, it’s time for another friendly greeting. Address the client by name, ask how the customer is, and give him a welcoming smile. Everyone likes to feel special and important, so you can help facilitate this by treating your customer like a VIP individual.

Providing the Service

Begin your service with a brief, friendly, and professional chat. Ask what services and styles the client is interested in today, and discuss what you think would suit their needs according to your level of expertise. This consultation is extremely important, because it’s your time to get a clear idea of your client’s expectations and reassure him that you’re ready to meet or exceed them. A barber should drape the customer with confidence, establishing a higher level of trust in the barber’s abilities. As you provide your services, be sure to tell the client which techniques or products you’re using so that there are no surprises. Friendly communication is the key to any successful customer interaction.

Follow Up Customer Care

It’s just as important to make the customer feel valued as they’re walking out the door as it is when they enter. One way to make the client feel special is to give them a compliment, telling them that their new style is really flattering. After you’ve helped the customer out of the barber chair, you can walk them up to the reception desk. Thank the customer for coming in, addressing him by name.  You can finish by saying that you look forward to seeing him next time. This ensures that your client feels appreciated, and drives home that he is going to get a welcome in your shop anytime.

How to Build Barber Shop Clientele (6 steps)

Are you left standing alone in your endeavor to make a customer, but are not sure which direction to go in? Are you approachable, Can you deal with the general public, open for constructive or non constructive criticism? If you can not identify with none of the aforementioned, then you may not be barber material; because it is a real hustle, especially if you are new to this line of business. Be open for rejection, because it is inevitable.

1. You'll need to decide if dealing with people is just the right thing for you and if not, then, this business is not for you. You will ultimately need to find your niche. 
2. Find the best location. Location is key to profound success, while building clientele. Have your best grand opening possible.
3. Know what keeps your clients happy. Your barbering capability is essential to this endeavor as well. As fast as you build clientele; you can lose them just as fast. So you have to know how to keep your clients happy too! 
4. Use the internet, business cards, flyers. Business websites and social media websites are very good sources to market your business. This should apply to those who are self employed, or independent contractors.
5. Have a great appearance/environment. And always look your best! This gives the customer a sense of what the environment may look like if they decide that they want to give you a shot at make business with them. 
6.  Keep marketing material with you at all times. And when you encounter a human life, you should briefly sell yourself getting that potential customer to like you and present them one of your business card, or some available marketing material. Always greet your potential customers with a smile and handshake.

 Always try to style your own hair, or represent to the potential customer that you are the best that you say that you are and also too, carry a portfolio with some pictures of your own work if possible. This will help a great deal too.

Offer a free sample of whatever it is that you are trying to sell. And that is yourself. Sell more of yourself and everything else will fall into profit!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…..Shows Barber Flaws the Best of All!

If you asked the Master Barber what he considers to be his most important barber tool, you might be as surprised as I was! After guessing— “Clippers?” “Shears?” “A Razor?” “The Comb?”—he walked me over to….. The Mirror!
At first I was puzzled, until he explained that the best way to see if there are any flaws in the haircut you are giving is to put some distance between yourself and the person whose hair you’re working on. He demonstrated how you could step 3-4 feet back from the chair, walk around the person and see the whole effect clearly, OR you could just look at the person in the mirror, while turning the chair. Duh!! And here I thought the mirror was just for the person getting his or her hair cut!
The cliché “Can’t see the forest for the trees” comes to mind. When you’re standing close to your clients and even looking down on their heads, all you can see is what’s right in front of your eyes. You might be focusing on the crown, the sideburns, the neckline or even the length of the hair on the forehead and trying to get each part just perfect. But until you get the “long view,” you won’t know whether or not your careful cutting all blends together into a perfect whole—the “look” your client asked you for.
The way to do that frequently, quickly and efficiently is to Look in the Mirror!
A quick look up at the mirror and you can see that one sideburn is longer than another. A quick turn of the chair and another glance at the mirror will tell you if the hair is tapered evenly all around the head. A profile view might show you some hair sticking out where you left it a little too long. All of these little flaws can be corrected once you can see where they are!
Using the mirror is a skill that takes practice. When you were learning to drive a car, you probably had to be reminded to look in the rearview or side mirrors frequently. You had to get used to the fact that things appear backward in a mirror compared to what the eye alone sees. Things often do not appear to be quite their normal size. Excellent barbers practice using the mirror right along with the clippers, comb and shears!
Just as the Wicked Queen in the movie “Snow White” looked in the mirror to find more than her own reflection, you too can ensure that “the fairest one of all” is the client sitting in your barber chair!

Don’t Bad-Mouth the Competition! What Smart Barbers Do Instead

“We Fix Bad Haircuts!” It’s such a common advertising slogan that it’s even in a current TV ad for a sign-printing company! No matter what the cost of a haircut at your shop or theirs, why not try to improve your business by bad-mouthing the competition?
Consider these reasons for not pointing out the faults of the nearest barber shop:

• You’re giving the competition free publicity.
• You’re giving the competition a reason to retaliate.
• You’re daring prospective clients to prove you’re wrong.
• You’re creating a negative atmosphere in your shop.
• You’re missing the benefits of a cooperative business relationship.

The smartest businesses of any type never say anything bad about the competition. Instead they:
Learn from what the “other guys” are doing right—or wrong:
Who says you can’t use the good ideas you find in a competitor’s shop? Get out there and see for yourself what’s making your competitor successful—or not. Read books. Go to seminars. Check out the wealth of information on the Internet. Then DO something positive about what you’ve learned.
Develop a mutually-beneficial relationship:
Don’t be afraid to talk to your competitor. Make a friend rather than an enemy. Visit the shop. Complement the manager on the things you notice he is doing right. Tell him about something that’s working well for you. Sharing ideas creates an atmosphere where both of your businesses can grow, and where both of you will make more money than you could if you’d kept your ideas to yourself.
Use their resources to get the word out about their own strengths:
Why spend money or your clients’ time with negative talk or advertising about the competition! Focus on what you do well—without mentioning that you’re “better than the other guy.” Smart customers will come in and find out for themselves. Differentiate yourself from the competition by adding services they don’t have, or by creating a friendlier atmosphere in your shop. If you know that your competitor offers a product or service you don’t have, give them a referral. The chances are good that they will do the same for you, especially if you point out how their new customer found them, and they know your strengths.
The old maxim is still true: “You will catch more flies [customers] with honey than with vinegar!”

Bad Haircut? Tactful Barbers Don’t Criticize!

You’ve got a new client in your chair with a very bad haircut. You know you can make him look so much better, but if you want to build a good relationship and earn a repeat customer, hold your tongue! You may be sorely tempted, but resist saying anything like:

• Did you cut your own hair?
• Wow! I haven’t seen that style in years!
• Did the last guy who cut your hair forget to wear his glasses?
• Have you looked at the back of your hair lately?
• You would really look better without hair hanging over your eyes!
• It must have been a long time since you had a haircut!
• You’d look much better without a comb-over!

Why is it such a bad idea to criticize the cut a client comes in with? He owns it! He’s been walking around looking like this for who knows how long. He will consider it an insult. He’ll be embarrassed and feel uncomfortable about coming back.
What should you do instead? Start by asking the client the type of cut he would like. He might point out the flaws in his current cut without you saying a word. If it’s clear that he doesn’t notice what’s wrong and asks for a similar cut, be very discrete. To start with, think of something good to say, like:

• Your hair looks very healthy and thick.
• You have hair that could be styled in a variety of ways.
• It looks like your hair grows quickly. That gives you a lot of options.
• You came to the right place to make the most of the shape of your face.

It may be possible to fix what’s wrong without saying anything about it at all. Or you might say something tactful like, “Many people have hair that grows faster on one side than on the other.” You can blame an obvious flaw on irregular hair growth and suggest that you make that side a little shorter than the over-all cut. Set yourself up as the expert who knows how to fix naturally occurring changes to a person’s hair like thinning, receding hairline, or male-pattern baldness on the crown. Show the client how a good cut can make thick, unmanageable hair behave itself. You might even suggest that the client consider the mood-boosting power of a new style.
The client wants to leave your shop looking better than when he came in. The smart barber won’t comment on the “before” look, but will compliment the client on how good he looks “after” your cut and invite him to come back often to keep it looking that way!