Good Call - Maria Dowling explains how to conduct the perfect telephone conversation with your client

Telephone etiquette is something that, done right, can give an amazing impression of your business, right from the word go. Yet if it’s done wrong, you can lose a customer even before she sets foot through your door.

I always use these seven points when we’re training the front-desk team:

Listen to your customer Paying attention to what the caller is saying is essential. Listen first and identify the key points the caller is making. Let’s face it, sometimes the salon can be noisy so if you can’t hear properly, inform the customer that you’re having trouble hearing and that you will go to a quieter area before returning to the call. 

Avoid puing the caller on hold Personally, I hate being put on hold, especially when it feels like you’ve been waiting forever! Nevertheless, sometimes it’s inevitable and you must put the caller on hold to check something or consult a colleague. Always ask if you can place the client on hold before doing it or offer to call them back if they would rather not hold. 

Managing more than one caller We’ve all been there – you’ve got a chatty client on the line but another call coming through. The important thing is to always retain control of the call and if the purpose is to book her a date and time for her appointment then stick to that. While it’s important to chat and be pleasant, it’s also your job to be able to answer other calls. 

Use a Caller ID Good salons should know who they’re talking to, and greeting your caller by name makes a world of professionalbeauty.ae 55 hair opinion Professional Beauty GCC May 2017 difference. This kind of VIP treatment creates customer loyalty. There’s nothing worse than having to give your name and contact details to a salon that you have been going to for years. 

S m i le, smile, smile I always tell my team that if you smile on the phone, you sound happier and this is contagious! Your voice sounds positive and, well, nicer. Remember that the tone should be natural, not robotic. Helpful and empathetic but not sarcastic. And if you are nicer on the phone, regardless of the outcome for the client, they walk away knowing you have done everything you can to help them. 

Let your personality shine through While I’m a great believer in following company guidelines, I don’t endorse having a scripted telephone manner. I prefer my front-desk team members to put their personality into their telephone conversations, as there’s nothing worse than someone who sounds like a computer! Practise the script as much as you can so you’re comfortable with it and able to put your own personality into it without thinking.

Keep them calm While we all try to keep the complaints to a minimum, there will inevitably be a client gripe or two. The way to deal with it is to simply listen and let the customer tell you as much as possible about their issue. Try to help as much as you can and if you can’t, then speak to their stylist or the management. If there are no appointments, we can’t clear the book but we can suggest the client goes on a waiting list and keep them updated.

Maria Dowling is creative director at mariadowling salon and has been a colourist for more than 20 years.

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