Spa Detective is a new company that provides a mystery shopping service exclusively to the beauty industry. Owned and operated by Natasha Fallon, who has over 16 years experience in the European and Australasian beauty industries, Spa Detective’s aim is to help spa owners recognise the strengths, weaknesses and areas of concern in their business so that these can be addressed in order to keep customers coming back.
Fallon said: “In the beauty industry, we train therapists to offer professional, friendly customer service, to follow protocols, and to build relationships. We do this to maximise our clients’ enjoyment, the effectiveness of treatments, and to standardise the ideal. We want therapists to enjoy their time with clients, not just go through the motions. However, staff, being human, do not always deliver treatments to the standards we have set out. Staff may not necessarily consider the long-term consequences of what they say and do and can unintentionally drive your customers away.”
Fallon cites a TARP Worldwide www.tarp.com survey that showed nine out of ten dissatisfied customers did not bother to make a complaint. Although your clients may be reluctant to tell you or your staff when they are not happy, you can be sure they’ll tell everyone else. How do you know this isn’t happening with your business?
Mystery shoppers offer the chance to enter the client’s world and see the intangible elements of customer service, which are difficult to measure. Your staff are the major factor determining what kind of experience your customers have and mystery shoppers are an effective way of measuring customer satisfaction and assessing team performance. Using a mystery shopper is also an efficient way to identify staff in need of further training and receive a summary of strengths and weaknesses, which can be used as a training plan. It can also be an effective deterrent against poor service and bad practices.
Spa Detective works with a client to determine the time frame for the “detective work”. A Spa Detective will then come to your area and make appointments by phone, to assess your reception staff. When the Spa Detective comes in for their appointments, they assess numerous aspects of your spa or salon.
After the appointments, the Spa Detective will compile a report on their impressions and experiences, with a focus on aspects of your business that you as the owner or manager may never see. The Spa Detective will then arrange a time to meet with you and discuss the report.
“Research shows that it is the quality of human interaction that has the greatest effect on a customer’s perception of a business. Where there is little difference between competing services and prices, customer service is what gives your business the competitive edge,” Fallon said.
For more information, contact Spa Detective at info@spadetective.com