Quality management of client care in the hair & beauty sector

Quality Management of client care in the hair and beauty sector

Assignment 1

Contents page

Introduction3

Task 1
Describe different quality assurance and inspection processes used within the hair & beauty sector.
4

Task 2
Analyse the impact of client satisfaction on a hair/beauty business and explain the importance of meeting client’s expectations.

6

Task 3
How to conduct a client satisfaction survey?9

Conclusion11

Appendix12

References13

Bibliography14

Introduction

In this assignment I shall be discussing ways in which quality management can be measured within the hairdressing industry. I will be looking at different quality assurance and inspection processes. Whilst conducting this research I shall be looking at the impact of client satisfaction on business and how
it can be measured. I will be discussing different ways of doing this and talking about how to conduct a client satisfaction survey. This information will then help me to create a survey which I will ask around 20/30 clients to complete.

Task 1
Describe different quality assurance and inspection processes used within the hair & beauty sector.

If you operate as a hairdresser/barber in Northern Ireland you must register with your local district council (see appendix 1). When you fill in details a certificate will be issued to you and your business will be placed on a register. There are bye-laws in place made by Fermanagh district council (see appendix 2) which all salons must adhere to.

The UK register of qualified hairdressers known as ‘The hairdressing council’ was set up in 1964 as an Act of parliament. This meant that hairdressers could apply to be state registered the same as doctors and dentists or nurses. The only difference is that it is completely voluntary.

The idea behind the hairdressing council is to raise standards within the industry making it self regulated. Ideally if all hairdressers were registered it would eliminate all those with no experience or qualifications who give hairdressing a bad name. Sadly only 10% of hairdressers are registered. Ref 2 www.haircouncil.org.uk

The good salon guide which was launched in 1993 was set up to assess professional standards and services within the hairdressing industry. Salons are objectively assessed by inspectors against a set of strict criteria. Salons are then rated according to suitably trained and qualified staff, top quality products, and aims to achieve and maintain high standards. All salons are reassessed annually. Ref 3 www.goodsalonguide.co.uk

Mystery shoppers visit salons pretending to be genuine customers. Their
visits generally involve observation and interaction with staff through having a service carried out or buying a product or both.

Immediately after their visit they would complete a report about their overall experience which would normally include information about staff and the quality of service they offered, the general appearance of the salon as in cleanliness and ambience and most importantly the level of customer care.

This is extremely effective in ensuring that high standards of quality service are maintained. These are most often used in larger organisations.
Ways of monitoring quality assurance within our own salons can include:

•Customer satisfaction feedback form, left in the salon or can be e-mailed to the customer. •E-mail the customer a Customer satisfaction Survey
•Online blogs left on your web site or face book page.
•Face to face, you may want to ask them before they leave the salon how they found their experience. •Word of mouth recommendations, new clients coming to your salon through recommendations from someone they know i.e. a satisfied customer. •Staff meetings, staff will tell each other of experiences with individual customers and comments they made about certain staff members, e.g. that new junior gives a fantastic shampoo. •Telephone, you can use a follow up call ask them how they enjoyed their overall visit to the salon and ask them if they would like you to keep them informed of any future offers by text.

We should continually seek feedback to improve customer satisfaction. Part of being a good manager is to continually evaluate our own practice and lead by example. It is very important to continually develop our own skills and those of our staff members. I regularly attend as many Hairdressing seminars and exhibitions as possible each year to keep myself up to date and motivated.

I find that by holding a training class in the salon one evening per week gives every team member a chance to show their individual skills and overall quality of their own work. It allows me their manager to pick up on their
strengths and weaknesses and very often I pick up something new from watching them.

This is information that can be used when doing staff appraisals. It shows me areas of improvement that are needed for each individual so I can plan relevant courses for them which will all help the overall customer service offered in my salon. Staff reviews take place annually in the salon and allows us to look at the standard of work over the past year and set targets for the year ahead. It allows me to give feedback to each staff member individually and I find it strengthens the relationship between us. It also gives employees the chance to tell me what they think and what their aspirations are for the future.

Task 2
Analyse the impact of client satisfaction on a hair/beauty business and explain the importance of meeting client’s expectations.

According to the hairdressers journal a major new study asked 6000 people to score industries on the things that are most important to them, including professionalism, complaint-handling, quality & competence and friendliness of staff. Hairdressers came out on top scoring an impressive 84 out of 100. Ref 4

Hairdressers best for customer service-11/01/2008(hairdressers journal interactive) www.hji.co.uk

The foundation of a successful business is great client care and if your salon meets your client’s expectations you will have a winning combination. Customer service impacts on company profits.

Customer satisfaction is the state of mind that customers have about a company when there expectations have been met or exceeded over the lifetime of the product or service. Ref 5
www.qualitydigest.com,

If a client is satisfied with the service provided they will keep coming back. They will become a loyal customer which means repeat business. They will also be more likely to tell their friends which will mean potential new customers and an increase in profits. Customer’s expectations are what drives your business and keeps them coming back. The Salon image is also enhanced by providing good customer service. The quality of service and products used in the salon could give the salon a ‘star’ rating as in the good salon guide

Customer satisfaction statistics:

•91% of unhappy customers will never purchase services from you again. 1 •For every customer who bothers to complain, there are 26 others who remain silent. 1 •Typically only 25-30% of a businesses’ clients are completely satisfied – Such low satisfaction means that 70% or more of the firm’s clients may be open to pitches from competing business •70% of complaining customers will do business with you again if you resolve the complaint in their favour. 4 •Each one of your customers has a circle of influence of 250 people or potential customers who hear bad things about you. •96.7% of unhappy customers never let out even a squeak of dissatisfaction to the organisation that has given them bad service. . According to research they will tell at least 15 other people, while satisfied ones will tell six at the most. •Almost 70% of the identifiable reasons why customers left typical companies had nothing to do with the product. The prevailing reason for switching was poor quality of service. Customer Retention statistics

•It costs about five times as much to attract a new customer as it costs to keep an old one. •Raising customer retention rates by 5% could increase the value of an average customer by 25-100%. •The probability of selling service to a new customer is 1 in 16, while the probability of selling service to a current customer is 1 in 2. •Loyal customers who refer others generate business at very low or no cost. •It’s easier to get present customers to buy 10% more than to increase your customer base by 10%. •The average business loses between 10% and 30% of its customers each year Ref 6 www.customer-satisfaction.com.au/customersatisfaction If the client is
dissatisfied they are unlikely to return to the salon and are more likely to talk negatively about their experience to their friends which could give the business a bad reputation and a poor public image and in return decrease profits. This negativity can also create a lack of motivation within the workforce. If the salon has a bad name staff will not want to continue working there

It is important to meet client’s expectations so as they are content and happy with their treatment and they feel as though they have got value for money.

The customer wants to feel special and valued. They come to get their hair done as a special treat and to relax. They expect staff to be helpful and interested in what they have to say. They expect the salon to be warm, and have a certain ambience, it should look fresh and be redecorated and renovated if needed to coincide with a working salon environment.

They also expect staff to be fully trained in their work and interested in what they are doing and to be able to give good advice, to be able to converse with the client but also to listen to their needs.

For the employee it is very rewarding to see a satisfied customer and being praised for a job well done. It can make them enthusiastic and motivated.

It can boost moral within the workforce and may also benefit the employee financially earning them more commission or tips. The customer may also recommend that particular employee to a friend who will help them to build their own client base and reputation within the industry.

That client can be an ambassador for your business.

Task 3
How to conduct a client satisfaction survey?

The best time to conduct a survey is when the experience is fresh in their
minds. There are many ways to ask your clients if they are satisfied

•Face to face
•Telephone
•E-mail etc….

The aim of doing a client satisfaction survey is to paint a picture for you to see what clients think about your business and how good your service/products are. Overall it will provide you with an insight into your businesses strengths and weaknesses.

When doing my survey I will explain to my clients why I am doing it and advise them on how much of their time I will need. I will tell them to ask me if they are unsure of a question or need me to clarify anything for them when they have took the time to complete the survey I will thank them for their time.

When we ask the questions in a survey we need to gather as much information as possible. It is too easy for a customer to say yes or no.

We are looking for qualitive answers we want to hear client’s ideas, thoughts and opinions, our strengths and our weaknesses, and where we can improve our business. This is a method which is useful for in depth probing of personal opinions, beliefs and values.

Examples of these questions are:

•How satisfied are you with the service you received?
•How satisfied are you with the business overall?
•How likely are you to return?
•How likely are you to recommend my business to a friend?

Also ask the customer what they liked or didn’t like about the service or product or the salon itself and where they think we could improve things.

The customer is asked to evaluate each question in terms of their expectations and perception. And by getting them to complete a written questionnaire we will have data. (See appendix 3)

This can be measured on a five point scale

Very
dissatisfiedSomewhat
dissatisfiedNeither satisfied nor dissatisfiedSomewhat satisfiedVery satisfied
12345

Ref 7 www.wikipedia.org/wiki/customer-satisfaction

This quantitive data can then be used to try and fix the things that customers have complained about. The most important part of the customer satisfaction survey is what I do with the answers. I need to investigate and act on the feedback given from my customers which will improve the quality assurance of my salon. ‘96-100% of clients interviewed say they approve of client satisfaction surveys’. Ref 8 www.customer-satisfaction.com.au/customersatisfaction

Conclusion

In doing this assignment I have gained a greater knowledge in analysing customer satisfaction and client care within our salon. I have reinforced my learning by creating a questionnaire which has been handed out to customers.

I look forward to gathering and analysing the information received both positive and negative.

I will look at ways of improving quality assurance within the salon and continue to give the best customer service I can.
Appendix

1. Fermanagh District Council Hairdressing Act (Northern Ireland) 1939. Application for registration of premises. 2. Hairdressers Act (Northern Ireland) 1939. Bye-Laws.
3. Questionnaire

References

1.www.aqsn.com (cover page image) accessed on 15/11/2011

2.www.haircouncil.org.uk/pages/about.html accessed on 06/10/2011

3.www.goodsalonguide.co.uk/welcome-to-the-guide accessed on 06/10/2011

4.Hairdressers best for customer service-11/01/2008(hairdressers journal interactive) www.hji.co.uk accessed on 06/10/2011

5.www.qualitydigest.com, accessed on06/10/2011

6. www.customer-satisfaction.com.au/customersatisfaction accessed on 15/11/11

7.www.wikipedia.org/wiki/customer_satisfaction, accessed on 06/10/2011

8.www.customer-satisfaction.com.au/customersatisfaction accessed on 15/11/11

9.(F .John Reh.) www.about.com accessed on 04/10/2011

Bibliography

Books

Mistlin, I., (1994). How to win clients and interpret their needs. Blackwell scientific publications

Parsons, C., (1985) Management for hairdressers.
Macmillan education ltd