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BlogTiny sparks, big delight: Unveiling the impact of small ideas on customer bliss – from the experts As stylish and tranquil as salons tend to be, the beauty and wellness market is anything but. Salons face intense competition, and providing an exceptional customer experience is crucial for businesses to distinguish themselves and thrive.
At an Innergize panel session titled "Tiny Sparks, Big Delight: Unveiling the Impact of Small Ideas on Customer Bliss," three industry experts discussed how small, thoughtful touches can greatly impact customer loyalty and satisfaction.
The experts
Clint Carnell, CEO, InBrace
As a seasoned entrepreneur who previously led BeautyHealth and its flagship brand, Hydrafacial, Clint Carnell is also the founder of OrangeTwist, a medspa with multiple locations across the U.S.
Brigham Dallas, Founder & CEO, Hello Sugar
Launching the waxing brand with just $3,000, then 26-year-old Brigham Dallas worked the front desk of his first location for a full year. Hello Sugar has since expanded to 100 units under his leadership.
Gregg Throgmartin, CEO, Skin Laundry
Seeking to make laser treatments safer and more affordable, Gregg Throgmartin transitioned Skin Laundry to a membership-first model. The brand plans to expand to 70 clinics by 2025.
The Zenoti-hosted session highlighted the importance of personalized experiences and subtle touches that can transform simple interactions into lasting memories. Here, we delve into the insights the panelists shared.
How can salons stand out in a sea of competitors? Foster a sense of community to bond with your customers, turning them into advocates for your brand.
Skin Laundry CEO Gregg Throgmartin shared a story about a customer who received a complimentary treatment regimen before her wedding. The gesture not only transformed her skin but also her confidence for the big day, resulting in emotional wedding photos shared with the team. “I think you need some of those, not just for clients and your brand, but also to remind your internal team why we do this,” he noted.
This story shows how acts of kindness can profoundly impact customer satisfaction and employee motivation.
Brigham Dallas, founder of Hello Sugar, took a data-driven approach to understand what customers value most. By analyzing competitor reviews, he discovered comfort was a priority for waxing clients. This insight led him to build a brand that prioritized comfort using relatable imagery that resonated with his audience. This approach highlights the importance of listening to customer needs and adapting brand strategies to meet those expectations.
“I spent three hours taking every single review on every one of my competitors and threw it into a data document. Then I created a word cloud, where you basically look at the density of certain words in reviews. I found out that the number one thing that people wanted was to feel comfortable. And so, I started building a brand around this idea of comfort-centric branding.”
– Brigham Dallas, Founder & CEO, Hello Sugar
For beauty and wellness service businesses, consistency in customer experience is crucial. As Gregg Throgmartin pointed out, “The wow is getting the basics – every single time.”
Ensuring the foundational elements of service are consistently excellent can be just as impactful as grand gestures. Brands like Starbucks and The Ritz-Carlton, known for their unwavering standards across all locations, have mastered this foundational principle.
Clint Carnell shared how OrangeTwist maintains consistency by investing in staff training and development. “We started to look at training not as an expense, but as an investment … and that applies to any of the medspa day spas out there – that commonality of a great, well-trained staff,” he explained.
By prioritizing employee education and empowerment, businesses can ensure their teams are equipped to deliver exceptional service consistently.
When staff can take ownership of customer experience, it leads to personalized interactions that are also memorable.
Brigham Dallas emphasized the importance of aligning employee incentives with business goals. “Financially incentivize them for membership sales or package sales, and then number two, for retention,” he advised. By aligning financial incentives with desired outcomes, businesses can motivate their teams to focus on customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Gregg Throgmartin also spoke to the importance of allowing employees to personalize customer interactions within set boundaries. “You can use any color you want, but you just have to color inside the lines,” he suggested. This approach gives employees the freedom to tailor their service while maintaining brand consistency.
While personalization is crucial, it can also present challenges. Clint Carnell shared a cautionary tale about the potential pitfalls, recounting an incident where personal notes were mistakenly shared with the wrong clients. “Make sure that your little special touches are easy to execute because they can backfire in a pretty significant way,” he warned. This story underscores the importance of care and consideration when implementing personalization.
As businesses grow, maintaining the same level of personalized service becomes increasingly challenging. Brigham Dallas shared his strategy for expanding Hello Sugar, suggesting that businesses start small and gradually expand to new locations. “When you’re trying to do your first location, do it for as cheap as humanly possible,” he suggested, highlighting the importance of resourcefulness in the early stages of growth.
Gregg Throgmartin is all for fostering a culture where employees feel comfortable voicing concerns and ideas. “You want your entry-level person to be able, when the CEO walks in, to say, ‘I’ve been waiting for you to come in, I want to tell you how bad this sucks,’” he said.
Encouraging open communication can help businesses identify and address issues before they snowball.
The panelists agreed that small, thoughtful gestures can significantly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty. By focusing on emotional connections, consistency, and staff empowerment, businesses can create memorable experiences that resonate with customers.
As Clint Carnell noted, “When guests come in – knowing that they’re there, knowing the services, having the room ready, whether it’s your water, your towel, all of those things that are really inexpensive that make that difference.
“It’s all those little micro things added up that I think create great experiences. It’s not the big idea because those are quickly copied, or people don’t feel they’re genuine. So, we try to really focus on the micro touches during the guest journey.”
By paying attention to the details and staying attuned to customer needs, businesses can evoke delight with the tiniest of sparks.
Learn how Zenoti helps beauty businesses offer a VIP guest experience.
Feature image: Hello Sugar founder and CEO, Brigham Dallas at Innergize 2024
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