Mala McAlpin With the wellness industry absolutely booming, the key to a top tier customer experience is becoming less about just the treatment itself, and more about creating a holistic client journey, sensorily immersing them in your brand, and establishing a genuine, emotional connection. Experts say the only way to do this is not only to provide a stellar treatment, but offer an incredible experience the moment they enter to the moment they leave, down to every last detail.
According to Sara Berry, founder of NSW-based marketing strategy agency Marketing Sense, the secret to this centres around creating positive feelings for your client, which enables you to emotionally connect with them and begin building a relationship.
“Create an experience that is worth remembering, one that your client will share with their friends,” says Sara.
These positive emotions and connections can be facilitated more easily by engaging each client’s five senses, using them to completely remove clients from their frenetic lifestyles and transport them to a place of tranquillity. “Give your clients a story to tell around their experience,” says Sara, using these tips to engage the senses in a spa environment:
Touch – This is one of the reasons a person visits a spa, for healing, relaxation and pain relief. And the ‘first touch,’ will begin at reception, with the completion of the client form, so make sure this interaction is positive and relationship forming as well as informative. Beautiful fresh soft warm towels and linens are an integral and often overlooked part of the client experience.
Taste – offer your clients a unique refreshment, something that is related to their treatment – dandelion tea is great for glowing skin, tastes amazing and is memorable.
Sound – Music is so important in creating a relaxing and chilled atmosphere and should be different for each treatment room. With apps like Spotify, it’s easy to put together playlists and update them regularly.
Sight – When the client is entering your spa or clinic they must immediately be struck with an easing feeling as they leave their busy frantic world behind. A sense of the experience ahead should begin at the front door and continue into the reception area where they are immediately made to feel welcomed. Keep your salon uncluttered, add touches like fresh flowers and keep your lighting natural and gentle.
Smell – Scent has such a huge influence on the spa experience and creating a memorable event. Perhaps consider creating a signature scent just for your salon, you could even gift a small sample of your signature scent to your client to pop in a diffuser or oil burner to remind them of their spa experience with you.
