Archive for March, 2008
Really Great Service Means Sometimes Pissing a Few People Off
Monday, March 17th, 2008 | American Haircuts, Random Thoughts | No Comments
As a result of a recent blog post on balding, I had a somewhat terse response from a man named Jerry who accused me of not always doing what a client wants. That exchange prompted me to think about what really great service means.
I’ve trained shop owners in customer service and have even posted a fairly lengthy article on service on our “brother” site, haircutsformen.org (READ PAGE HERE). Our Atlanta shop is, in all likelihood, the busiest shop in metro Atlanta and our client retention is through the roof. But what makes it so?
Great customer service in a barbershop or salon includes: always making the client feel welcome, making sure the client is comfortable, giving a great cut and knowing your products, and being dependable and consistent. I think it also means pissing a few people off once in awhile. Let me explain…
As barbers and hair stylists, we’re paid to make people look their best. We’re trained to know how the shape of a cut can enhance or detract from key facial features as well as the advantages and limitations of different hair types and how to cut and style the hair to its best advantage. Often, clients see a cool haircut on an actor or athlete and think that cut is the way to go when, in reality, it can often be the worst option for their face and hair. Is good service doing what the client wants contrary to what training tells us we should do? I don’t think so. As a barber, I would rather refuse service to a client than do something that I feel will make him look like a dumbass. Is that good customer service? I believe it is. In our shop, we take a great deal of pride in offering outstanding quality and realize that every cut leaving the shop is our signature - our reputation - and we’re not willing to sacrifice that to make a quick buck.
In our shop, we don’t follow the old favorite slogan “the customer is always right.” I don’t believe this is the case. All too often, in this industry and others, we fall into this misguided belief that we must do everything to make everyone happy all of the time - even if it means disrupting an environment or putting up with someone who’s being a prick. In doing so, I think we often create environments that are “antiseptic” and not very satisfying to anyone. This is one of the reasons I’m no longer in the corporate franchise business. It seems that shops which try to be everything to everybody often fail. It’s important to focus on what you’re really good at and do it consistently well. This means sometimes turning a client away.
For example, the focus of our Atlanta shop is adult men. To that end, we do everything we can to make a man feel comfortable and enjoy his experience with us. For that reason, we don’t cut the hair of children who are crying (well behaved kids are always welcome) because it disrupts the atmosphere and frankly, most men don’t want to hear it. Sure, we’ve had some pissed off parents storm out of our shop, but in doing so we’ve made the environment comfortable to our core market - adult men. Most franchised stores will require their barbers and stylists to put up with the wailing and do everything possible to complete the service and get that cash. In doing so, I think they’re sacrificing customer service for a quick buck. Why irritate a shop full of men for the sake of one misbehaving child? We also don’t put up with clients who are disrespectful and those who can’t take a joke. Such people make other clients and staff uncomfortable. We strive to always maintain a fun “real” atmosphere where a guy can cut up, relax, and have a good time. Assholes don’t fit well into our environment and we’d rather them go somewhere else. Most of our clients find this attitude refreshing. Those who don’t are likely those that fall into the group that we don’t want to serve in the first place.
Is this good customer service? I believe it is. By turing away a few clients who don’t “fit in” with the atmosphere of our shop means that we create a better environment for our target market - adult men who know the value of great haircut served up with a good joke or two (and the occasional shot of 18 year old single malt).
I believe “the customer is right when the customer is right” and when he’s being a prick, I’ll tell him as much.
- Dave