Can a mere five seconds truly influence a guest's entire experience? We believe it can, and in this episode of "Wowing at the Welcome Desk," we share the secrets to transforming those critical first moments into lasting, positive impressions. Discover how a warm, personalized greeting, coupled with the power of using names and welcoming language like "welcome back," can make your guests feel instantly valued. We introduce our WOW acronym, breaking down "W" for Welcome and covering the importance of "O" for Offerings, such as providing simple refreshments, to enhance the overall guest experience.
In "Creating Memorable Guest Experiences," we take it a step further by exploring how effective communication and personalized service can elevate guest satisfaction. Learn how informing guests about tailored services, promotions, and new products can significantly enhance their visit. We delve into practical tips like noting preferred beverages and conducting hospitality audits, ensuring each guest feels uniquely catered to. By viewing the experience from the guest's perspective, we reveal strategies to refine your service practices and truly create memorable, positive interactions that leave a lasting impression.
Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you. Start growing in business and leadership with powerful tools, advice and resources in your inbox every week: Learn more about The PHD Program Events:
Can a mere five seconds truly influence a guest's entire experience? We believe it can, and in this episode of "Wowing at the Welcome Desk," we share the secrets to transforming those critical first moments into lasting, positive impressions. Discover how a warm, personalized greeting, coupled with the power of using names and welcoming language like "welcome back," can make your guests feel instantly valued. We introduce our WOW acronym, breaking down "W" for Welcome and covering the importance of "O" for Offerings, such as providing simple refreshments, to enhance the overall guest experience.
In "Creating Memorable Guest Experiences," we take it a step further by exploring how effective communication and personalized service can elevate guest satisfaction. Learn how informing guests about tailored services, promotions, and new products can significantly enhance their visit. We delve into practical tips like noting preferred beverages and conducting hospitality audits, ensuring each guest feels uniquely catered to. By viewing the experience from the guest's perspective, we reveal strategies to refine your service practices and truly create memorable, positive interactions that leave a lasting impression.
Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you. Start growing in business and leadership with powerful tools, advice and resources in your inbox every week: Learn more about The PHD Program Events:
If you have ever walked into the front doors of somewhere and just really had your socks knocked off, you will know the importance of what it is that we are going to be diving into today.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, this is a good one. It's wowing at the welcome desk. So all about you know, I truly believe that we are in the business of hospitality, all about you know, I truly believe that we are in the business of hospitality. And so when you think about hospitality, the definition is a cordial or generous reception towards guests. So if you think about that a grand welcoming, a grand entrance so when you think about wowing at the welcome desk, it's like one of the first touch points that a consumer or client is going to see. So we're going to dive into that today to really make it extraordinary and give you some ideas on elevating a wowing at the welcome desk.
Speaker 1:
Yes, and so you know when you think about it, if you've ever walked into somewhere and actually had the opposite experience, it really makes when you are wowed at the welcome desk even more spectacular. You know, I've walked into places before I'm sure this has maybe happened to you as well where you've walked in and it's like crickets there's no one around, no one says hi to you. You wonder for a second. You might even touch yourself and think, gosh, am I invisible? Am I here? Did I show up in a body today? What's going on?
Speaker 1:
But when that happens to you, it really can feel like, you know, even for the most secure person on earth, it can feel like a really insecure, uneasy experience. And so when we're talking about wowing someone at the welcome desk, we're going to dive into some awesome things today, but even just remembering just the impact that you can have by getting connected with someone within that first five seconds of them walking through your doors even if you don't nail every single thing that we talk about today on the podcast cast just even you know, really diving into the importance of making somebody feel seen and heard and welcomed in that first five seconds can truly make an impact that lasts longer than you even realize.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I love that because you know, if you think about it, people don't really talk about good or average. What they really talk about is something that's either negative or extraordinary. And so when you only have that five seconds to make that first impression like what's going to be in your welcome message, what's going to be in your welcome greeting that can be extraordinary.
Speaker 1:
You know and I love that, jen you talked about. You know that we are in the hospitality business. You know, because, truly, I think so many people get confused in our business because we are offering services. You know we're doing hair, skin, nails, whatever area of the beauty industry that you are specific to, um, you know hospitality needs to be at the core of it all.
Speaker 1:
Um, and and when you notice that you're receiving that excellent service somewhere else, it's almost like you wouldn't go to McDonald's and expect to have a five-star experience, whereas when you go to a five-star restaurant in your area, you are looking forward to that hospitable experience. You know it's going to be different, but, truly, when you think about it, you can get a hamburger and fries, probably at both places. Um, but your perceived value at one, you know there's going to be cared. You know, and the hamburger that they choose, they're not just choosing it for the value of the, you know, hand cut the fries. They might, um, you know when, when they welcome you in, that experience is going to be different.
Speaker 1:
You might get a hot towel. You know. You might get a little mint with your bill instead of it being, you know, computerized or by somebody who isn't really excited to be at work that day. And so really just thinking about you know those opposites that can exist inside of any industry. You know it's not just specific to the salon world, it's in every industry. When you look about, look at what makes the difference, it's like just all that attention to detail is really what differentiates a good salon experience from a great salon experience.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. And so let's take a deep dive into the WOW acronym. And so if you think on it briefly, like you have that five seconds to make a grand, great entrance for someone and so just by using the words welcome back helps you just feel more at home. You know there's a local church in our area that even if you've never been to the church, they always say welcome back. And I remember the first time that I went there it was like wow, it just feels different. I feel like this is the place I want to be, because I just feel very welcome.
Speaker 2:
And so making sure that you have that branded script whatever it may be for you, that it's warm, it's welcoming, and I think a touch point of that or a nice add-on to that, is knowing someone's name. Touch point of that or a nice add on to that is knowing someone's name. You know there's so many resources at the touch of our fingertips where, if you have Susie Smith coming in, you can probably look on social media and find Susie Smith, and so you know. Just imagine that walking in somewhere for the first time and saying, welcome, susie, we're so glad that you're here. Versus hey, do you got an appointment today? And so I know no one does that on this call. But to really think about that, that welcome back, that W and wow is like. What does it look like and what is the perceived value that it's giving the guests when they entered the door?
Speaker 1:
Yes, I love that, that creating that impact, and people love to hear their own name, so I love that you added that in there, jen. That's, that's an incredible way to welcome somebody in, for sure. The next part of the WOW acronym is O, which stands for offerings, and so at this point, water, soda, coffee, tea you know you might serve alcohol, maybe you don't. Whatever, it is just offering some sort of beverage so that they can feel that hospitable experience already, and in offering it in a way, you know just really recognizing that, hey, your words matter. You know not saying do you want something to drink, because a lot of people just are conditioned to say no. It's just, you know, part of our human condition is that we love to say the word no, and so when you ask it in a way like hey, I'm excited to offer you this beverage, people are more likely to take it and know, hey, they really care here. So you could say, you know, hey, susie, I noticed last time that you loved our spa water. We have cucumber mint right now. Could I get you a glass of that? Or would you like one of our other beverage selections? You know, maybe you have like a little menu that you share with people. Maybe you just tell them what it is that you're offering, but that's an important key into just that whole welcoming ceremony wowing them at the welcome desk. But then it's also making additional offerings like, hey, you know, another service provider on our team has the opportunity to do an eyebrow shaping while you're with us today, or you know whatever offerings that you have the ability to do, just shaping while you're with us today, or you know whatever offerings that you have the ability to do, just letting them know, offering it to them in case they want to receive more services while they're with you. And, gosh, they might not even know that you offer some of those. So that's a key thing.
Speaker 1:
But then also offering any sort of promotions or new products that you have available. You know, thinking back, we've got an episode that we talked about the different buyer types in our podcasts. But really thinking about those different buyer types, you know, a lot of times if you're a buyer type who buys on a deal, you just specifically talk to a deal buyer, but there's a whole set of buyers who are buying something because it's brand new, shiny, they want to be on the cutting edge, and so really just thinking about the different buyer types and offering both like, hey, right now we have this special opportunity, you can get a complimentary they're meek with purchase. Or, you know, also feel free to check out new X, y, z. You know people are loving it for this, and kind of letting them know what it's for.
Speaker 1:
And then you know people are loving it for this and and kind of letting them know what it's for, and then you know that's that's one of the keys to offering is just, you know, doing a wide variety of offerings, from a drink to just any promotions that you have going on to. You know, if there's additional time on your books for another opportunity of a service that they could enjoy while they're with you, just letting them know what's available makes people feel welcomed and included. And you know, making sure that you do that with each guest every time I think is key too, so that one doesn't hear you offering it to someone and not to them. That can create some chaos in their minds if they hear that. So I love that, that O of offering.
Speaker 2:
I love that and we actually. One thing we did too is we, on our consultation form, we put what is the what is your preferred beverage, and then a couple of choices to select it, and so like when the guest is coming in especially if they're returning guests we can have that spa water or that coffee or whatever it may be that they circled ready for them, and so like that cost us nothing extra, and so that's what we're talking about, that's a wow factor. Cost us nothing extra, and so that's what we're talking about, that's a wow factor. And so, like, just thinking of things like that that you can incorporate, that no one else is doing, that really gives you that point of difference. And so you know you got your welcome back, you got your offerings, and then the last wow, the last W of wow is what do they do next? Because have you ever been in a new store or a new place? And you're like kind of just standing there, kind of lost I don't know about you, but I sure have and it feels very awkward because there's like no line of communication. You're like do I stay in here, do I do this, do I do that? And so to really be able to create that clear line of communication with the guest.
Speaker 2:
You know, if it's a first time guest, you know doing that salon tour using your branded language and really educating the guests and showing them what's in it for them. If it's a returning guest, you know, let them know, just like hey, if their station is ready and you're taking them to the station or where they need to sit or what they need to do. Or you know, even like hey, you know your stylist or your service provider will be with you shortly. In the meantime, feel free to browse around. We're so excited to have you today and here's your preferred beverage waiting for you. So it's just the little things like that that they people want to know how to be guided and what to do. It makes them feel more relaxed and informed. So just review it through the lens of. Is there clarity or certainty, when a guest enters your door, of what they need to do next?
Speaker 1:
I love that, and I love that you said is there clarity or certainty and what your guest needs to do next? Because you know, I think that that's something that we can also, you know, turn that flashlight around to us as well. Like, do we have clarity and certainty on what it is the journey that we are trying to create for that guest? You know, and I think that WOW acronym makes it super simple, so just WOW them when they enter through the welcome desk. But then, you know, I think a key aspect is to conduct a hospitality audit. You know this can really provide you some amazing insights in your company, because it doesn't matter if you've been around for five minutes or 50 years. We all have the opportunity to better our best practices. And so when we look at what is currently being delivered or received by our guests, you know it really can help us understand about opportunities that we have, you know. And so really, we would invite you to just become the customer. You know, like, really look at it from the guest's perspective. You know this can be a great thing to do on your team with all of your hospitality hosts or customer service experts, or whatever it is that you call your welcome desk, you know, just letting them experience it from the guest perspective. You know, cause you can, you could do, you could be a mystery shopper. Somebody on your team could be a mystery shopper. You don't have to hire out a mystery shopper, you can create it on your own. And really that's when you can learn the most, you know.
Speaker 1:
I know one time we had a fun hospitality host meeting with our team and we went out and experienced what it was like in different local businesses around us when it came to their welcome experience, you know, and we weren't there to judge them whether it was right or wrong, but we were there to really learn, you know. And and we, we paid attention to things like what did it look like when we walked in? You know, because sometimes, if we receive a large order at the salon, I think sometimes we forget like, hey, we don't want it to look like chaos all around the front desk even though we are receiving inventory today. We still want it to be a welcoming environment. So we paid attention to things like that.
Speaker 1:
What did it smell like? You know? How was I greeted, you know? And just like the overall feeling that you received while you're in there and and we brought that back into our salon like, hey, what are some great takeaways that we had. You know how can we elevate things? And so I think when you create that experience for your team inside of your salon and and outside of it and other businesses, you really can harvest some incredible information.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I love that. So another opportunity for conducting a hospitality audit after you become the customer is actually to review your communications, and you know we mentioned this earlier when we were talking about what does the guest do next? But from this perspective too, like, what does it look like to online book? Is it easy, is it understandable for the guest? You know, what does your checkout process sound like? What does it look like?
Speaker 2:
Thinking about you know your emails that go out, your reviews. What does it say? Is there any like? I think sometimes, too, it's it's easiest for us to use our language like balayage or shadow or root shadow or whatever it may be to actually take that out of your communication and make it really really simple and easy for the guest to understand, because we understand what some of our language is is service providers, but they don't always understand that. So I think the more simple that you can keep things, the better the long run. And so anything welcome emails, anything that is communicated to the guest, like do a review of that and making sure that it matches your brand and that words have so much power so that the words are actually engaging and and kind of witty not funny, but kind of witty, in a way that really is speaking to your consumer.
Speaker 1:
I love that and I love that you pointed out the difference of witty and funny, because everybody has a different version of funny, but witty is communicated through all you know. I think another opportunity to to look at is to really review your calls. So you can do this a couple of different ways. I know, like Google has a service that you can, that it can record all calls that were made through Google, record all calls that were made through Google. There's several platforms out there like that, but literally you can just pick up the phone or you can stand next to somebody when they are having communication with your potential consumers or consumers on the phone to really look into what those guest interactions are like. You know, because you can identify opportunities. Like you know, because you can identify opportunities, you know, to elevate their phone etiquette. You can look at response times. You can really dive into information that's provided. You know because I think it can be easy, especially for somebody who's been in a position for a long time. You know when they get 40 phone calls a week maybe I'm exaggerating, maybe I'm under exaggerating you know, asking the same questions like how much is your haircut or do you have an opening, or whatever.
Speaker 1:
I think sometimes people can forget scripts or forget what they're truly after and just get into that, that just they're just regurgitating information and they're not even thinking about how it's being delivered to the guest and and that they're probably calling.
Speaker 1:
You know six different salons maybe, and, and how can you stand out in that sea?
Speaker 1:
And I think it's really just connecting with that guest, you know. And so when you have the opportunity to just audit what is happening on calls, it really can, you know, give you the opportunity to provide some incredible feedback to your team. You know we believe that feedback is love, like, especially when it comes from a place of wanting somebody to do better, because you know for us that sometimes a front desk position can be ever evolving. You know, sometimes there's a couple solid people that stay for a long time, but then, you know, some people might come and go, but our goal is to turn them into even more incredible versions of themselves. You know, just really elevate who they are as a person, and so when we're able to give that feedback, especially around communications with phone calls, like that's going to help them the rest of their lives, you know. And so so really helping them know, like hey, what you do here matters and you know we're going to help you elevate it even more so that we can provide a better impact in this world.
Speaker 2:
I know we've all gotten the call. It says this call is being recorded for training purposes. That really is a beautiful thing because you can create a library of training calls of when someone new becomes part of your hospitality team to say, hey, this is how you handle this, this is how you do that. So I'm really a big fan of using training or using recorded calls for training purposes too. So we are excited to really see what you create with your wow at the welcome desk. So we're gonna welcome back. O is the offerings and the last W is really what's in it for them. What do they do next? And when you really create that space of wow, that's where you create that extraordinary experience and that's where more people are gonna share with their friends and have more referrals, more word of mouth. So really thinking about like let's see how we can be different in our welcome center and our welcome desk to really conduct that hospitality audit and see how we can take our company to things we never thought possible.
Speaker 1:
I love it and we know your time is valuable, so we just want to thank you for tuning in. We look forward to seeing you again next week. Feel free to rate us, subscribe or review our podcast. We're just truly grateful for the community that we get to serve, and we wish you an incredible day ahead.
