How technology can help rejuvenate the spa experience post-lockdown by Wilma McDaniel, Commercial Director at Cutitronics.
COVID-19 has transformed our lives in ways many of us never thought possible just a few months ago. From grandparents using video calls for the first time, to global companies working from their living rooms, the role of tech in our lives has been fast-tracked tenfold.
As salons and spas are beginning to re-open, it is vital that the right measures are put in place to ease client worries and ensure that hygiene standards are upheld. Luckily, there are many cutting-edge tech developments which can help us to reduce physical touchpoints, simplify the client experience and, ultimately, use this opportunity to create a new best practice in your spas and salons. Let us tell you how.
Reassurance
As we all become more aware of the surfaces we come into contact with, the thought of entering a spa or salon could be concerning for your clients. Experts have identified over 140 physical touch points in the typical spa experience, from opening the door and filling out forms, moving through various rooms, to the treatments themselves. Tech can not only help in reducing these multi-contact surfaces, but can ensure that these changes are communicated to the client to reassure them that their safety is the top concern.
Let’s consider a typical beauty appointment. After entering through the door and coming into contact with clothes stands, shared brochures and magazines, the client will exchange their personal record card before signing in and selecting their treatment from a physical form. We’ve already encountered 30+ touch points and we aren’t even in the treatment chair yet!
By including treatment selection, medical questionnaires and virtual therapist introductions into the online booking process, the client’s arrival to the appointment is seamless, simple and, importantly, personal. What’s more, many of the most frequently encountered contact points have been eliminated, dramatically reducing risk of contamination.
At Cutitronics, we are working to develop an ‘on the day’ record of client and therapist health into our digital app. This gives both parties an opportunity to raise concerns of symptoms they might be experiencing, ensuring risk is minimised right up until the moment of client-therapist interaction. Not only is this a vital precaution to limit the spread of COVID-19 but can be implemented long-term to measure and improve client wellbeing overall. By involving and informing the client of the measures being taken digitally, they are reassured that their care is in the best possible hands.
Personalisation
It goes without saying that the most important aspect of any salon or spa experience is the personal touch. Whether the appointment is 30 minutes or 90, for that time the client is the top priority, and no request is too high. When automating various features of the appointment, it’s paramount that the personalised client experience is not lost in the process.
A key way to preserve the all-important personal touch is to ensure the client experience continues after the appointment is over. Digital platforms allow beauty therapists to monitor important client behaviours, such as initial opinions of the product, the effectiveness of formulas and the client’s consistency in their beauty regime. This all allows for a more personal follow-up consultation, where therapists can recommend alternative products and improve client experience. Changes in client environment can also be identified – even a change in the weather can have a big effect on our hair and skin! It may be that a more moisturising formula is needed for windy weather, or a higher SPF for those warmer months.
The new ‘best practice’
A core part of our ethos is that tech should be used not to displace beauty professionals, but to empower them. By streamlining the booking and arrival processes, vital time is saved in order to enhance aspects of the treatments themselves and improve hygiene standards. By tracking client interactions with their products at home, therapists can help to educate the client on the changing needs of their hair and skin and create a more holistic and personal beauty experience.
We firmy believe that the changes we make now – both to improve client wellbeing and streamline the spa and salon experience – will form a new ‘best practice’ in the beauty industry for years to come.
Altogether, tech can be harnessed by beauty professionals to rejuvenate the entire spa and salon experience, helping to reassure clients and uphold hygiene standards as lockdown measures are eased. COVID-19 has presented the industry with an opportunity, not only to improve and streamline the entire client experience, but create personal and meaningful relationships that last.
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