Enhance Beauty Salon CX with Mystery Shopping Audits

With growing urbanisation and rising disposable incomes, consumers are increasingly availing a variety of services from salons. Today’s salon-goers expect more than just a haircut or a beauty treatment—they demand a pleasing, relaxing, and enjoyable experience. As such, the quality of service delivered and the professionalism of the staff play a pivotal role in ensuring customer satisfaction, repeat visits, and loyalty.

Channelplay designs specialised mystery shopping programmes for salons to assess general customer service standards, product and service-related advice, consultative selling skills, and overall service delivery. These audits provide an unbiased perspective, enabling salons to refine their operations and enhance customer experience.

Key Parameters Evaluated in Salon Mystery Shopping

Reservation

• Ease of Appointment Booking:
  Evaluating how effortless it is to reserve an appointment over the phone, including the number of attempts required to reach an executive and the time taken to book the appointment.
• Call Etiquette:
  Assessing basic call protocols such as greetings, adherence to a standard call opening and closing script (including the brand and outlet name, along with staff introductions).
• Soft Skills:
  Checking for empathy, professional behaviour, and polite conversation during the interaction.
• Product and Offer Knowledge:
  Ensuring staff can effectively inform customers about ongoing offers, packages, and provide comprehensive product-related information.

Salon Exterior

• Location and Accessibility:
  Assessing how easily the salon can be located.
• Signage Visibility:
  Evaluating the condition and quality of the salon’s signage.
• Entrance Maintenance:
  Checking the cleanliness and upkeep of the entrance, including the window and door glass.

Reception & Waiting Area

• Welcoming Atmosphere:
  Evaluating the overall ambience and cleanliness of the reception desk and waiting area.
• Staff Attentiveness:
  Ensuring a complete and proper handover to the salon consultant, along with the availability and quality of the service menu and feedback books.
• Comfort and Efficiency:
  Measuring the waiting time and ensuring that proper seating is available for guests.

Infrastructure & Ambience

• Overall Appearance:
  Assessing the salon’s layout and user-friendliness, as well as the cleanliness and maintenance of walls, floors, ceilings, mirrors, and customer seating.
• Lighting, Music, and Temperature:
  Ensuring that the lighting is adequate, the background music is at a comfortable level, and the temperature is well-regulated.

Employee Standards

• Grooming and Professionalism:
  Evaluating whether employees maintain high grooming standards—clean, ironed, and well-kept clothes, along with clean nails and shoes.
• Service Delivery:
  Checking that staff greet customers appropriately, offer organised service without repetition of instructions, and engage in upselling or cross-selling where appropriate.
• Problem Resolution:
  Assessing the staff’s ability to resolve customer queries on the first attempt.

Service(s) Availed

• Duration and Quality:
  Measuring the time taken for the service and the quality of service delivery.
• Experience Narration:
  Obtaining a detailed account of the overall service experience to identify areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement.

Salon Hygiene

• Housekeeping Standards:
  Verifying the availability of housekeeping staff at all times and the hygiene maintained for all salon tools and equipment.
• Washroom Cleanliness:
  Evaluating the washroom’s hygiene and overall cleanliness.

Billing

• Accuracy and Completeness:
  Ensuring that the bill provided to the customer is correct and complete.
• Objection Handling:
  Assessing the staff’s response to scenarios such as requests for no bill in exchange for cash, or reactions when customers mention competitor salons.
• Cashier Knowledge:
  Checking that the cashier informs customers about loyalty programmes and handles transactions accurately.

Why Mystery Shopping is Vital for Salons

By evaluating salons on these comprehensive parameters, Channelplay’s mystery shopping programmes help brands identify operational gaps, update policies, and implement targeted training programmes. The result is improved service delivery, enhanced customer loyalty, and a strong, trustworthy brand image.

In today’s competitive market, delivering an exceptional customer experience is not just an option—it’s a necessity. With customised mystery shopping programmes, salons can ensure that every customer interaction is a step towards excellence.