True confession. I read a lot of online grooming forums. I enjoy seeing what other groomers are doing, thinking, and trying. I often learn new tips and tricks and sometimes get good ideas for my blog posts.
Lately, I have read several threads in which customers were unhappy with groomers because the effort it took them to schedule an appointment was too complicated. This got me thinking about the customer service aspect of pet grooming and wondering what customers want most.
I came up with the idea that pet owners want their pets to be safe and groomed well, but in this hectic world, they also want the entire transaction to be uncomplicated. They want to be able to reach the groomer easily to schedule an appointment. Some people prefer to talk to a person on the telephone to do this; others like to be able to set up a date via text message or an online calendar. It occurs to me that offering both of these contact methods would satisfy a large percentage of the average groomer's customer base.
Beyond that first step of any grooming transaction, customers don't want the check-in process to be complicated. People are busy, and so many are constantly rushing; they don't want to spend a lot of time when they are handing their pets over.
The same goes for picking up their animal and paying. People want to have some options for how to pay, for instance, using credit cards or a mobile payment app such as Venmo. If a harried person can grab the leash, swipe a few keys or a card, and be on their merry way, they will be happier.
Suppose you read up on customer service tips online. You will be encouraged to attempt to delight your customers by going above and beyond with extra services, bows and bandanas, discounts, and add-on services like photography. While your customers may appreciate any of these things, I think that if you want to make their lives easier, tailor your services so that dog grooming is a simple, straightforward errand.
Look at your business as if you were a new customer, and imagine how you would feel about the ease or difficulty of accessing your services. Are there ways you can make things more uncomplicated and user-friendly? If there are, I bet your customers would be grateful for it.
