Uncommon Courtesy

Uncommon Courtesy: Elevating Your Grooming Business with Thoughtful Customer Care

Using courtesy in your business is a way of showing respect to your customers or potential customers. In a post-Covid world, many people have experienced less courtesy than we remember having in the past. In the grooming industry, there are some simple steps to ensure you are offering the people who reach out to you the kind of courtesy that will make them feel good about you and your business practices. 

  • Return phone calls or messages. We all make mistakes and let a call or message slide, but paying attention when people contact us is a significant building block in treating people well. I can't tell you how often people thank us for simply calling them back when they have left a message. Because we are not currently accepting new customers, these calls are not a lot of fun to make. After every day off, we must call multiple people and let them down. First, we thank them for reaching out to us. Then we explain that we cannot offer them a grooming appointment because our calendar is full. Finally, we give them the names and numbers of other local groomers we think might be a good fit for them. The fact that people are so grateful that we returned their call makes us know that other groomers are not doing so. It is time-consuming and a dreaded job, but it is polite, and we like to think that if we are taking new customers in the future, the people we call backmight feel about us warmly enough to give us a try.
  • Set a time limit for returning calls or messages and include that information in your voicemail or message response. For example, "Thank you for contacting Fluffy Pets. Please leave a message, and we will contact you within 24 hours (or whatever your policy is.) Then follow through.
  • Greet people warmly when they enter your business. I used to go to a veterinarian's office where the receptionists didn't make eye contact or speak to arriving customers for several long, awkward moments. They were not obviously busy with other customers or on the phone. It was so uncomfortable that I switched practices, even though I trusted the doctors and appreciated the convenient location.
  • If you see a customer struggling to get their pet to you, go out and offer assistance. Then offer to help them back out after the grooming service.
  • If a credit card is declined, be mindful of your words and try to minimize embarrassment. Rather than saying, "Your card is declined," try something like, "Our reader is having trouble with this card. Do you have another one to try?"
  • Say thank you. Every customer who pays you for your service supports you with their hard-earned dollars and trusts their beloved pet to your care. A heartfelt thank you is a wonderful courtesy to offer at the end of each transaction. 

Let's make courtesy a little more common. 

 

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Daryl Conner, MPS Meritus, CMCG has been devoted to making dogs and cats more comfortable and beautiful for 40 years.  You can find her happily working at FairWinds Grooming Studio with her daughter or typing away at her latest grooming-related article. Daryl was awarded both a Cardinal Crystal Award and Barkleigh Honors Award for journalism.  She shares her meadow-hugged antique Maine farmhouse with her practically perfect husband and a lot of animals.