Even if you run the most relaxing spa or salon in your neighborhood, you know owning a small business isn’t all roses.
Daiquiri Rankin at The Beauty Mark Medical Spa in Encinitas, California has been in the med spa business for more than 17 years. But she says it was about 4 and half years ago when the time was right to step out on her own and give business ownership a go. With a small team of 2, her biggest goal was to make her clients feel as beautiful on the outside as they do on the inside.
Priority number one is client experience. Sound familiar? For many services businesses, the first step in improving client experience is to hire additional staff members who have the time to focus on customer service activities like booking appointments, sending appointment reminders, and following up after the fact.
The Beauty Mark Medical Spa found another way. Not wanting to grow her well-oiled, tight-knit team, Rankin turned to software. They’re actually a super user of Thryv, our do-it-all business management software built for specifically for small business, and they earned the High Thryv Award earlier this year (way to go!).
According to Rankin, “We didn’t need to hire another staff member to take calls or appointments, because Thryv is our receptionist.”
Curious how software improved their customer experience, without the need for additional staff? Let’s take a look.
They handle appointment booking without phone tag.
Picture a typical spa environment. The first person you usually encounter is a receptionist at the front whose full-time job is to answer phone calls, remind clients of their appointments, and conduct any necessary followup. And for these spas, the customer experience falls largely on this one individual.
That can be a lot of pressure, not to mention a lot of work, for just one person.
For The Beauty Mark Medical Spa, their team of 2 does it all. They focus so much on creating a personalized experience for every one of their clients, there’s not enough time for the phone tag and administrative work a typical receptionist would handle.
That’s one of the reasons they looked to software, specifically Thryv. Thryv handles their scheduling and booking online. Most notably, they revamped their website to include prominent “Contact Us” and “Book Now” buttons. And they aren’t just any buttons. They bring up fully customized forms and menu options with their specific (awesome) services and pricing. Since these forms are easy to find on their website, clients can book whenever is easiest for them, even if it’s after business hours. Take a peek!
They schedule appointment reminders in advance.
Services businesses experience startling no-show rates. When clients miss appointments, these businesses miss out on revenue.
Appointment reminders have been proven to reduce no-shows dramatically. And with a 98% open rate for text messages, it’s a match made in heaven. But imagine manually typing each text message and sending it at the exact right time to clients who have upcoming appointments…well, that would be a full-time job.
Thryv helps The Beauty Mark Medical Spa schedule these messages in advance and remind their clients of upcoming appointments at the perfect moment. That way, clients show up at higher rates and also have the opportunity to adjust their appointments in advance if their schedules have changed.
Pro tip: For other services business, Thryv’s appointment feature now includes class and group registration. Fitness professionals love this feature, because they can open up appointment slots to as many individuals as they choose and let the online booking feature do the rest. They can even accept payment through Thryv at the time of booking, during an event, or afterward. It’s fully customizable to each business’s model.
They supplement their marketing with text and email campaigns.
Some consumers need a bit of a push before they’re ready to jump in and book an appointment. For these contacts, text and email campaigns are a great way to nurture relationships and help them feel more comfortable with your brand.
The Beauty Mark Medical Spa uses Thryv for campaigns as well, so they’re always top of mind with regular clients and those who may need a little nudge.
Thryv even helps businesses like theirs send segmented messages to groups of individuals most likely to act. And it’s easy to create urgency with coupons and discount codes, targeted promotions, and information about upcoming specials or deals.
