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Cultivating Ownership in Your Spa Team: 10 Proven Ways to Boost Engagement
One of the most consistent concerns in spa and resort organizations is the lack of ownership among new staff. Ownership means more than just fulfilling job duties: Leaders often talk about needing team members who have a sense of personal investment in the organization’s success, take pride their own performance and contribute to the overall success of their team. Ownership is about being proactive, paying attention to detail, committing to look for solutions and exhibiting a pervasive sense of responsibility for quality and outcome.
Customer-centric: Guest Experience is the Mainstay of Spa
Spas are known as a haven of renewal and rejuvenation. In that spirit, spa patrons have high expectations for the care they receive, both in and out of the treatment space. In last month’s Pulse, four ISPA members imparted their wisdom about providing excellent customer service. The guest experience is a topic close to the hearts of all spa professionals; following are additional comments from industry experts about the value of a customer-centric approach.
WOWING CLIENTS IS A TEAM EFFORT
“Every guest is important,” says Stephanie Doud of ReadyCare Industries. “Customers have many spas where they could go; we want them to return because of the amazing service offered to them.”
Uberlube’s Cheryl Sloane agrees that an extraordinary experience is a spa mandate, and she has found a full-team approach is helpful. “Customer service comes from the top,” she says. “We need to believe in our team and trust them to make decisions and handle problems. Then, we need to show the team that management has their backs—and always be available for customer service issues. It is never a mistake to have good engagement with your customers.”
Christina Mangiante of Body Bliss believes “each spa director knows how to train their staff on basic customer service, sales and conversational skills at a level that works for them.” And the rewards are great: “Repeat clients, word of mouth referrals, increased gratuities, complimentary reviews will all happen organically with fantastic customer service,” she says.
Cutting/Styling Hair
The act or job of cutting and arranging people’s hair.
Dagdagay
Other Name(s):
Kol Kolis, Hilot Foot Massage, Filipino Tribal Foot Massage
Definition of Offering:
A version of hilot massage using bamboo or rattan sticks to stimulate pressure points on the soles and feet of clients.
Dan Gingiss: Why a Remarkable Customer Experience is Your Best Sales and Marketing Strategy
LET’S FACE IT: Competition is tougher than ever these days. How can we stand out in a crowded marketplace that is constantly evolving? In this fun and engaging keynote, customer experience speaker and former Fortune 500 executive Dan Gingiss will teach the audience how customer experience can be your company’s ultimate differentiator, creating a competitive advantage that cannot be copied.
Pulse: How can spa companies help customers understand the difference between price and value?
Dan Gingiss: Competing on price is a loser’s game because it’s a race to the bottom. Even if you can acquire a customer with a promotion, chances are they’ll be looking for a promotion somewhere else if price is what drives them. Instead, focus on how customers will feel after visiting the spa. There are dozens of places a customer can go for a Swedish massage or a yoga class; the reason they will choose to return to your spa will be because of how you made them feel. Consider ways to help customers feel welcomed, understood, appreciated and connected.
Dance Therapy
Combining self-knowledge and personal analysis with studies in psychotherapy, dance has been rediscovered as a healing art.
Data Collection in the Spa
Data drives the world. That corporate truism has been a given for the lifetime of anyone leading a company today—but especially over the past two decades, when the sophistication level of data collection, analysis and utilization has overtaken every other business tool to the point data is ingrained in our every action.
For organizations in the spa industry, “data is being generated at an ever-increasing pace,” says Cecilia Hercik, director of spa and wellness for The Spa at Sea Island. “It can be overwhelming if you’re not ready for it. But it’s so important to running a business: Data can contribute to your company’s strategies”—from staffing and scheduling to marketing and client relations, from product development and service offerings to budgeting and branding.
December 2015 Snapshot Survey – 2015 Year In Review
Topic of focus – Year In Review
ISPA members were given a list of marketing channels and asked to specify whether they increased, decreased or made no change to each channel from 2014 to 2015.
December 2016 Snapshot Survey – 2016 Year in Review
Topic of focus – Year in Review
All respondents were asked to name some of their favorites for 2016. The most commonly listed favorite books of 2016 included Start with Why by Simon Sinek, Daring Greatly by Brenè Brown.
December 2017 Snapshot Survey – Year in Review
Topic of focus – Year in Review
The year in review survey asks participants about their favorite things of 2017, including their favorite new marketing initiative, favorite book read in 2017, favorite new spa product, favorite new tech gadget or mobile app, favorite change made by their company and favorite keynote, TED Talk or other presentation seen this year.