How To Master Customer Service Skills for Your Cosmetology Career

You want to go into cosmetology because you have an eye for fashion and style and you enjoy helping people look their best. Besides knowing the up and coming fashion trends and how to properly maneuver tools and equipment, you’ll also need excellent communication skills and a friendly, outgoing personality.

Whether you want to go into barbering, makeup artistry, or be a nail technician, clients expect to be engaged in some sort of conversation. After all, how awkward and unnerving is it to be sitting in the salon chair getting your hair styled in complete silence?

Not everyone is naturally a great conversationalist. You might be one of those people who find it hard to immediately and naturally connect with others. Many people have questioned whether they should fulfill their dreams of becoming a cosmetologist because of this.

However, if you have the passion and the eye for beauty trends, there are customer service skills that you can learn to become a great conversationalist and build those close relationships with your future clients.  

What is Great Customer Service?

Customer service is a term that is thrown around a lot. In the minds of most people, it only revolves around putting on a happy face, asking customers if they need help and politely and quietly listening to a customer’s complaint. While these are parts of customer service, its breadth is much greater. By definition, customer service involves helping customers before, during and after a purchase or getting a service done so that their experience with your brand and company are enjoyable and easy.

Good Customer Service Skills to Master

Friendliness

The goal of any salon, hair studio, or barbershop is to create a warm and welcoming environment where customers can relax. Of course, your “place” will have its own personality and even a modern vibe, but customers often want a place to relax, catch up with others or even vent about what’s going on their lives, in addition to getting a service done. Building relationships with clients will take time, but starting small with a smile and simply ask about their day and what style they are interested in. Good ‘ol small talk is a great way to start a conversation and a relationship. A friendly demeanor lets the client know they are important and they matter.

Ability to actively listen

Chances are there will be customers who say things that you may not agree with or go into too many details about their personal life even though they are aware that everything they say will be out in the open for all to hear. By actively listening instead of interrupting, changing the topic or minimizing what they said with a solution, you’re demonstrating empathy which is key in good customer service.

Knowledge of current trends

Whether you’re working with hair, nails or makeup, your customers will be requesting the current, popular looks and styles. Not having an idea of what your clients are requesting will frustrate your clients and lead then to possibly doubt your competency as a cosmetologist.

Creativity

The cosmetology field is one full of artists who express their own personal creativity. Being creative and having a known style will make you stand out from other cosmetologists in your specific area of expertise. Depending on your style and specialty, you may attract a narrow, loyal customer base.

Have an eye for detail and personal touches

Each client you’ll interact will be unique. No two will look alike. Many will also have different style preferences. As a cosmetology professional, you know all the current and up-and-coming styles. Some styles, however, work well for some clients, but don’t look great on others. Seeing a client go through with a style or look that doesn’t fully work with his or her natural beauty should cause an inner angst. Make recommendations for each client based on their already present natural assets such as skin tone, eye color, hair color, hair texture, hair length and personal lifestyle preferences. In doing so, you’re letting the client not only know that they matter, but that you’re passionate and proficient in your craft.  This, along with being friendly can develop a healthy, loyal client base in no time.

Personal hygiene

The cosmetology field is for people who want to not only look beautiful and stylish themselves, but also want to help transform the looks of others so they can look as stunning as possible. However, you can’t look stylish, trendy and beautiful without being clean and putting in the effort to keep your appearance looking great. Working on improving the looks of others while your own appearance personal hygiene is sub-par diminishes your credibility.

To succeed in one’s cosmetology career, one not only has to be knowledgeable in how to use the appropriate equipment, tools and products, but one also has to have excellent customer service skills to build relationships with clients and to give clients a comfortable, relaxing, easy and enjoyable experience. Customer service may not come easy or naturally to everyone, and that’s okay. These skills can be easily learned.

Taylor Andrews is a Utah beauty school that equips students for a successful career in cosmetology. Whether you want to be a student at our Utah hair school or pursue any of our other cosmetology courses, you’ll not only learn about how to excel at your job, but you’ll learn how to run a business and cultivate loyal customers through excellent customer service skills. Don’t wait on your dream career in cosmetology any longer. Contact us today to learn more and get started on a rewarding career as a cosmetologist.