We talked briefly about our Feeling Free Guarantee on last week's Tweet Chat, but I felt the need to go into a little more detail about what it is and why we offer it.
Last week's Tweet Chat was about introducing new clients to massage therapy. I think a lot of that introduction is about overcoming fears. And not the fear of being naked, or being touched, like we probably assume. But the fear of wasting money and time. They're thinking "Is this $40, $60, $100 WORTH it?" And they often choose to spend that same money on things they are more familiar with rather than trying something new, like massage.
So what this guarantee of service does is bulldoze this roadblock. Because now they know if at the end of the treatment, if they truly think it was a waste of their time, at least they aren't out any money! A reasonable person would assume that massage certainly wouldn't make them WORSE than what they feel coming in to an appointment so the most they have to lose is the money. With a firm guarantee in place, what do they have to lose? Why not give it a TRY. And that is the magical word. TRY massage. If you don't like it or it doesn't work for you, no biggie. What do they have to lose?
Our Feeling Free Guarantee is also a proactive measure in quality assurance. Our therapists understand that if a client is unhappy we do not collect payment and they do not get paid. So they give their best massage every time which improves their returns and referrals.
Another hidden benefit of the guarantee is it liberates the consumer to speak up when there is a real problem. Without a guarantee, clients may begrudgingly pay for services they did not like, quietly vow to never come back, and tell all of their friends how bad it was ... but they don't tell you-the business owner. And because you don't know, nothing changes and more and more unhappy clients walk out of the door. Gone forever.
In the rare event that a client actually redeems the guarantee and wishes to waive the service charges, the unhappy party must clearly define what went wrong. FEEDBACK! Glorious feedback! This information should be used to educate staff so that the problem does not spread. Expose weaknesses so that you can highlight strengths. And remind staff that they should not take complaints personally. Thick skin now makes thick wallets later.
This immediately made me think of the woman who called my office asking "Does anyone who is good work there?" and kept repeating that she had "had massage all over the world, and she knew a good massage when she got one." She ripped through five of my outstanding therapists before I gave her a referral to someone else in town--a 20-year veteran who is an excellent therapist, who didn't suit her either.
ReplyDeleteSo, it's too hot in the room, too cold in the room, the pressure was too deep, the pressure wasn't deep enough, I didn't like the oil, I don't like cotton sheets, I don't like flannel sheets, I didn't like the music that was playing, the table was too hard, the table was too soft....what do you consider just cause to give them a freebie?
There are also just those people who don't want to be touched, but they show up because a spouse or family member kept insisting they come and/or gave them a gift certificate. You can't please all of the people all of the time.
I also wouldn't hold it over the head of my staff that they won't get paid if the customer isn't satisfied. They are all service-oriented, compassionate people who do excellent work, and they deserve better treatment than working from a place of fear of someone thinking they're not up to snuff.
Errrr! I totally agreed with you, and then I read Laura Allen's comments and I totally agreed with her! Now I'm just totally confused.
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