I had been going to the same girl to get my hair cut for 5 years. She moved between salons and locations, and, always a loyal customer, I followed her. However, her most recent location was a bit rough-around-the-edges and the quality of her cuts was declining. So, it was time for a change. What I ended up getting was a better experience, better customer service (using tech!), and, of course, a better cut. Let’s take a look at how they’re using email to create loyal customers and increase business.

They zig. You zag.

I’m a big believer in being different. If the competition zigs, you zag. A perfect example of this philosophy may be found with Apple. Their motto is Think Different; and that’s exactly what they do. They understand that they couldn’t beat Microsoft in the business space. So, they focused on the consumer and created the best-selling mobile devices of all time. They called them iPhone and iPad. Recently, their market cap exceeded that of Microsoft. They zigged, and it worked.

Back to my hairy tale…

As soon as I stepped into the new salon, I was greeted with a smile, a drink and a form. The form asked for my name, mailing address, contact numbers, birthday and email address. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but later realized that the form is part of their customer service magic. Here’s how.

A few weeks after my first appointment, I receive an email entitled, “So nice to meet you!” In it, they asked if I liked my new cut and explained how their referral program works. What a great experience. When was the last time your salon did this?

And, each year, they send a “Happy Birthday” postcard (via mail, the old fashioned way!) for a discounted cut. Perfect!

I certainly didn’t expect to write about my hair salon here. However, they offer a perfect example of how businesses should think about customer service. There are no excuses. The tools are available to make it easy.

For example, to deliver emails automatically over time or at set dates, we have something called “auto-responders.” A number of excellent services are available for this. Forge3 clients may be familiar with our top-notch emailing system (powered by CampaignMonitor). However, MailChimp and Aweber provide similar functionality if you’re ready to get your hands dirty. You simply add your recipients’ email addresses and you’re done!

The bottom line (your challenge)

Think of unique ways to reach out to your customers. Show them that you actually care. Think different. Remember, it’s the little things that matter most. And, the good news is that we have the tools to make it easy.

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