Sending your clients a follow-up email after their first visit is one of the most important strategies to increase your client retention.
Sending a follow-up thank-you email to clients shows them that you genuinely care about them.
It also shows them you’re invested in building a long-lasting relationship. You’re the stylist who wants to work with them for years.
Beyond the client thank-you email after their payment, you can use a client follow-up email to ask for feedback as well. Feedback is key to client retention and building your business.
Think of it this way: If there’s something that a client didn’t like when they visited your business, it’s important to give them space to share that with you.
If you don’t make it clear that you’re open to hearing their concerns, more often than not, an unhappy client won’t say a word. And they’ll find someone else to take care of them next time.
I’ve seen this happen so often.
Clients just want to be heard if they’re unhappy, and it’s your job to give them an outlet to do that. Cue the client follow-up email. 👇
In this blog:
- Step-by-Step Guide for Creating the Perfect Client Follow-Up Email
- Examples: Follow-Up Thank You Email Subject Lines
Pro Tip: Schedulicity offers automated client follow-up and thank-you messages as part of our online booking platform. Try them — along with our other scheduling, marketing, and payment tools – today by signing up.
How to Create the Perfect Follow-Up Email for Your Clients
Step 1: Send it 24 Hours After Their Appointment
With Schedulicity, you can set up thank-you emails to go out 24 hours after a new client visits your business. I highly recommend doing that with all new clients.
You have so many email templates to choose from — just be sure to pick something that’s consistent with your brand.
(Schedulicity also has templates for reopening your business, welcoming a new employee, and sending holiday hellos.)
Step 2: Start By Thanking Them for Coming
This is the most important part! Tell them how much you appreciate them. You can also add that if they have any questions, comments, or concerns to email you or call at any time.
Step 3: Add a Survey
This is the curveball that will take your follow-up email to the next level. You’re going to include a new client feedback survey. 💥
I love using SurveyMonkey for this. (It’s free!) They have templates and survey questions prepared for you based on the industry you’re in.
That said, I recommend you create your own survey with about five to seven questions.
Don’t worry, it’s very easy to create.
Here are a few questions you might include:
- How would you rate your service overall? Add a 1 through 5 rating for this, or SurveyMonkey will give you multiple-choice options.
- How would you rate our service compared to the price? I would, again, add 1 through 5 or the multiple-choice option.
- Would you refer a friend to our salon?
- Please share your comments or recommendations on how we can improve your experience. This is important. Add an empty block where they can write out how they feel about your business and their first experience as a new client.
From there, you can easily log in to your account and check out the responses.
Step 4: Respond to All Negative Feedback!
If you receive a negative response, I highly recommend reaching out to that client via phone call or email. It’s very important to acknowledge their response.
I can tell you first-hand, it’s not an easy pill to swallow when you receive negative feedback.
But, I truly feel that feedback is a gift. It can help you in so many ways.
Plus, feedback is such a great tool to help you become more connected with your clients. It’s also a great way to learn more about your small business from a new perspective.
Examples: Follow-Up Thank You Email Subject Lines
A catchy subject line is a great way to ensure your follow-up emails are opened. Here are a few examples of good thank you email subject lines that actually work!
- A quick question for you…
- Hello again from [your business name]
- Where do we go from here?
- Thanks so much for coming in
- A gift for you…
- Hope to see you again soon!
- One more thing from our appointment
- Oh I forgot to tell you…
- Can I bug you for a few more minutes?
- So nice meeting you today…
Getting the Word Out:
A Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing and Automated Text Messages
Get the Guide