Customer Feedback

Commitment to the customer

Great Clips' commitment to the customer is at the heart of our brand's success: "To create customer loyalty to Great Clips by connecting with their comfort zone." Ninety-nine percent of the time our customers get a great experience through consistent delivery of our 5 Steps to Delivering GREAT.

In cases when a customer's expectation for Comfort, Freedom or Connection fall short, we believe the feedback is best handled by individual franchisees. When those unsatisfied customers come to you with a complaint, how you handle those situations can make the difference between losing those customers forever and earning even greater loyalty. 

Tips for speaking to an upset customer 

Listen to the customer 

While there are things you can do for upset customers that will help fix the situation (outlined below), the most important thing they need is to be heard, understood, and acknowledged. Don’t interrupt or argue with an upset customer. Once they have said what they wanted to say to an attentive listener, a positive resolution will become much easier. Note: Timeliness is an important part of listening. If a customer complaint has been forwarded to you, a quick response makes it more likely the encounter will end well. 

Don’t take things personally 

You know your stylists and respect their hard work and talent. It can be easy to take what the customer says as a personal insult to yourself or your stylists. Giving into that feeling will cause you to be defensive and argumentative. 

  • Being aware of this while you focus on listening and understanding the customer will help prevent it. 

  • Acknowledge what the customer said. Being attentive and patient will make upset customers feel heard but acknowledging what the customer said will make them feel understood. 

  • Summarize what you heard and acknowledge that you would feel the same way if you were in their shoes. 

  • Once you do this, you will often notice that upset customers become less aggressive and more receptive to your solutions. 

Look for a solution to the customer’s issue 

While being listened to, understood, and acknowledged will do a lot to calm the customer down, offering a satisfactory solution to the problem may be the thing that turns an upset customer into a loyal customer. 

Possible solutions 

  • Provide a re-do or style at no charge to the customer 

  • Offer to have one of your most experienced stylists or managers re-do the service 

  • Supplement the re-do with a product to help the customer with his/her new style 

  • Offer a gift card for the next service 

  • Offer a cash refund because we guarantee our services and want to make it right

As policy, Great Clips salons

  • Will not provide free haircuts for life. 

  • Will not pay for hair extensions. 

  • Will not pay for, nor reimburse customers for getting their hair re-done at competitor’s salon. 

Often, the best ideas for handling customer feedback come from other franchisees. Reach out to the franchisee community with your questions to see how others have handled situations like yours. Your Operations team is always ready to listen.

Note: The Great Clips crisis hotline should not be used for employee and customer complaints.