Implementing a CRM system at Happy Haircuts

Happy Haircuts

Problem Area in Need of Improvement

The first is customer management, and the second is scheduling. What began life as an examination of the customer intake process has really metamorphisized into something more transformative for the organization.

Technology Solution

The technology solution is a customer relationship management system. A CRM system allows for notes to be taken on all customers. This allows the store to do a lot of things in terms of marketing, for example notifying customers when they haven't had a haircut in a while to make sure that they stay with Happy, or sending out birthday wishes to create goodwill, or just knowing when someone calls who they deal with, so that the scheduling process is more efficient.

A CRM system will also help with the new customer intake system. In this system it is important to immediately ascertain the needs of the client and ensure that the right personnel works with the client, based on client needs and the schedule of the personnel. A CRM system helps to put the two together. Basically, a CRM system really makes the marketing process more efficient from top to bottom, assists in scheduling, and gives the company an edge in customer service, and helps it to work as close to capacity as possible.

Benefits

Many of the benefits are listed above. A customer relationship management system improves both organizational efficiency and marketing. It allows the shop to know its customers better, and really provide the high end service that it needs to be truly differentiated in a competitive market. This is a service industry, so anything that can be done to provide better service is valuable. The shop will basically be able to see the customer's entire history when the customer calls in, and this allows for quick reference and being able to really be attentive to the customer's needs. In addition, the scheduling feature will help the shop become more efficient and generate more revenue as well. Further, new customer contacts can be stored in the database, and immediately the marketing program can be initiated.

Considerations

I felt that the most important consideration was the ability to enhance marketing and get a competitive advantage in a service industry. Differentiation is important to becoming a long-term success in the salon business. With so many different services, it is important that HH has a large customer base. The entire examination started as a marketing problem -- with new customers -- but quickly it became obvious that there is a bona fide opportunity to improve all aspects of the organizations' customer relationship management by professionalizing this function.