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Whether it’s down to rapid digitalisation, the effects of the pandemic or, more likely, a combination of multiple external forces, consumers have never been so influential. That means businesses need to become more agile and adopt the right technologies in order to deliver a seamless customer experience.
For Polished Byron Bay, a non-toxic nail salon that launched just after the first lockdown, owner Amy Phipps knew she had to put the client journey front-and-centre in order to penetrate such a competitive industry.
Phipps agrees that if an entrepreneur is trying to bring a non-traditional business idea to fruition, then Byron Bay is probably one of the best places to do it. So it was perhaps surprising that the popular coastal destination didn’t already have a non-toxic nail salon.
“When I was trying to fall pregnant, I went through a complete cleanse and detox of my body, home and lifestyle,” Phipps remembers. “Throwing out all the non-toxic products in the home, from makeup to body products, cleaning products and plastics, and then replacing them with non-toxic options.”
With a gap in the market firmly identified, Polished Byron Bay opened its doors in September 2020 — not exactly the most ideal time to start a new client-facing business given this was just after the first lockdown. But Phipps says the salon has been very well received since opening and it’s become a regular part of her clients’ lives.
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In addition to enduring further lockdowns, navigating tight business restrictions and trying to stabilise cash flow to keep Polished afloat, Phipps also had to adapt to the changing face of Byron Bay itself.
“Byron has seen a huge influx of people moving to the area over the past two years, which has in turn created an accommodation crisis that has affected most of my team — past and present,” she says. “Byron is not very affordable to live in these days, so it’s been hard finding and keeping staff due to this issue.”
While she may not be able to control factors like Byron Bay’s sudden population surge, Phipps can dictate how her business curates the ultimate customer journey. And with a clear focus from the start, it’s no wonder she has been able to carve out a niche in the busy Byron Bay beauty scene.
“We have refined, improved, value-added and upskilled a lot since opening,” she says. “I am always looking for ways to grow the business and ensure Polished is the most incredible manicure and pedicure experience on offer.
“We have put a strong focus on the client journey and constantly refine this to ensure everything is on point — from the second they arrive until the moment they walk out the door.”
Central to Polished Byron Bay’s exceptional customer experience is the seamless way to book an appointment and pay for services — and Square is driving this unified approach.
“I chose Square because it’s so user-friendly and I was looking for something I could very easily train my staff to use,” Phipps says. “I also love how the payment system is integrated with Square Appointments — it all just feels very easy!”
Beyond the simplicity on the client side, Phipps says Square integrations have also created much-needed new efficiencies in the day-to-day operations of Polished.
“I love how streamlined Square Appointments is to use — especially the fact that my team can log in from their mobiles and check their upcoming appointments, without me having to micro-manage things,” she says. “And for our clients, Square ensures they receive their appointment reminders two hours prior to their booking time, which means nine times out of ten they are on time and our day runs smoothly!”
Phipps and her team also take advantage of Square’s client history and notes features in order to constantly refine the customer journey and drive business growth through repeat bookings.
“We use these features to store things like each client’s colour preferences, if they have been a no-show in the past or made a late cancellation, as well as any information that allows us to provide a more personalised experience — such as their drink preference,” Phipps says. “It’s also handy to be able to see which therapist they saw on their last visit, which helps us check the quality and longevity of that therapist’s paint job.”
But the biggest benefit for Phipps personally? The flexibility that Square provides for both her work life and personal life.
“I can pretty much run the business from my phone if I need to, which gives me so much freedom being a mum and business owner.”
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Square creates tools that help sellers start, run and grow their businesses. Their free point of sale service offers tools from accepting card payments to invoicing, inventory, analytics and employee management.
