I groomed two yorkies this Saturday. They are sisters, Kira and Pinot. I was able to take some quick pictures as I have never had two dogs at a time. Although there is typically no waiting for another dog to get groomed at COIFFURE, it does happen when there are more than one dog in the family and they are brought in at the same time. 

So when Diego made an appointment for Frosty, he included the information that "Frosty is a bit scared of the blow dryer so if you guys can use the cone as it makes it easier on him please do, thanks." 

Luckily, I always put a "muffler" around my puppy client's hears so that any noise from the blow dryer is muffled. On top of that, I purchased a blow dryer designed to be so much quieter than the other high velocity dryers available for the industry. I also used a small towel to keep the other parts of his body from getting hit by the air. I figure that I wouldn't want other parts to get hit with air causing him to get cold.

Frosty did really well when I was drying is body. When it was time for the face, I decided to use my own ionic hair dryer on the lowest setting. I first combed and did a flash dry and combed again followed with a flash dry until Frosty seemed okay with the hold thing. I guess the secret to the whole blow drying thing is to avoid getting air inside of their ear and also in their eyes and nose. Oh and being gentle helps tremendously too ! 

I was reading some less than favorable reviews of some of our local groomers and was surprised at how easily solvable and preventable some of the problems were. 

Coming from a Marketing & Sales background and having consulted on it, I know how important Customer Service is. I also know how difficult it can be to offer it if it is not part of a business culture.

My theory on customer service is that it has to come from within and it has to naturally be a part of a person/business. The ability to provide excellent customer service is an innate characteristic of a person  to want to please and help others. It is this, coupled with the ability to empathize that puts the word "excellent" before the words "customer service." In a business, this characteristic must come from the owner or leader. 

I pride myself in being able to offer excellent customer service and I hope that it's palpable to my current and future customers.  

TYPICAL GROOMING SALON PROBLEM: 
    
Clipper Burn  - a rash or sore on inflamed skin, caused by
 clippers.  It is painful for the animal and is caused by an overheated blade. The heat is caused by the friction created by the side to side motion by the blades in order to clip hair. The solution is to rotate blades as soon heat is created. 

The pet will scratch the infected area becoming raw and painful sores. The open sores can become infected and scar permanently; in some cases, the pet's hair never grows back.

Although groomers know to watch for heat and to rotate blades, it does not always happen.During the rush to complete the many grooms of the day, groomers often forget and dogs get burned. Most owners will not notice the burns, but their dog will. 

While setting up my grooming "shop", I had the chance to decide how much I would spend on equipment. 

I decided that if I am going to be different, that also meant that I would look at equipment differently. I decided not to look at the price but rather the benefits it would have for my puppy clients. 

One of my first major purchase was my clipper vac. Most shops do not invest in this product as it represents a huge expense. I believe that expense is outweighed by the over all benefits that it offers. 

CLIPPER VAC SOLUTION:

    Feature: Constant airflow cools the blade

    Benefit: Because the clipper blade stays cool, the risk of
                     clipper burn is significantly minimized