STEVE HILLIARD HAIRDRESSING - PRESS RELEASES

For immediate release: 18 May 2009 

Hairdresser Kerry Rowley, of Steve Hilliard Hairdressing in Barton Road, Luton, has been shortlisted from thousands of entries in the Apprenticeship Awards 2009. Kerry, who studied hairdressing at Barnfield College, has greatly impressed the judges to be selected as both a local and a regional finalist, in the top category of Apprentice of the Year 2009.

Now in their sixth year, the Awards have been designed to recognise and reward both employers and apprentices who are successfully using Apprenticeships to improve their business performance and tackle skills shortages, whose contribution to the workplace has exceeded their employers’ expectations and resulted in measurable benefits or who have overcome difficulties to succeed through their Apprenticeship.

Vivienne Turner, East of England Marketing Manager for the Learning and Skills Council says, “The submissions were of an exceptionally high standard this year.  Only a small percentage passed the initial assessment stage and proceeded to the judging panels.”

Thrilled Kerry, who has been mentored under the guidance of owner Steve Hilliard, will attend the Bright Sparks 2009 East of England Apprenticeship Awards Ceremony where the winner and highly commended awards will be made in each category. This will take place on Tuesday 2 June at the Hilton Hotel at Stansted Airport. “She will also attend the Big Skill event in Bedford on 9 June 2009, where the local winner and highly commended awards will be announced.” says Steve. 

Successful entry will progress through to the National Apprenticeship Awards judging panel for the final stage of the competition, a National Apprenticeship Awards ceremony which will take place at an Oscar style Awards ceremony on 16 July, at Old Billingsgate, London.

 

For immediate release: 16 February 2009y

Steve Hilliard Hairdressing on Bedford Street, Ampthill, which offers affordable designer hairdressing, is toasting its first birthday this month [February 2009] with a host of celebrations and promotions for existing and new clients throughout February.

The birthday celebrations kicked off with a twin promotion for Valentine’s Day on 14 February. Fifty red helium-filled promotional balloons were launched outside the Ampthill salon. Each balloon is tagged with a £5.00 gift voucher for use at the Ampthill salon – and prizes will be given for the most interesting story by its finder.

Additional plans for February include a Birthday Bonanza Referral Offer – a promotion to encourage clients to refer their friends and family to the salon – and every new client will receive a £5.00 voucher for use off their first appointment; a daily birthday party of cakes and refreshments, a special ‘An Evening With the Professionals’ for new clients and the launch of a new loyalty scheme.

Ampthill manageress, Caroline Rolph says, “In just under a year we have achieved over 800 clients at the Ampthill salon – and this figure is rising daily because of our commitment to exemplary customer care.”

Owner and Director Steve Hilliard opened his first salon, based in Luton 12 years ago. As well as opening a second salon in Ampthill, Steve Hilliard Hairdressing also scooped second place in the Luton and Bedfordshire Business Excellence Awards for the category of Customer Care Excellence back in November 2008.

"Our ‘Birthday month’ is about saying thanks to all those who have helped us build the business into a fantastic salon for the local community in which it operates," says Steve. “It is amazing how a simple balloon can create a smile – so far, we have heard that the furthest birthday balloon landed over 30 miles away, in a back garden in Watford!

 

For immediate release: 1st December 2008

System: Shortcuts
Types:
Shortcuts Xpress, for walk-in salons
Shortcuts Salon, for appointment based salons
Shortcuts Spa, for spas and full service salons
Shortcuts Enterprise, for multi-site salons and spas

Main features:
Client management
Loyalty programmes
Employee management
Marketing
Reporting
Stock management

Steve Hilliard owns Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, a chain of salons in Bedfordshire. He’s been using Shortcuts for three years. “I went with Shortcuts purely because it was sold to us as a system designed by hairdressers for hairdressers”.

“The texting has cut no-shows to near enough 1%. People love the personalised messages, and a lot of guys rely on it to let them know when their next appointment is. It’s so easy: say you’ve got 60 clients coming in the next day, you press one button and that’s it, it automatically reminds them. We send out birthday cards and if people don’t return after six to eight weeks, it tells you that, so we write a letter and offer them an incentive to rebook, such as 20% off retail”.

“We pull off reports each week to go through with staff at the weekly meeting, looking at the number of clients, services etc. I opened another salon in February, which was expensive, but putting in Shortcuts was a no brainer. It’s been fantastic on stock control – we’re down to 5% of our turnover, whereas before it was 10-15%. It’s all about cash flow – you don’t want thousands of pounds worth of stock sitting around.”

Web: www.shortcuts.co.uk

 

For immediate release: 15th October 2008   

Salon shortlisted for Customer Care Excellence Award

CLICK HERE TO READ THE PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT

Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, which offers affordable designer hairdressing for women and men, with salons in Ampthill and Luton, has been shortlisted for the category of Customer Care Excellence in the Luton and Bedfordshire Business Excellence Awards.

The Bedfordshire and Luton 2008 Business Excellence Awards recognise the achievements of leading edge employers…and is the premier showcase for the county's rising stars.

“The judges were looking for exemplary customer service, over and above usual expectations,” says owner and director, Steve Hilliard. “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award; and for both our salons under the Steve Hilliard Hairdressing brand to be recognised for our commitment to customer care - through the tracking of customer satisfaction levels - and by how our staff are trained and motivated to meet client needs.”

 

For immediate release: 1st October 2008  

When Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, which offers affordable designer hairdressing, decided to find out what their customers thought of its service, they carried out a detailed customer satisfaction survey to 10 per cent of their 2,000 strong client base, throughout August and September.

The success of the salon has been due to maintaining a consistency of excellence in customer service across two salons in both Ampthill and Luton – and clients agree – 80 per cent of respondents are extremely happy with the level of service they receive, joined by a further 20 per cent who are very satisfied.

The results reveal that over 76 per cent of respondents have been a client of Steve Hilliard Hairdressing for an average of five years and that 73 per cent of clients live within a two mile radius of the Ampthill salon, based in Bedford Street. “The large majority of our customer base is over 35 years of age”, says Steve, “and many of our customers have grown up with us, and we have built this salon to cater for the needs of the local Ampthill community and surrounding areas.”

New client, Bev Holbrooke says, “Steve Hilliard Hairdressing is the friendliest salon I've been into for a good while.” Long-term client, Lynn Grigg, says, “Compliments only! I enjoy the friendliness of the salon - everyone is very welcoming, not just the person cutting your hair. I really enjoy my time at the salon!" Valerie Clark, agrees, "I find all the staff polite, friendly and professional. Nothing is too much trouble and you know you are getting a high class service - which is worth the money."

Owner and Director, Steve Hilliard, who has been running the Luton salon for over 12 years, says, “We used an independent marketing consultant, to offer a third party view. The results have been impressive; we value the feedback, and our clients’ responses will help to focus the business strategy and may also have a bearing on wider operations, including our second salon in Ampthill.

“With the cost of living going up this year, our clients still want to look and feel their best,” says Steve, “so we are looking at launching a loyalty card scheme to offer even higher value to our existing and new clients.”

New client? To receive a 10% discount off your first booking at the Luton or Ampthill salon, telephone 01582 598028 or 01525 406369 respectively and quote ‘Excellence’.

 

For immediate release: 18 July 2008

Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, which offers affordable designer hairdressing for women, celebrated the first six months of the opening of their new salon in Bedford Street, Ampthill by launching ‘An Evening with the Professionals’ celebration for clients and guests – an evening of fun-packed learning, a free prize draw – and great discounts on a variety of branded professional hair products. Over 20 new clients attended the event [on Thursday 17 July] to learn the art of creating salon perfect hair at home.
Ampthill manageress, Caroline Rolph says, “Our professionally trained staff demonstrated and explained the art of adding texture and volume to hair, how to achieve perfect straightening at home and how to give your hair that ‘just stepped out of the salon’ polished finish, using the most suitable products and tools for your particular hair type.”

Founder and director, Steve Hilliard, who already has one successful salon in Luton, opened the doors to its Ampthill salon in January, which is going from strength to strength. “This event is an interactive experience where we involve our audience members as much as possible, by opening the demonstration up to those present to field questions or ask advice,” says Steve. “We are also more than happy to have one-on-one discussions with clients afterwards. We always carry a selection of our products with us, so that clients may purchase these immediately, at a special discounted rate if they wish.

“We regularly take our ‘An Evening with the Professionals’ to local schools and halls too. We demonstrate two models - one short and funky, the other very straight. These styles demonstrate the quality of some of the products we carry and also the high standard of our cutting, styling and finishing. We are also available for hire as a team for your hair/beauty-related or fund-raising event.”

Steve Hilliard Hairdressing, which prides itself on its excellence in customer service, has received many written testimonials. One Ampthill client, Jenny, says, “Whilst my hair was being washed, I read a sign on the wall about Steve Hilliard's commitment to customer service… and suspected it was just there to look good. In fact, all the staff are absolutely committed to providing excellent customer service. 

“They take time to consult you, to understand exactly what you're after. The hair washing massage was really relaxing, the colour and cut were great; and they telephone you afterwards to check that you're satisfied. When I was in Ampthill a few days later, I bumped into Caroline, the manageress, who remembered my name and even the event I'd been going to the night of my haircut. That's customer service!”