Boost your ‘business karma’ with customer service and communication

By Rhee Gold

Last fall I was on the road presenting Project Motivate seminars to dance teachers and school owners across the country. The attendees always bring up interesting topics, but this time, in every city, topics arose that were related to best practices in the dance school business.

School owners often find themselves torn between commitment to the classroom and to running a business. Things like focusing on customer service or simply finding the patience to deal with a novice parent’s inquiries about dance lessons can drop to the bottom of the priority list. But good customer service and communication are essential to the success of any business. Let’s take a look at some of the hot topics from Project Motivate and the DanceLife Teacher Conference, along with some solutions and suggestions to help you and your business.

The Dreaded Question
Don’t you hate it when the first question you’re asked by an inquiring mom is “How much are your dance lessons?” You might feel insulted and wonder why she doesn’t ask about your credentials or the kind of programs you offer. But that kind of reaction to what is a legitimate question could be unjustified. Think about it—is that mom going to ask you about your credentials when she doesn’t know that they exist for dance teachers? Is she going to inquire about the techniques you teach when she has no idea what technique is? No, she’s going to ask the dreaded question because she doesn’t know enough about dance to ask anything else.

Most nondancing parents’ perception of dance classes is a once-a-week lesson for their child, with a tutu and a recital at the end of the year—that’s it. You might wish that parents were more educated, but it’s time to face the fact that they aren’t. Instead of feeling resentful at the question, try looking at it as an opportunity to educate yet another parent. Your response should be an enthusiastic “I’d be happy to tell you what we can offer, but first tell me about your child.” Parents love talking about their children, and they appreciate a teacher who expresses interest in them. Once you know something about the child, you will also know what the appropriate program is for them. That’s the time to tell the parent about the program, your qualifications, and the benefits of dance training. Follow that conversation with information about tuition and other costs.

I like to share this analogy with school owners regarding this topic. If your son came home and told you he wanted to take fencing classes, your first question would probably be “How much do they cost?”

A Professional Image
Let’s say that the ad for your school uses the word “professional” three times. And let’s say that a mom sees the ad and decides to call your school to inquire about classes for her daughter. The call is answered with an abrupt hello from a giggling, 13-year-old student who happened to be near the phone. The teenager is confronted with a series of questions that she can’t answer, and she’s not mature enough to express her predicament in a professional way. The inquiring mom hangs up thinking that the call was the most unprofessional experience of her day and that there’s no way she would take her child to that dance school. She made that decision without having the chance to see the quality of your training, simply because the customer service was dreadful. Here was a potential client who needed a little of that professionalism that you advertised, and she didn’t get it.

Don’t you hate it when the first question you’re asked by an inquiring mom is “How much are your dance lessons?”

How often do you call a business only to be greeted by a 13-year-old answering the phone? I would dare to say not very often. As a business owner, I would opt to have the answering machine pick up the call rather than have a teenager offer a potential client the first impression of my school. However, the ideal situation would be to have the person who answers the phone be a mature adult who can accurately and enthusiastically answer any questions.

Another quick tip: If you can’t have an adult at the phone, be sure that the answering machine refers the caller to your website. That way they can start to gather the information that they require, even before you quickly return their call.

No Refunds?
As most Dance Studio Life readers know, I am an advocate for dance teachers sticking to their polices, especially those that relate to commitments from your students and their parents. However, there are times when I would make exceptions for the sake of my business and the positive word of mouth I know they would help to generate.

Here’s such a scenario: Susie is a 4-year-old who is taking her first dance class ever at your school. Her mom has paid a registration fee and the first month’s tuition. Not only is Susie scared, but this is the first time in her life that her mom or dad aren’t in sight. She starts to sob because she’s overwhelmed and spends the entire class sitting on the floor, crying. The teacher and Susie’s mom decide that she should try the class again the following week, but the same scenario plays out. Susie just isn’t ready. When the mom asks for a refund, you explain that your school policy states that there are no refunds for tuition or registration fees and that you can’t make exceptions.

Not only does the mom leave the school with the disappointment that her child isn’t ready for class like all the other kids appear to be, she’s also resentful that you wouldn’t refund her money, even though her child didn’t really take a class. Add to that the fact that the mom bought the required shoes, tights, and leotard (which the child will soon grow out of) and she will probably never again consider dance training for her child.

From a business perspective, offering the refund along with the comment “I look forward to seeing Susie try dance class again next year” is the way to go in this situation. This approach practically guarantees that you will see the child (or her little sibling) again. Plus, if the mom is pleased with your customer service, she will probably provide your school with positive word of mouth. That’s well worth the cost of the refund.

Scrimping on Preschool Classes
When given the option of employing an adult preschool teacher who has experience working with toddlers at a rate of $25 per hour or hiring one of your advanced students at $15 per hour, what would you do? School owners who are barely able to keep up with expenses might go for the less expensive option. But are they really saving money?

Let’s say that each student in the preschool class is paying $10 per class, which also happens to be the cost difference between the experienced adult and the teenage teacher. At the very moment that the inexperienced teacher loses her first student, you are at the same cost for that teacher as you would have been if you paid her $25. If the inexperienced teacher loses three or four students because of her lack of experience, then you continue to lose money. On the other hand, if the more expensive teacher hangs on to the majority of her students, you will actually make more income even though you are paying the more expensive rate. So goes the old cliché: “It takes money to make money.”

Let’s explore this topic a little further—many school owners pay $50 (or more) per hour for a professional ballet teacher for the advanced dancers. Some pay thousands for a good competition routine, which is paid for from the tuition income from the remarkably discounted lessons offered to most advanced students. Yet the tendency is to try to save money on the preschool teacher, when she is the one who works with the students who pay a premium price for their lessons. That’s like telling customers that they pay more for less!

I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t hire an excellent ballet teacher for the advanced kids. But investing in a strong faculty for the preschool students is one way to afford the best teachers for the advanced students. How? If the preschool kids and their parents are happy at your school, they will be with you for years. And they will provide the financial means for you to afford teaching those discounted advanced students.

Chances are you want your school to be number one, the best in your area. You’ll be well on your way to achieving that if you take a close look at your practices and policies regarding customer service. So brush up your communication skills and put yourself in your clients’ shoes—and start treating your customers like they are number one. It’s just good business.

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