Spa team members know the protocol but don't follow it...

I've recently been to a number of spas where the technician has told me something like, "Don't write about this. It's not in the protocol, but I think it makes the treatment better, and I don't want my manager to know." I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I understand and appreciate that the technician wants to provide the best experience possible. On the other hand, I wonder: if the change in the protocol really makes the treatment better, why hasn't the protocol been changed? Is there a mechanism for the spa team members to provide suggestions for improvement? Has the suggestion already been considered and been decided against? Has this spa team member gone rogue and off the grid? Mostly I wonder how many other off-protocol things the team members are doing about which the spa manager is unaware. It can be an indication that random activities are normal and acceptable to the spa manager. Those random activities may not be acceptable for guest comfort and safety. I'll never forget the time that I was wrapped up snugly in a body wrap at a high-end resort. Instead of massaging my scalp or even leaving the room, the therapist used the time to try to sell products to me. These were products that she sold on her own (multi-level markething) and were, according to her, "much better than anything this spa sells." I was literally a captive audience and could not wait to get out of there. I can't say with 100% certainty, but I'm pretty sure that the sales pitch was not in the spa's procedure for the body wrap. I'll never know for sure, because the spa manager could not find time to talk with me. Apparently, she didn't value feedback - a fatal flaw, in my opinion. I wonder how many other body wrap victims the spa had after me before or if the spa manager found out what was going on behind those closed doors.

A different experience with each spa team member...

I've been to many, many spas where the same treatment is performed completely differently by each team member. This, in my opinion, is not a god thing for the Guest. It is a symptom of many possible problems. Some of them might be:

• there are no protocols
• there are protocols but
  • team members have not been trained in them
  • some team members have been trained and others haven't
  • training was inadequate or ineffective
  • trained team members choose not to follow them
• there was a staff shortage and untrained staff from a different group temporarily stepped in
• the spa's culture

One of the poorest experiences I have ever had at a spa was due to a complementary bath being presented differently by two different spa team members. You can read all the frustrating details in Inconsistency is the Enemy of Quality at Spas.

On the other hand, spas could exist that intend for every Guest to receive a unique experience. But then, how do they do that consistently with good results?

Anonymous Guest Assessments vs. Secret Shoppers

So what is spa management to do? How do they know if their procedures and protocols are being followed or not?

Lots of spas use secret shoppers to check on how their Guests perceive their services. These are often friends of spa management who, in return for a free spa treatment, provide an anecdotal story of their spa experience. Many reports I've seen by "professional" secret shoppers are essentially the same. They provide no actionable feedback - nothing for the spa to use to improve its quality system. These secret shoppers would never know if the treatment they were given followed protocol or not.

In contrast, SpaQuality's Anonymous Guest Assessments are performed by trained SpaQuality Certified Assessors who compare the assessor's experience with the spa's SOPs and protocols as well as The International Standards of SpaExcellence(SM). Detailed, actionable feedback is provided specifically to enable the spa to improve its quality system.

Those are my thoughts about The SOP. Thanks for "listening." I am interested in your opinion. Share it with me at jar@DiscoverSpas.com.

~Julie

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