For salon owners · Marketing and reviews
Reply to a salon review, good or bad
A same-day reply to a new review in your voice: thanks that name the stylist for a good one, a calm invite to talk for a bad one.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Salon owners.
I run a salon. A new review has come in and I want to reply the same day in my own voice. A good review may name a stylist. A bad one may be about a color that did not turn out as hoped or a rushed checkout. What I have: - The review, word for word, with the star rating: [THE REVIEW] - For a bad or mixed review, what I want to say and anything I will offer them in private. For a good one, write none: [MY DECISION] - How I sound in public: [MY TONE] What I want: 1. Tell me in one line whether this review is good, mixed or bad. 2. For a good one: thank them, name the stylist only if they did, and mention one specific thing they said. Two or three sentences. 3. For a mixed or bad one: thank them for telling us, say we want to make it right without arguing about what happened, and invite them to call or message me directly. 4. Write a second, shorter version of the same reply. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send or post anything. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Never put a refund, a redo or a discount in the public reply, even if I decided on one. That stays private. Never claim anything I did not give you. - Do not add details about their hair, their service or their visit beyond what they wrote. - Leave out the client's full name, card details and anything about their health. If the review mentions a reaction, a burn or damage, do not draft a reply. Tell me to call them first. Give me back: - Two versions of the reply, ready to edit - A flag if the review should not get a public reply until I have spoken to them
When to use it
A new review lands, praising a stylist by name or saying a color or cut did not come out the way the client hoped.
When not to
Do not use it for a review that mentions a reaction, a burn or hair damage, or one that threatens to take it further. Call the client first and write that reply yourself.
What to paste in
- [THE REVIEW]: The review as posted, with the star rating. Use only the name the reviewer shows.
- [MY DECISION]: For a bad or mixed review, what you want to own and what you will offer in private. For a good one, write none.
- [MY TONE]: Three or four words for how you sound in public, or a reply you posted before that you liked.
Never paste
- The client's full name, phone number or visit history
- Card details
- Anything they told you in private about the visit
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
THE REVIEW: 2 stars. Booked a blonde with Jess and left more yellow than I wanted. Jess was sweet but the desk rushed me out and nobody asked if I was happy. MY DECISION: Own the rushed checkout. In private, offer her a toner with Jess at no charge. Do not mention that in the reply. MY TONE: Warm, owns mistakes, never defensive.
What you should get back
- Two versions of a reply in your voice, one shorter
- For a good review, thanks that name the stylist only if the client did
- For a bad one, a calm invite to talk, with no offer made in public
- A flag when the review needs a call from you before any reply
What stays with you
The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a client until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.
Related
- Reply when a client questions their bill. A calm reply to a client who thinks their color cost more than expected, built from the ticket and the decision you already made.
- Fill slow weekdays with your regulars. A short text to regulars who are due for a cut or color soon, offering the open weekday times, with any offer left entirely to you.
More: every prompt for salons, marketing and reviews, and AI for salons.
Which three fit your salon?
The free quiz scores your salon on sixteen things and picks the three prompts aimed at your three lowest. It takes about three minutes.