For salon owners · Quotes and money
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.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Salon owners.
I run a salon. A client has messaged after their visit saying the total was more than they expected. It can be something like an extra bowl for long or thick hair, a toner, or an add-on nobody explained at the chair. I have looked at the ticket and decided what to do. I want a calm reply. What I have: - Their message, word for word: [CLIENT MESSAGE] - What was rung up on the ticket, line by line: [THE TICKET] - How we charge for add-ons and extra product, as it reads on our menu: [HOW WE CHARGE] - What I decided, in my words: [MY DECISION] - How I sound with clients: [MY TONE] What I want: 1. Tell me in one line what they are upset about. 2. Explain each charge they asked about in plain words, using only the ticket and my menu notes. 3. Say what happens next, exactly as I decided. If I decided to talk it through by phone, offer to call them instead of explaining in writing. 4. Write the reply in my tone. Thank them for telling us. Keep it short. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send anything. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Never offer a refund, credit or discount unless it is in my decision, and never claim anything I did not give you. - Do not blame the stylist or the client. If I said an add-on was not explained, own that in one sentence. - Leave out the client's full name, card details and anything about their health. If they mention a reaction, do not write a reply. Tell me so I can call them. Give me back: - The reply, ready to edit - Any charge you could not explain from what I gave you
When to use it
A client messages after checkout saying the total was higher than they expected, often after color with extra product for long hair, a toner or an add-on.
When not to
Do not use it before you have decided whether to change anything, or when the client says the result is wrong or mentions a reaction. Call them yourself.
What to paste in
- [CLIENT MESSAGE]: Their message as they sent it, without their last name or phone number.
- [THE TICKET]: Each line that was rung up: services, add-ons and extra product. No card details.
- [HOW WE CHARGE]: How your menu describes add-ons, extra product and length or thickness charges.
- [MY DECISION]: What you decided: keep the charges and explain, take something off, or call them. In your words.
- [MY TONE]: Three or four words for how you sound, or a reply you have sent before that you liked.
Never paste
- The client's full name or phone number
- Card details or the receipt with the card number on it
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
CLIENT MESSAGE: Hey, I was surprised my total was so much higher than last time. Nobody mentioned extra charges. Can you explain? THE TICKET: Partial highlights with Maya. Extra lightener for length, 1 bowl. Toner. Bond treatment add-on. HOW WE CHARGE: Highlights are priced for hair to the shoulders. Each extra bowl for longer or thicker hair is added. Toner and bond treatment are add-ons on the menu. MY DECISION: Keep the charges. Maya did not mention the extra bowl at the chair, so take the bond treatment off this time and say we will always mention add-ons before we start. MY TONE: Calm, straight, no corporate speak.
What you should get back
- A calm reply that explains each charge in plain words
- What happens next, exactly as you decided, with nothing extra offered
- One sentence owning a missed explanation, if you said there was one
- A list of any charge the ticket did not explain
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
- Answer a color correction price question. A reply to a color correction inquiry that explains how you price it and books a consultation, without quoting a number you have not seen.
- Message a client after a no-show or late cancel. A message for a client who missed or cancelled late that states your policy, carries out your decision on the fee, and offers to rebook.
- 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.
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