How Uni K Wax Leverages Technology To Create a Premium Customer Experience

Waxing is an intimate process that many unfortunately associate with awkwardness and discomfort. However, Uni K Wax has set out to change all of that. Since its founding in 1993, the 34-unit hair removal and waxing franchise has been utilizing cutting-edge solutions to provide its customers with a waxing experience that’s quick, comfortable and — most importantly — tailored specifically to their needs.

According to Frank Ponce, executive director of operations for the brand (and an owner of three franchises himself), Uni K Wax was instrumental in redefining the waxing experience when it started some 30 years ago. 

“Prior to this, waxing was sort of what I call the redheaded stepchild of the beauty world,” Ponce told 1851 Franchise. “Waxing was being done behind a curtain in a hair salon somewhere; it wasn’t at the forefront of the business. So [Uni K Wax] were the first ones to have a waxing-only studio.”

So just how is Uni K Wax using technology to provide their customers with what Ponce dubs its “best-in-class service?”

High-Tech System Streamlines and Personalizes the Customer Experience

It all starts with the appointment booking process. While customers are still welcome to pick up the phone and call their local studio, Uni K Wax also allows customers to schedule appointments online. The check-in process is streamlined as well, with kiosks that allow customers to check themselves in once they arrive. Uni K Wax also provides its customers with a free app, detailed below, that they can use to book their appointments and check in automatically upon arrival.

“We use iPads for check-ins, which alerts the Waxer of a customer’s arrival immediately on their own iPad devices,” Ponce said. “This ensures that, regardless of what our coordinators are doing when a customer arrives — whether they’re on the phone, checking another customer out, etc. — it will not impact the appointment time.”

Prior to treatment, new customers are asked to fill out an intake form that consists of four questions. This can be done online prior to arriving at the studio, but Uni K Wax also gives customers the option to complete the form on an iPad when they’re checking in. Once the form is submitted, the waxers in the studio can see the information on their own tablets.

“It’s four very basic questions, but that provides us with a lot of insight in order to offer that customer the best service possible,” Ponce explained. “The Waxer can go through the questions and better understand how to treat the customer’s skin. We work to leverage technology to tailor the service that we’re going to provide and how we’re going to advise the customer for post-care — what to expect, when we want to see them, and so forth.”

Uni K Wax App Provides Convenient Customer Touchpoint

The Uni K Wax app, which is available from the App Store and Google Play, lets customers access their accounts on their phones, giving them the option to book new appointments, rebook previous services, track their Uni K Wax Rewards points and more.

“From the app, our customers can check in automatically upon arrival,” Ponce said. “They have access to their purchases and their usage. They can make appointments and even pay for their service.” The app also makes it simple for customers to refer their friends to Uni K Wax by providing them with a sharable code that lets the system keep track of referral dollars earned based on who came in.

On-Site Laboratories Prepare the All-Natural Wax Daily

Uni K’s specially formulated wax is a proprietary, all-natural solution of beeswax, pine resin and other proprietary ingredients that can be safely used on skin of all types and colors without the risks of hypopigmentation. “The ‘natural’ means that it’s gentle,” Ponce said. “The ‘natural’ means that if you have sensitive skin, you’re going to be okay. The ‘natural’ also means that  there’s less allergens and no chemicals. Our wax doesn’t even have gluten. So ‘natural’ makes all the difference.”

The wax is prepared on-site daily at each Uni K Wax location. “We have a whole room — The Wax Lab is what we call it — that’s dedicated to melting down the wax from its original form to the temperature and consistency that we use,” Ponce said.

When customers check in for an appointment, Uni K’s point-of-sale system automatically pre-measures the wax pour depending on their profile and the service(s) they’ve selected. This information is relayed instantly to the lab assistants in charge of preparing the wax. “They have an iPad in the lab where they’re seeing each customer and what they’re coming in for,” Ponce said. “They’re making sure the wax is ready specifically for that customer’s visit, at the right temperature, prior to their arrival.”

The result is a completely sanitary experience that doesn’t waste any wax. This also allows Uni K to adhere to its One Wax Guarantee of “one customer, one warmer.”

“When you come in, we’re going to dispense just enough wax into the warmer to be used exclusively by you,” Ponce said. “Once we’re done with your service, we’re going to bring that warmer back to the lab, we’re going to disinfect it with high-grade alcohol and then we’re going to put it back into rotation. That’s what we call our One Wax Guarantee and it happens with every single service that we perform on a daily basis.”

Refined Waxing Process Delivers Skin-Friendly Hair Removal

When founder Noemi Grupenmager originally started Uni K Wax back in 1993, she was frustrated by the poor options that were available for her and her daughters at the time. Part of that frustration stemmed from the fact that the process was so painful, an association that has stuck with waxing to this day.

“You’ve probably seen the movies where it’s the 40-year-old virgin lying on the table,” Ponce said, “and they lay down a strip of wax and they place a piece of cloth on top of it and they rip it. That’s how many waxing studios do it. But because our wax is natural, we apply it at body temperature and we remove it without the need of strips or anything else. So ‘natural’ in this case really does make all the difference.”

Technology Helps Drive Revenue for Uni K Wax

When it comes to how technology optimized the business, Uni K Wax runs on strictly timed services, Ponce says, so the streamlined check-in and customer processing has the additional benefit of keeping the waxers on schedule.

“We can not only be proactive in having everything ready and doing the legwork prior to the customer’s arrival,” Ponce said, “but we can also schedule ourselves better in the studio to be able to have the staff at the right time. We can also service our customers better because there’s not a paper form; the questions are already done. We can meet the service time and make sure we’re on time for the next appointment. Everything kind of falls into place. So all of that drives the revenue. We’ve seen a positive impact because we’re just that much more efficient.”

Overall, perhaps one of the things that sets Uni K Wax apart from so many other businesses is that it has embraced technology as a means to augment its human staff rather than replace it. The brand’s goal is to provide a premium customer experience while maintaining a high-touch, quality human connection throughout. 

“We go above and beyond,” Ponce said. “[Uni K Wax provides] a best-in-class experience, and we’re the only ones to do that.”

For information about franchising opportunities with Uni K Wax, please visit https://1851franchise.com/uni-k-wax/info.