experts european spa

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1 100 european spa.europeanspamagazine.com

2 Management softare masterclass The hardline on softare We spoke to the producers of spa management softare to discover ho the right investment can save your business time and money hile improving your guests experiences Specifically developed to suit the unique needs of the spa and salon industries, spa management softare can offer significant advantages in the operation and groth of spa businesses. From improving yield and inventory management, and client or turnaay tracking, to simplifying booking requirements, there are multiple advantages to even the most basic of management systems. Such softare can be tailored to any size of operation, from an intimate boutique spa to a large resort, and can address the specific requirements of therapists by storing vital client information and retaining a detailed history of previous visits. Perhaps the most fundamental benefit that spa management softare brings is to empoer your staff to provide impeccable service. Not only does it free up your team from time-consuming administrative chores, but it adroitly focuses their attention on providing clients ith a personal touch to ensure they have a truly memorable and enjoyable spa experience. As any successful spa operator knos, it s relatively easy to get guests to visit your spa once, but it is in making sure that guests feel valued as individuals that ensures repeat business and therefore longevity. While spa management softare can require a significant investment, each of the seven experts e spoke to offers spa-specific functionality and support services that are second to none. We asked them for the key points to consider hen selecting and upgrading a softare tool to optimise your business. 101.europeanspamagazine.com european spa

3 Management softare masterclass ResortSuite Ensure a complete experience 102 A former managament consultant, CEO Frank Pitsikalis set up ResortSuite in He is currently on the board of directors at the International Spa Association (ISPA) Spas today are often not standalone businesses, but are typically part of a hotel, resort or private club. They also usually have retail and food and beverage operations that form a complete spa experience for the guest. Hoever, many spa softare solutions are designed to only manage the spa treatment part of the guest experience, so third-party softare vendors are usually required to interface and provide a full operational solution. Booking a room reservation, activity, class, golf tee time or dining reservation becomes a fragmented (or likely non-existent) online booking experience for the guest. As more and more guests are no using eb-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebook computers to book their spa appointments, they increasingly expect a one-stop-shop booking facility. The savvy traveller no longer ants to spend long periods of time on the telephone to a call centre in order to book the various components of their spa experience. In other related industries, such as aviation, the consumer is being conditioned, very illingly and for the mutual benefit of both parties, to book, check in and manage their travel itinerary in real time on their mobile devices. The key benefits of integration come from the development of simplified technology systems ith feer interfaces; better marketing automation, ith a single guest profile shared throughout operations; and a superior online booking process for the spa guest..resortsuite.com Millennium Systems International Motivate your team ith KPIs John Harms, founder and CEO of Millennium Systems International, and creator of Millennium Softare, has been designing solutions for the ellness and beauty industries since 1987 Spa management softare should help create ays to motivate your staff and get them focused on key performance indicators that lead to groth. These include guest retention numbers, average service ticket, frequency of visit, pre-book percentage and productivity percentages. One of our products, Millennium Meevo, uses gamification to change the ay e think about goal attainment. When your employee achieves a goal, they receive badges and trophies ithin the softare. Also, the spa oner or manager can create challenges that encourage teamork and healthy competition. Leaderboards in the break room can be used to sho rankings across the spectrum of performance areas. The key innovation here is a shift in the ay e portray numbers and goals. Focusing on groth indicators and challenging yourself can be fun and exciting. If your employees are engaged in this ay, believe me, they ill kno their numbers hen you ask them. Tokens are achieved by hitting goals and these can be redeemed for things like movie tickets or a trip to a sho the sky s the limit. Today s employees ant to be engaged, but in a ay that makes sense and motivates them. Every spa should embrace ne ideas on ho to motivate its staff and create fun and challenging ays to do it. The benefits are endless..harms-softare.com european spa.europeanspamagazine.com

4 Management softare masterclass TAC The Assistant Company Integrate for intuitive support 104 Gumnut Systems International (UK) Build up from your basic needs Thomas Roessler founded Austrian softare company TAC The Assistant Company, hich operates its Reservation Assistant brand in spas throughout the orld When considering spa softare, it is ise to find an integrated solution rather than an isolated application and a good provider ill offer you exactly this. The softare should dovetail ith your existing IT infrastructure, run smoothly in the background and help you simplify complex procedures and processes. A high level of flexibility for individual adjustments and scaleability is crucial. Why not consider expanding your sales channels by creating a eb shop? This gives your guests the option to book their treatments online in real time as ell as purchase goods and gift certificates after hours. You can even include a link to your eb shop by using a idget on your company s Facebook page. The latest generation of softare provides eb application solutions ith responsive and touch-optimised design, hich can adapt to any desktop, tablet or smartphone screen. This means you are using a single application for all devices, ith one codebase and one database. This one-for-all solution orks on all operating systems on a global scale a major advantage if you are adopting the bring-your-on-device approach in your spa. Employees can even access the softare at home from their on devices. Whatever your plans may be for the future, be sure to choose a spa softare provider ho is able to gro ith you and deal ith any future challenges you may experience. With such a partner by your side, you can achieve your goals more smoothly and position yourself here you belong at the top..tac.eu.com Gumnut Systems International (UK), has represented Gumnuts Softare in Europe since UK director Adam Chatterley has been there since the start It s easy to get carried aay ith the latest innovations and all the bells and histles that come ith the ne version of your spa management softare. Social-mediathis and click-through-tracking-that, but it all counts for nothing if you don t get the basics right. We place great emphasis on training, best practice and identifying the business basics to help our clients make the most of their softare. All of this starts ith customer information, yet this is here e see most mistakes being made. Capturing 100% of your customers relevant contact information is essential to operating a successful spa. Postal addresses are nice to have for demographic purposes, as are occupations or interests, but if you re not logging every address and phone number of every person ho alks through your door, you are asting so many opportunities and throing aay revenue. Even a conservative estimate of the lifetime value of a spa guest is 6,000-8,000. On average, 50% of ne visitors to spas ill not return after their first treatment. Hoever, even the most simple of customer contact ill improve this return rate by around 30%. This means a simple address could be orth around 900 to your business. If you can effectively contact all of your client base, even on a quarterly basis, you can improve your customer loyalty rate and ultimately its lifetime value, not only improving your revenue per client, but also reducing your reliance on having to constantly gain ne customers..gumnuts.co.uk european spa.europeanspamagazine.com

5 Management softare masterclass Premier Softare Solutions Strive for effective scheduling Premier Softare s corporate sales manager Robert Whitehead has vast experience ranging from project management to installing softare solutions for large spas and resorts Taking booking from guests is a key element of a spa operation, hether that involves scheduling spa time, treatments or an activity, and every spa needs to ensure it maximises occupancy. Intuitive softare can help you attain the maximum yield from your spa, ensuring appointments are scheduled back-to-back, as small gaps in the diary can lead to a massive loss in productivity. By quickly and effectively scheduling appointments via a search facility, you are not only ensuring the appointment is booked at the right time, but also that it is the best fit for the business and client. An intelligent booking system should ensure the client is eligible to have the appointment they have requested, checking their history in real time for contra-arnings and their medical records for any conflicts. On arrival at the spa, the guest could complete a medical consultation, perhaps on a tablet or ipad so that the information goes directly into your system. We should also consider the ellbeing of the therapist; softare can help in reducing the possibility of repetitive strain injury. By monitoring the number of intensive treatments being carried out, the therapists can be prevented from being over booked. Online booking tools can also help ith the yield of the spa, alloing appointments to be made 24/7, but still using the system rules to schedule the treatment at the optimal time and spreading the services equally across your team of therapists..premiersoftare.co.uk 106 european spa.europeanspamagazine.com

6 Management softare masterclass Ez-Runner Stay open for business 24/7 Stefan Drummond is managing director of Ez-Runner, hich has offered softare solutions to over 1,000 spa and leisure providers around the orld since Book4Time On-the-go optimisation for all CEO and founder of Book4Time, Roger Sholanki also co-founded SpaTime, a mobile e-commerce solution that allos spas to create demand for unbooked appointments Spa guests are very discerning by nature. When people go to a luxury spa, they expect to be treated like royalty. That s the nature of the spa goer. Guests ant to be recognised for ho they are; especially those ho are loyal customers. There is a level of understanding spa staff should have of their guests and it goes beyond knoing a customer by name. In order to truly understand spa customers, technology is put in place at the front desk and in the back office, but in treatment rooms computers have been seen as intrusive. Hoever, mobile technology (ipads in particular) can give staff access to valuable client information in a non-intrusive ay. Therapists can be instantly equipped ith a guest s history, allergies, past services and suggested retail products. This elevates the guest experience because it allos your team to serve them in an exceptional ay. From a management perspective, spa directors and therapists are alays on the move but need not carry around laptops. They can run their spa business from their mobile phones enabling them to stay on top of things ithout being glued to their desks. For a guest, it s very important to have a consistent point of interaction ith the spas that they frequent. Brands are increasingly developing mobile applications so that consumers can easily find them. Everything customers can do using a laptop should no be transferable to their phones; from vieing previous therapists to booking appointments and receiving spa promotions..book4time.com The biggest objections e hear against businesses going online are our customers ould not ant to book online, e ant to speak to our customers and e believe in the personal touch. Unfortunately, these reasons are simply not applicable any more. We live in a orld here e search online for the best flatscreens or check Tripadvisor before booking our next getaay. To Google something has long been part of everyday parlance. As businesses, if e get an opportunity to close a sale, then e must close it. If a customer is brosing your ebsite, hy not give them the choice to book online? Maybe they ork unsociable hours; maybe they simply don t ant to speak to someone. The key here is to offer choice and opportunity. Do Burberry, Harrods or other luxury brand customers feel cheated by their brand hen they interact ith it online? Or have they already bought into the brand and are simply looking to spend more ith them? With modern spa management softare, you can control and manage your online offering in such a ay as to save you both money and time. Our Ez-Runner system alone ill fully integrate ith your online brand, interacting seamlessly ith your business. Ho much ould it cost to have a sales team pitching for business for you 24/7? Isn t that hat your ebsite is doing in part? Potential guests are still able to call if they choose to. What do you have to lose? It as Einstein ho said: A ship is alays safe at the shore, but that is not hat it is built for..ez-runner.com european spa.europeanspamagazine.com