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Spa software: Tech talk
What’s happening in the world of spa software today? Who better to tell us than the CEOs and managers of some well-known spa technology companies?
Jennifer Hull,
Product Manager,
Spasoft
What are you doing that other companies aren’t? We’re focusing on the usability of our software and finding innovative ways to engage users and reduce training costs. We’re dedicated to providing resources for spas to further their knowledge of the system including monthly webinars, online training resources and an active customer community.
What’s the key to making spa software user friendly? Testing. We work closely with clients to evaluate how user friendly any new features or functionality are for them. It’s easy to make software complicated, but making it simple requires research and thoughtful restraint.
How are you reacting to consumer trends? We’ve incorporated instant messaging into our Atrio Spa application in response to consumer demand for in-app chatting or instant messaging. Atrio Spa is our new cloud-based activity management system which has guest-centric features and business-friendly dashboards.
What are the trends in spa software? We’re really excited about responsive websites and of growing our online booking offering for spas. With customisation available, spas feel comfortable using online booking. This is going to be the primary booking channel in a few years and a robust solution is imperative for spas that want to capture more business.
How are you staying ahead of the competition? It’s exciting how many spa directors understand the value and return on investment when they choose the right system. There is a lot of choice in spa software today and we stay ahead by focusing on customer service and support while continually enhancing our systems to keep them relevant with changing trends.
Spa-kit.net keyword: Spasoft
"It’s easy to make software complicated, but making it simple requires research and thoughtful restraint"
Roger Sholanki,
Founder & CEO,
Book4Time
What are you doing that’s unique? We recently assembled an innovation team to help us identify and evaluate promising new ideas. It works to anticipate our spas’ needs and problems, selecting the issues with the greatest potential business benefits and bringing solutions market.
What’s your most recent piece of spa software? Increasingly, word of mouth is spread via online review sites, so when we heard from spas just how complicated and frustrating it was to stay on top of what their customers are saying online, we knew there had to be a better solution.
We created Spa Monitor in response, the simplest way to monitor, share and generate a spa’s online reputation. It picks up on reviews as they get posted, displaying them in one easy-to-use dashboard. And spas can build better relationships by responding to customer reviews with a single click.
What’s the key to making spa software user-friendly? We take a ‘people first’ approach and think about a product from multiple perspectives – those of our clients, end users and their customers. Another crucial element is in designing and testing prototypes based on customer feedback.
What are the trends to watch? Open cloud-based APIs are increasingly in demand with clients focused on boosting business by getting their various software platforms working together in harmony. Using our powerful APIs, they build custom experiences for online booking that are connected to their website or mobile app. They can also create email marketing events based on past purchases or services booked.
Spa-kit.net keyword: Book4Time
"When we heard how complicated and frustrating it was for spas to stay on top of what customers are saying online, we knew there had to be a better solution"
Frank Pitsikalis,
Founder & CEO,
ResortSuite
What are you doing that’s different? ResortSuite is a fully integrated multi-module resort software system. As well as being able to handle small and large spas, it manages all other areas of operation such as classes, fitness, activities, rooms, golf, food and beverage, catering and retail.
What’s your most recent piece of spa software? Activity Scheduler, a new addition to our web-booking engine, provides guests with the ability to view a calendar of pre-scheduled activities, classes and events and book-in themselves. It creates a one-stop shop where the guest can self-explore and book the full experience offered at a property.
What challenges are you facing? We have many multi-property resorts implementing ResortSuite Spa, among other modules, in a single database environment. Our software enables each property to manages and configure its spas a little differently, but they all share central guest profiles, preferences and purchase history.
What’s the key to making spa software user friendly? Make it intuitive. The booking process in ResortSuite is simple and intuitive in that it recognises where and when treatment areas and therapists become available. Make it simple. A new staff member could easily make a booking in ResortSuite on their first day on the job.
What consumer trends are you picking up on? The travel consumer has changed. The spa guest of today wants the ability to define their own experience, creating their own schedules and they’re not keen to take time out of their work day to book over the phone. This trend is triggering an enhancement in spa software online and mobile booking functionality.
Spa-kit.net keyword: ResortSuite
Josh McCarter,
CEO,
Booker
What are you doing that other companies aren’t? Our cloud-based software helps spas run their businesses seamlessly, as well as giving them the smart and robust tools they need to grow.
In addition to online booking, employee scheduling, reporting and inventory management, we offer automated marketing tools to help spas with customer retention. This complete suite is housed in one place on our system, accessible via all desktop and mobile devices.
What’s your most recent piece of spa software? Our Business Intelligence dashboard is exciting. Offering a complete overview of how a spa’s advertising and marketing is performing, it allows spas to pinpoint where their business is the most visible and to capitalise on that information.
What market trends are you seeing? The rapid switch from installed to cloud-based software is one to watch. This is now a standard need for spas looking to grow and run their business. The increased use of mobile apps, by spa owners and consumers is making this an even more exciting core feature of cloud-based spa software.
Consumers are increasingly attached to their mobile devices and spas are now leveraging the use of apps in order to stay top-of-mind with their clients.
What’s on the horizon for your company? We’re looking at the importance of customer retention. Many spas miscalculate the value of a good customer retention programme. We’re aiming to re-shape the current mindset and help them realise the massive potential in additional revenue that lies in their not-yet-loyal customers.
We’re working on a whole new set of fully integrated automated marketing tools to help spas increase their revenue through existing customers.
Booker’s goal is not only to give customers a suite of tools to run their spa, but to help it grow successfully too.
Spa-kit.net keyword: Booker
"Many spas miscalculate the value of a good customer retention programme. We’re aiming to re-shape the current mindset and help them realise the massive potential"
Stefan Drummond,
Managing Director,
Ez Runner
What are you doing that’s different? We offer a one-stop solution, from booking on multiple platforms, voucher fulfilment, Apple Pay, to automated marketing and KPI notifications.
What’s your most recent piece of software? We’ve introduced a voucher fulfilment solution which holds all information in the same database. Tied in with our automated marketing tools, this means we can run campaigns on the purchase and redemption of vouchers; offering non-commission style management fees for voucher fulfilment, giving huge savings in time and fulfilment.
What are the trends in spa software? Personalisation: what sets you apart from the spa down the road and how can our software help? Engaging with your customer is so much easier now, whether through social media, emails or text messages. This area is set to evolve and grow.
What’s on the horizon for you? Introducing Apple Pay and focusing on automated alerts and engagement is prominent for us. We are developing rules within the system that will alert spa managers based on pre-defined parameters. For example, these could indicate that a spa’s usage has been low in a particular week, or that the forecast for the next week falls under the KPIs required.
Spa-kit.net keywords: Ez Runner
"Engaging with your customer is so much easier now, whether through social media, emails or text messages. This area is set to evolve and grow"
What’s your most recent piece of spa software? Core by Premier, which caters for spa businesses of any size now has automated reporting and marketing facilities, streaming operations and communications with clients. There are a number of complementary tools including Premier Kiosk to reduce congestions at receptions and online membership sign-ups.
What’s makes your company unique? We pride ourselves on our dedicated training team who take the time to understand each of our spa’s requirements. Training is fundamental for spas get the most out of their system and we make sure staff fully understand the software ahead of using it in a real-life environment. Equally important is the level of support and after-sales care.
What have been the biggest changes in spa software in recent times? Being able to access diary and client information on a smartphone or tablet has gone from being a nice addition to a must-have feature. Premier’s new client card app allows therapists to carry out consultations with clients and update their records in real-time, delivering a superior guest experience.
How are consumer trends shaping spa software? Spas need to ensure they hold availability back for last-minute bookings, a growing trend, and have the facilities available to allow clients to book at a time convenient to them. Integrated online booking is a way to allow your clients to book 24/7 while also freeing up staff to focus on treatments.
Many spas now offer specially tailored treatments, such as for people who have, or have had, cancer. Contraindications can be added to our software and will be flagged on a client card during booking. This helps sites to provide a safe and nurturing environment for customers.
Spa-kit.net keywords: Premier Sofware
"We pride ourselves on our dedicated training team... we make sure staff fully understand the software ahead of using it in a real-life environment"
