06.23.2020 11 min read time

Business Tips

Should You Invest In Spa Management Software? (7 Warning Signs To Look Out For That Scream It’s Time!)

Should I invest in spa management software for my spa or wellness business?

If you’re reading this article, chances are that this question has been on your mind for a while now—maybe you saw a friend invest in one, maybe you heard about it in a local business meet up or a podcast….whatever piqued your interest, it’s an important question to ask, if you are considering investing in one.

In this post, we take a deep dive to answer not just the question above, but plenty more that will help you make an informed decision. After all, your spa & wellness business is unique and so are its challenges.

But before we move further, let’s take a pause and understand what is a spa management software?

What is a Spa Management Software?

A spa management software, often known as spa booking software or spa scheduling software is an online tool that helps spa and wellness entrepreneurs like you navigate client bookings, increase productivity, and effectively manage your client relationship— all from a single software.

An all-in-one spa management software also offers multiple user-friendly features that can help you gain full control of your business, allowing you to focus on what matters the most—your clients.

So how different is it from my current pen and paper method?

Well, a lot different…

Here are 7 warning signs that may indicate you need one for your spa or wellness business:

1. Mis-managed schedules

Let us ask you a simple question—what’s the most valuable thing in your day? If your answer is ‘time’ an online spa management tool is your ultimate must-have. With plenty on your plate every day, we know how much even an extra hour can mean for your business, not to forget the possibilities it throws at you.

Think about it, more time to cater to business tasks and activities that have been weighing you down, more time and attention for your clients…a friendly chat maybe? But most importantly, more time for your family & friends.

Now that’s possible only when you have better control over your client bookings and schedules and you know who’s booked for when.

And while you may be comfortable with the idea of taking client bookings for your spa or wellness businesses via phone and playing phone tag all day, it isn’t a sustainable strategy for growth as leads to mismanaged schedules such as double bookings and lost revenue—something that’s not good for your business.

Clearly there are better ways of operating a spa and wellness business, without mixing up schedules and an online spa management software can be your best bet if this happens every so often.

Booksy's online booking software for spa and wellness businesses constantly optimizes schedules through its heads-up feature letting you know when your schedule is getting packed and through the last-minute booking feature giving you a window to offer discounted services.

2. Low Productivity

When you run a wellness or spa business, managing your time can get tricky. Yes, you want to see your business grow and you don’t want to shy away from putting in the hours that are required.

But here’s the thing…

If you aren’t on top of your productivity and don’t manage your time effectively, you’d burn out. Time management is essential if you want to deliver great service to your clients, and for that to happen you need to stay on top of your productivity.

This means leaving pen and paper, spreadsheets, and other manual methods behind, and adopting a way that is easier and less time-consuming for both you, your staff, and your clients.

Spa management software fits the perfect product description easily. Not only does it take away from the manual methods of booking clients for your spa or wellness business, it significantly reduces the time you have to spend doing booking related admin work such as generating invoices or sending booking confirmation emails or messages to your clients as everything is automated.

Bottom line: the more hours that you save, the better it is for your business. If you are constantly low on productivity it’s time to invest in a spa management software.

3. Limited accountability from staff

Running a spa or wellness massage business isn’t easy. We know that. We also know that to stay ahead of the competition you need to offer an exceptional business experience to your clients.

Booksy’s Client experience Survey 2020 found that clients of wellness businesses including massage therapists, spas, and alternative wellness businesses hold friendly and competent service in high regard. In fact, 61% of clients will not return to a wellness business if they have a bad experience.

One of the biggest blockers in achieving an elevated experience for your clients is when you have limited accountability from your staff and when you start to hear a lot of ‘I don’t know” and that “wasn’t my job”.

This is a clear indicator of a lack of information and miscommunication. And we needn’t tell where that stems from!

When your staff doesn’t have a clear understanding of who they are catering to on a particular day and what special needs of the client that they need to bear in mind before they start a therapy session, things are bound to tumble down, won’t they?

This is where spa management software can be of help. Features like a smart calendar that can be color-coded, allows buffers and breaks, and can be shared with the staff which gives them a full picture of their schedules for the day, making it extremely convenient.

Booksy also offers calendar integration with Siri allowing you to check your schedules from your Apple watch on the go.

It’s a win-win when your staff can own their schedule and your clients are happy not to be bounced around.

4. Dissatisfied clients

How can you ensure that your clients are happy & satisfied?

Providing them an option to reschedule, book, and cancel their appointment online, as per their convenience is one way.

Don’t believe us? Here’s some proof:

Online bookings are on the rise since 2017. In fact, a recent Booksy study also found that 3 in every 5 bookings happen online, clearly hinting it’s the preferred booking channel for clients today.

By using a spa management software you are not just simplifying bookings for your business, you are also making it convenient for your clients. Giving them this experience will help your business grow immensely—one of which will be in the form of positive reviews.

Gina Loree Marks, the owner of EmbodyGrace, shares her experience withBooksy’s spa management software.

“I have clients tell me all the time how much they appreciate being able to schedule themselves online.”

But the real winner for her is the glowing reviews that she received from her clients.

“I think the real gem for me has been the ‘reviews’ feature – which I didn’t even realize was there! Imagine my surprise when I finally discovered it, and I found about 20 glowing posts from my clients, dating back 18 months prior! I now have almost 80, and I have had several people tell me that they chose me over a competitor, just based on what others had said about their experience. That’s the best kind of advertising, in my book.”

Lastly, investing in a spa management software has added benefits during this pandemic. Spa or wellness businesses that are not doing enough to maintain social distancing are playing with the trust of their clients.

Continuing bookings through traditional methods can get agonizing and tough during this time, and may also lead to compromised safety of your clients. However, spa management software like Booksy can minimize exposure through features like waitlist & buffer time.

Looking for more ways to build a profitable spa or wellness business? Here are a few hand-picked resources for you:

5. Missed revenue

Is your day spa, massage therapy practice, or wellness business missing opportunities to sell products and offers to your client without it being too inconvenient and mismanaged? If your answer is yes, it’s time to switch to a spa management software.

Product upsell is key for any spa, massage, or wellness business as it adds to the bottom line—you know that, but if you are unable to offer them to your clients because you can’t keep a track of them or sell them effectively, you are leaving money on the table.

On the other hand, using multiple tools to upsell products, offers, and manage inventory at the same time can get taxing. One of the many useful features of Booksy’s spa management software is its ability to sell gift certificates and products at checkout from a single platform.

It can’t get any simpler, can it?

6. Blockers in Growth

Like many small businesses, we know that you’ve got your eyes set on growth. Maybe you want to double down on your locations, maybe you want to hire more staff or have other similar expansion plans in the months or years to come.

Good for you! But imagine the chaos when you are still stuck on traditional methods of booking in your clients? How will you manage client bookings across multiple locations? How will you make sure your staff is working at optimum capacity? How will you make sure that you can feel the pulse of the business while you are busy managing it’s day to day activities?

Not having a plan (or an effective tool as a partner) can hamper your dreams of growing big. It’s the truth and if you have plans to do so, it’s time to invest in a spa management software of your choice.

And if you are troubled with the questions above, Booksy’s value-added features like multi location, staff calendars, and a robust payment processing system with Stripe & Square (coming up) can simplify it for your spa or wellness business. In a nutshell, our spa management software grows with your business.

7. Lack of clarity

Last but not the least, lack of clarity is a warning sign that your business needs a spa management software.

“Now, what’s a lack of clarity? I know the ins and outs of my business”, you say.

Sure you do, but can you be granular with it? Can you look at client history in real-time, including relevant notes so that you can optimize their experience from the moment they walk through the door?

Can you slice & dice your data by revenue, booking, service, or staff and gain insights into everything from the best booking channels for your business to your optimal staffing levels?

If the answer is “no”, you are missing out on optimization opportunities and a chance to be the best spa or wellness business around.

So how can you get access to this information? The answer is through an inbuilt analytics tool that keeps track of all your transactions as well as provides you with data that help you make better business decisions. Booksy’s spa management software comes with the said feature.

The Questions You NEED answered:

If you’ve scrolled until here, chances are that you still have questions like the following:

How do I choose the best spa management software for my business?
What’s the best spa management software in the market?

These are important questions to ask and ones that need a thorough explanation. But for now, below are a few pointers to keep in mind:

Don’t make pricing the basis of your decision

Free scheduling software may seem inviting, but is it really free?

Many spa and wellness entrepreneurs make the mistake of investing in spa management software based on the price alone, without evaluating if they have any hidden charges. For example, does the software charge your clients in some way, do you have to pay for value-added features, is there a transaction fee associated?

They miss out on the fact that paid softwares charges a price for something and that mostly translates into superior features, powerful functionalities, and prompt customer service.

When you are a busy entrepreneur you need a software that helps you navigate your business, instead of wasting your time in the name of being free. So choose wisely.

What’s the street cred?

We know that before taking the all-important decision of choosing a spa management software, you’d like to do your own research. That’s great. Another quick way to ensure that you’re on the right path is speaking to your friends in the industry and getting their input on the software.

Evaluate their experience, question them about what they liked about the product, ask them about the limitations of the product. If you’re a part of a larger community of spa business entrepreneurs, or part of a Facebook group, it’s also worth throwing this question to the community and seeking their opinion as well.

Look at product reviews on third-party apps

Is there a better way to see if a spa management software *really* works the way it states on its website? Yes indeed. Thanks to review sites like Capterra, G2, Software Advice, TrustRadius & others, customers can have a look at product reviews independently.

Booksy, for example, is a trusted spa management software and ranked highly on the following platforms.

What does it mean for you?

Manual processing and a pen and paper method can derail you from your schedules. Lesser client bookings also mean fewer dollars in your bank.

But that’s not all. A pen and paper method of booking clients for your spa or wellness business increases miscommunication and human errors as well as leads to exhausted staff, and dissatisfied clients.

You don’t want that.

Remember that getting started with a spa management software is easier than you think and while it can feel overwhelming at first, it’s going to be a decision you won’t regret. Here’s some proof from Amber Jolly, owner of Self Love LA Spa.

But again, don’t rush into the decision and evaluate if it makes sense for your business. Hopefully, the warning signs and pointers listed above will help you take that decision with ease. And if you are shopping for a spa management software, why not try Booksy’s free 30-day trial. Booksy’s powerful features will help you navigate the day to day challenges of your spa business effectively.