Tech is continuing to play a larger and larger role in our everyday lives, especially in business’s day-to-day procedures and operations. The salon and spa industry is no exception. Spa booking software is such a critical tool for businesses. It automates the spa appointment scheduling process. The greatest benefit of a spa booking platform is the elimination of human error—no more forgotten bookings that could dismantle a whole day’s schedule.

1. What Is Spa Booking Software? 

1.1 Is the spa industry still growing fast?

With the gradual shift toward beauty and wellness products, owing to the increasing trend of a healthy lifestyle, the salon and spa businesses are also growing substantially. Hence, the need to efficiently collaborate the business is increasing. 

The spa booking software market is expected to register a CAGR of 7.11% over the forecast period (2021-2026). With the rising demand for healthy and standard lifestyles, people are looking for services that can relieve stress caused due to a busy lifestyle. Consequently, spa and salon services are gaining traction, which, in turn, is increasing the demand for the spa and salon market. This results in the investment in spa management software, to streamline business activities. This software manages the business efficiently, adds value to the business, and allows businesses to manage customers efficiently and grow exponentially.

• Major factors, such as effective client management, employee management, effective promotional and marketing activities, organizing client appointments and bookings, planning and control, resource management, and automation, are driving the growth of the market.

• For instance, a spa can make use of spa booking software to manage appointments, accommodate requests for new ones, manage postponed appointments, and reschedule existing ones to make their business more efficient and profitable.

• However, the initial setup cost involved with the spa booking software includes installation and training costs, which are usually high, restricting the growth in small and medium businesses. Further, the interoperability issue is expected to arise while using the spa booking software to automate the processes completely.

1.2 What Is Spa Booking Software? 

Scheduled spa appointments are the wheels that keep your spa or salon turning. So, offering Online Booking Is a Must for businesses. Spa booking software provides some undeniable operational benefits, and one of the most important among them is online booking capabilities. 

Spa booking software can help you to handle everything from spa appointment booking to online and in-store sales, email marketing, payroll, reporting and much more. Whether you are a growing or fully established business, a spa booking software can be a great help to increase customer loyalty, revenue and lower costs to run your operations more easily.

2. Why Use Spa Booking Software?

More than nearly any other industry, spas and salons are all about making customers feel relaxed, refreshed, and rejuvenated. The fastest way to prevent a spa customer from being happy and satisfied with their treatment is by making it difficult for them to schedule an appointment, purchase spa items for sale, or pay for their spa session. The goal of spa management software is to do the heavy lifting for spa managers and customers alike.

Today’s spa management software serves as the control center for nearly all aspects of running a successful operation. Spa management applications let managers accept payments of all types, analyze the business’s finances, and perhaps most importantly, establish and maintain personal relationships with their customers.

Choosing the spa management system that best fits your business allows managers and employees to focus on meeting the needs and expectations of their clients. The programs do so by automating such operations as inventory management, appointment confirmations and reminders, and employee scheduling. They also help customers by accepting all types of payments, including via mobile apps, contactless payments, and credit cards.

3. Who Uses Spa Booking Software?

Any business that provides spa services as well as other health, beauty, and wellness services can benefit from spa management software. From back-office features to appointment scheduling, these platforms can be a one-stop-shop for anyone in the spa industry. Rather than spend the majority of their time trying to manage their business, owners and employees can focus on providing a quality service to their customers.

Stylists who rent a chair or have their own single studio can use these platforms to save time and money and focus on their customers. Streamlining the online booking process helps increase business by making it easier to book and confirm appointments.

4. Benefits Of Spa Appointment Booking Software 

Professional Operations

Many professional services businesses are looking at how to improve the revenue and be in a healthier position than their competitors. It is true that professional services businesses have an unparalleled opportunity to leverage the power of technology and augment people skills to not only think, learn and act but also feel. But this opportunity will pay off well only if all the elements of digital transformation are harnessed. This might involve reimagining the way in which you deliver solutions to clients or reinvent a more dynamic business model to gain market share.

We believe that digital transformation is not only about leveraging new-age technologies but also transforming current business models while priming strategy and execution know-how for maximum efficiency and impact. An organization can successfully reach a higher level of digital transformation if they can bridge the gap between technology adoption, strategy and execution.

Online spa booking software, on the other hand, takes all of the stress, strain, mistakes and time out of arranging bookings for your business. Once set up, you can control every aspect of your booking procedure and allow customers to quickly and easily book online.

No longer do potential customers need to call just to find out the availability of your business; they simply need to visit your website. From there, they can book and pay within minutes, letting your guests begin to look forward to their fantastic.

Business Automation

These days, almost all small and big companies use business automation software to reduce their dependence on humans, improve work performance & efficiency, eliminate silly mistakes made by the staff, cut the business factor, and increase the profit margins by leaps and bounds. Human’s roles are restricted only to data input practices. Salon and spa businesses are not aloof from the impact of business automation.

By using spa scheduling software, you can automate different activities of daily salon and spa business operations and have some respite. It allows you to showcase the availability of beauty services and products, staff and time slots, price, service quality standards, etc., to customers and book online spa appointments. Both the salon and spa business owner and customers are notified by SMS and Email notifications about all booked/canceled appointments, transactions, service requests, etc., by the spa booking software.

The automation of salon and spa business increases your ability to serve a large number of Customers systematically, help them get the requested services at the scheduled time without compromising the quality, and create a base of satisfied customers.

Convenience for your clients

Online spa booking is all about making spa booking easier for your clients. Today, due to the busy lifestyle, people are always looking for convenience and simplicity in their lives. 

Online spa booking offers them the convenience and flexibility to book their appointments when and where it suits them. In fact, online bookings are received outside of standard operating hours. 

According to the report from Verto Analytics, a research company that tracks which devices nearly 5,000 UK adults use to go online, showed that smartphones account for 57% of people who go online, whilst traditional PCs account for 27% and tablets 16%.

The data also revealed the most popular time of day people go online is between 5pm and 10pm, while actual usage (how long people spend online) is heaviest between 7pm and 8pm.

In addition, consumers can easily see when their preferred employee is available and book an appointment that suits their schedule without going back and forth over email or on the phone to find a time that works for them. 

Reduce Seller Burden and Grow Sales 

If your spa is only open during typical business hours, you could be limiting the number of bookings you receive each month. Spa scheduling software is designed to live 24/7/365, so even if you’re at home asleep or on vacation, your business is still set up to receive new clients. This could make you more attractive to customers whose schedules don’t necessarily fit into the 9-5 window. They can easily view your availability and pick a time that works best for them, without having to take time out of their workday to call you when they know you’ll be open.

Online spa booking software doesn’t just help your customers out– it helps you as well.  Without it, you’re probably processing all of your spa’s appointments yourself and taking up some seriously valuable time in doing so.

A really good spa online booking software product will take care of everything involved in booking, including:

• Maintaining employees availability, previous appointments, and days off.

• Sending confirmation emails to the client as well as the employees.

• Automatically processing availability after an appointment is made to ensure the next customer doesn’t overbook a particular day.

When you think about how much time is dedicated to organizing everything involving appointments, you can imagine just how much time you can spend doing other important things while booking software takes care of the workload.

Less lost bookings or no-shows and cancellations

Online spa booking software can help you capture bookings you would otherwise miss if you’re unable to answer the phone. Plus, your phone is less likely to ring and interrupt your appointments, allowing you to focus on your visitors, safe in the knowledge that your online spa booking system is processing your new appointments for you.

Spa appointments made through online spa booking software are also less likely to result in a no-show or cancellation. This is great news as on average 10% of appointments are “lost” as cancellations or no-shows. Online spa booking systems will automatically send an appointment confirmation message once an online spa booking is confirmed by the salon, spa or clinic, and reminder messages before the appointment, both of which help reduce no-shows. You can also set up booking deposits that clients will need to pay at the time of booking to secure their appointment, further reducing the likelihood of cancellations or no-shows.

Actionable insights on repeat customers

To be frank, salon or spa business is all about how you interact with customers, provide them with the requested services, make them happy & get repeat business from them regularly. In order to do this, you need spa booking software to help you store all data about customers, such as name, address, phone numbers, Email ID, beauty products and services purchased voluntarily, transaction records, etc. It collects data automatically & stores them on cloud services.

You might be asking yourself why your organization should be tracking this information, and what benefits they actually bring to your business. Tracking appointment analytics and customer information will give your organization a full view of your customers, and insight into who they are, what they want and what improvements they believe your organization can make to better serve them. 

Of course, you need to be mindful of ensuring that data is securely stored, and used in an ethical way. The data you gather can allow you to laser target your offering, ensuring that you are pitching the right products, at the right prices, to the right people in your next marketing campaign. In fact, companies that utilize customer analytics are 6.5 times more likely to retain customers, and 19 times more likely to achieve above-average profitability.

Allow you to manage your business anywhere, 24/7

Whether you’re working from home or in and out of your salon or spa you still could control all of your business operations seamlessly without any hassles. The spa online booking software offers you immense benefits and effectiveness, in the management evaluation and in daily operations.

Cash Management

Effective cash management is one of the key factors to manage and run an enterprise successfully. It aims to improve the solvency of the company, reduce the risks of cash gaps, and use cash carefully. To achieve this, it is necessary to structure cash flows and track their movement on a daily basis.

A spa booking system allows cashiers and spa owners to create electronic records of the payment system, generate electronic reporting necessary to control the execution of payments, regulate mutual settlements, accelerate cash turnover, control all incoming and outgoing payments.

Inventory Management

Inventory management is an important business task conducted by almost all modern companies. The main motive of regulatory practice is to inspect the use of the company’s resources made available to employees. Auditors track the business flow and income in a particular month, calculate the total wastage amount, ensure that the business is being run by the manager as per the established rules and regulations. It also aims to catch wrongdoers. 

Staff Management

Undoubtedly, managing the staff is a tiresome job. From assigning tasks to knowing how they are performing, you need to manage everything to maintain the flow. But, the Spa booking software gives you the possible solution to streamline this as well. 

As a business person, it is essential that you should keep only the talented employees, so it is desirable to know how they are performing. Keep an eye on their performance monthly and annually for your business expansion. You can assign tasks and check their activities from any location using the software. Besides, at the same time, it is also vital to keep them with your Spa by praising them with their work and keep them motivated with what they are doing. In addition, you can ask them to bring in new customers and get incentives for the same.

Customer Management

The online spa booking software allows you to quickly and seamlessly track customer specifications, history, and communications. Merely in some clicks, you can access customer data and ensure 100% satisfaction.

It will automatically group customers to display reward points and special discounts. The spa booking software can help you get new customers to the database and fulfill the services they require. It allows you to discover the products and the services that the customers are likely to buy from their purchase history.

Measure your operational performance

Lord Kelvin, also known as William Thompson, a physicist said this “If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.” Without appropriate measures in place, how much can we really know about performance and efficiency, and how do we know if continuous improvement activities, change programs and projects are making the difference we’re looking for? Measuring operational efficiency is key to helping us to know and to improve? Yes, numbers tell you a lot about how your business is doing. But you have to look beyond that and find out how the acquisition of this online booking tool affects the people that work for you and your clients. Try to find out if your loyal customers feel appreciated and valued. You can also reinforce this information by going through your monthly reports and checking how often they book your service. Once you have all this information analyzed, you will know what exactly needs to be changed. After that, you have to make sure you will witness faster progress and your most prioritized goals are met or are in a good set-up process of being met. 

An online spa booking software is a tool with big potential of helping your business grow, you just need to choose a good one and take care of the directions it takes and problems it points your attention to.

Better Customer Service

Spa booking software follows all the tactics to ensure effective spa customer services. It allows you to get customer’s detailed information, such as phone number, address, age, birthday, in order to interact with the customer adequately. The software promotes the spa through email marketing, SMS and social media marketing. It sends offers, discounts, daily deals to the customers so that they can get engaged in your Spa. 

You can also leverage social media marketing and use popular social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, etc. to showcase what you are offering currently. Additionally, you can ask your existing or regular customers to refer their friends and family to get your spa services and in return, they will get some percentage of the discount. Besides, enable your staff members for the same and give them incentives and make them feel that you value them.

Ease of Making Transactions Through Online Payments 

There is a big hassle of dealing with cash money, especially for the spa service provider. But with online multiple payment options enabled, every customer as well as spa owner do not have to worry about this issue anymore. Flexible payment options are available, such as MasterCards, VisaCards, Credit Cards, or Debit Cards, or other mobile payment gateways that make the payments effortless.

Money Savings

Time is money. Saving time and money is important for any business owner or operator. An online spa booking system can save you time and money and here are three examples of how.

Centralise your information

Multiple systems can feel like a maze. They are time-consuming and unnecessary when planning sales within your attraction business. A great online spa booking system allows you to seamlessly centralize all data into one accessible spot. The system will be easy to use and will keep track of all important details. You can manage capacity, distribution, entry ticketing, vouchers, school programs, memberships, long-term passes and in-attraction experiences quickly and easily with one system. This information will help you customize your buyers' needs quickly, saving your staff from hours of consolidating visitor data.

Easy reporting

Online spa booking systems make reporting easy. One-click reports can save you a lot of stress, time and company funds. Some systems have a strong reporting ability that allows you to identify your main revenue drivers. Through the insight from these reports, you can effectively test and measure different pricing and promotion strategies, allowing you to bring different aspects of your attraction business together – again saving you money. Reports also give information regarding revenue streams, profitability and informative insight into distribution. Having access to this data will save your attraction business time and money because you’re able to make informed and strategic decisions very quickly, without chasing up information from individual channels.

Know where your sales are coming from

Imagine knowing exactly which distribution channels were giving you the most business and being able to work more with that channel than the rest? A fantastic spa booking system will do that for you. Online spa booking systems that link into many distribution networks give you great opportunities to sell more tickets. However, refining your strategy through the most profitable channels for you should be the main aim. 

5. Standout Features Of Spa Booking Software

Schedule Appointments

This is an increasingly popular requirement that lets clients gain control over their time.  By booking an appointment, a client is less likely to spend time waiting, and can also ensure that the employee of their choice is available to help them. This is also a great tool for the business owners since they can now have visibility into when customers will be coming in, and deploy staff accordingly. 

Online Booking

Allow customers to book online appointments through your website, Facebook page, or mobile application; cancel or reschedule their appointment bookings anytime from anywhere. This premium feature has your reception open 24/7. 

Point Of Sale

Point-of-sale (POS) system enables faster checkout for your salon and spa clients. You can now spend less time at checkout and more time with your clients. Check guests in, handle sales transactions, invoicing, receipts, retail product management and chair upgrades, all at the click of a button.

Marketing

Create targeted promotions and engage with new clients at the right time with the right offers. With simple and effective marketing strategies, put your salon business where customers are looking.

• Use booking preference and appointment history to filter clients based on service, age, gender, visit and value.

• Boost client engagement with SMS and email campaigns. Create targeted messages for your active and inactive clients.

• An in-built feature to send out bulk text messages and emails to your existing customers to announce new schemes, new launches and special offers.

• Create captivating emails to stay in touch with clients. Intimate them about new products and services they would be interested in.

• Never miss a chance to wish your clients on their birthday. Send out greetings with special offers and coupons.

• Send out reminders to clients who have not visited in a while and to those who are due for their next appointment.

Feedback System

You will have complete control over how people treat, react and rate your business online. Get the real-time opinion of clients before they rant on social media.

Dashboard

Get an instant overview of how your business is doing at the click of a button. Also, keep track of client retention, referrals, staff productivity and sales benchmarks.

Business Intelligence

Shows how your business is tracking overall: 

• Download individual reports to get detailed insights on important metrics like staff and employee performance.

• The spa management software actively demonstrates sale volumes to analyze stronger and weaker metrics and define your marketing strategy accordingly.

• Set retail, service and performance goals for your employees. Check recent staff activity and decide where your staff is succeeding and where they can improve.

Analytics & Reports

Check how your business is tracking overall with individual reports and detailed insights on revenue, tax, campaigns and staff and sales performance. Maintain your entire business and client history in the cloud.

Inventory & Order Control

Ensure that your team and your business are on the same page by managing all the aspects vital to your business from one location.

• Get notified when you’re low on product and stock. Manage product usage, expiry and purchase orders with simplified inventory management tools.

• Get all the details about your employees and their performance with a single click. Analyze their productivity and give them incentives.

• Get instant access to client demographics, past service history, stylist preferences and more. Keep track of past purchases and appointment history to personalize every client’s experience.

• Keep track of client expenditure to ensure swift processing of payments. Get instant notifications about pending payments and minimize the loss in your business.

Book Keeping

To keep a complete and accurate record of all the financial transactions in a systematic orderly, logical manner. This ensures that the financial effects of these transactions are reflected in the books of accounts.

Send Notification

Seamlessly send notifications and appointment reminders to employees and clients respectively. This will help your business improve staff productivity.

Credit Card Processing

Integrated Credit Card processing is a must. It makes your POS complete

Manage Multi-Location

Manage one or more salon locations easily within a few clicks. Do all this and more with real-time access to data.

• Manage your salon or spa anytime, anywhere by using it on your tablet, PC, laptop, or mobile device.

• Easily track inventory across multiple locations and ensure the availability of products.

• Get consolidated sales and revenue of each outlet in one central location.

• Manage client memberships centrally and share customer data across all centers seamlessly so that clients can avail of the requested services with ease.

• Synchronize inter-branch products and stock transfers.

6. Recommended Spa Software For Your Business

Spa management software focuses on their customers and their requirements. This software has become popular these days because of its obvious advantages. Below is the list of the best 6 spa software that is ranked using ratings & reviews from customers.

6.1 Fresha 

Fresha is the world’s top-rated software for the beauty and wellness industry and it is the only platform that is 100% subscription-free. The Platform provides an all-in-one solution for all your needs taking the hassle out of running a business by managing appointment bookings, point-of-sale, customer records, human resources, inventory, and financial reporting. The system offers mobile apps for clients and real-time booking integrations to Instagram, Facebook, and Google. Fresha.com also comes with integrated card payment processing to protect against no-shows and late cancellations. 

6.2 ZENOTI

Zenoti provides an all-in-one, cloud-based software solution for the spa, salon and med spa industry. The Zenoti platform is engineered for reliability and scale, harnessing the power of enterprise-level technology for businesses of all sizes. Zenoti powers thousands of spas and salons in over 50 countries. Zenoti allows users to seamlessly manage every aspect of the business in a comprehensive mobile solution: online appointment bookings, POS, CRM, employee management, inventory management, built-in marketing programs and more.

6.3 You’reOnTime

You’reOnTime is a provider of industry-leading cloud-based software for service-based businesses, including hair and beauty salons, laser clinics, barbers and medical spas. Under the You’reOnTime brand clients in over 20 countries have been using the system to manage their appointments, sales, and marketing.

6.4 Shortcuts Software

Shortcuts provides software to leading salons across the world. Offering software solutions in 9 languages to over 14,000 clients in 48 countries, Shortcuts clients range from multi-site chains and franchises to single-site businesses. Designed specifically for the salon industry, Shortcuts is continually updating the core products with the largest R&D team in the industry. 

6.5 Full Slate

Full Slate offers comprehensive software-as-a-service (SaaS) scheduling. SMB’s do not need to download or maintain software and can access it from any Internet-connected computer, tablet, iPhone or Android phone. Businesses pay a monthly subscription starting at $29.95 for a single practitioner for unlimited clients and unlimited appointments. Key features include new appointment notifications by email and SMS, synchronization to other calendars, flexible booking rules, ‘book now’ buttons, scheduling widgets, Facebook integration, automated appointment reminders and follow-up emails.

6.6 WP Salon 

Cmsmart WP Salon is a simple but powerful salon booking system, working 24/7 to ensure your customers can book appointments and pay online even when you sleep. Your customers can quickly schedule appointments with just a few clicks. Drive customers to book more and see real sales growth by checking out demo salon.

See more: How To Install WP Salon - WordPress Theme For Salon Booking & Appointment?

7. Tips Choosing The Right Spa Software

You need to find a simple spa booking system to use, affordable for your needs, and does everything you need it to, every time. If you’re keen to find a new solution for your salon or spa over the coming months, read on for some tips you can follow to ensure you choose the right option for you.

Know Your Insights 

Answer the questions “What features do you need?”. You can’t choose the appropriate software for your business if you don’t know what you need. Each business has different needs after all, and each software company provides different services, features and benefits, so it’s important to find a solution that aligns nicely. 

Some people look for a simple, cost-effective point-of-sale system that also lets them schedule appointments while others may be after something more comprehensive, such as software that can also handle payroll, inventory, automated marketing, online bookings, reporting, scheduling, and salon and client management.

No matter what your needs are, if you’re clear about them upfront you’ll be much better placed to find the right long-term software solution.

Decide on a Budget 

Once you've identified your needs, decide on a budget to spend on new software for your spa. Determining how much you could spend and cover in the long-term before you find yourself deep into researching different software can help narrow your search and save you time. However, keep an open mind when you start exploring. Just because something's over-budget today doesn't mean it won't be feasible next year after continued growth and increasing revenue.  

Many business owners tend to hold a magnifying glass to all money earned and spent by their company, especially when considering implementing new software, systems, and technology in their office. If you're feeling uneasy about spending more cash on your business, rest assured that not all software and online tools cost thousands of dollars. There are several low-cost and even FREE resources you can access to improve your spa.  Be on the lookout for

Research Different Platforms 

After outlining your software goals and deciding on a budget, we can now start researching different resources. Google, of course, will be your best friend while you're getting started. However, don't be afraid to message company representatives, hop on a video call, or request a virtual demo of their products. Sales reps for these products have a vested interest in reeling you in, so don't shy away from asking them the hard questions or even requesting case studies showing proven success with their products. 

Don't forget - Reach out to your industry colleagues. If you have friends in the industry who aren't your direct competitors, they'd be happy to share what software has and hasn't worked for their med spas and aesthetic businesses. products with free trials, tiered features, monthly subscriptions, and current promotions.

Ensure that the salon management software has a workflow suited to the salon and spa industry

The business needs of the salon and spa industry are unique. You must select a salon and spa management software that offers a workflow suited to the salon industry. It should provide a seamless and smooth workflow so that you can perform the tasks that are relevant for the salon and spa business in a productive and efficient manner.

Assess if the salon booking software is user-friendly

Use the salon booking software yourself to ensure that it can be easily used. Assess the spa and salon management software on factors such as responsiveness and speed. It should also be evaluated on additional factors such as user experience, intuitive interface, ease of understanding and performing basic functionalities and the ease of your staff learning the use of the salon and spa software.

Ensure that your data is secured

The most important asset for your business and wellness business is client data. The contacts that you have must be stored in a secured and confidential location. You must ask the spa salon software provider about the most effective ways that they employ to protect your business data. Even when information flows from the software to smartphones, you must understand the security mechanisms that are used to defend the data.

In conclusion, while there are several spa and salon management software in the market today, it is difficult to choose the right one. The cheapest or the most expensive may not always be the best salon management app or beauty salon management software for your business. 

Take your time. Just because you are looking for spa software does not mean you need to sign up straight away. Take a chance to assess all your research and think about your decision before making it.

See more: The Approach To Build Spa Or Salon Website On Salon Booking WordPress Plugin

Having Trouble Getting Started? 

The success of your salon may depend on the quality of the software you choose to run your business. Cmsmart has spent years helping businesses find success in their niche areas. We have experience in developing booking features software such as appointment scheduling, client & employee management, email & SMS marketing, inventory tracking, and payment processing. Plus, we provide dedicated customer support, data migration services, and training so you can be up and running at full speed in no time. 

Leave your comments under this article to get advice for your business or speak to one of our sales consultants to learn about our products and services by contact us. We will get back to you within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading.