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Choosing the right software for your spa can be daunting.
However, spa operators and owners shouldn’t shy away from technology solutions out there because they can greatly benefit your spa – and enhance the client’s experience.
After all, we should keep in mind that your spa should be a calming and relaxing place where your clients come to melt all their stress away. Right?
Imagine starting their journey with a stressful and inconvenient booking experience? It’s an instant deal breaker. So what’s the answer?
The solution: implementing a robust software solution for spas that will address every aspect of your business, streamline your staff’s work, and ensure a seamless client journey.
We review seven innovative software solutions for spas, and we’ve neatly categorized them so you can easily understand which one is best for what.
The best all-in-in-one software for spas: Pabau
Would you prefer to have a washing machine in your bathroom and a dryer in the basement, or have them both in the same place? Of course, having them in the same room is more convenient.
The same is true for having an all-in-one software solution. With Pabau, everything you need to better organize your work, reduce time on admin work, improve the patient experience, and obtain new clients can all be done in one easy-to-access system.
The alternative is having to integrate with other external tools. A tool to manage your bookings, a tool for your marketing needs, a tool for payment processing, inventory, and so on. It’s a hassle that’s simply not worth it when you can just use one system for everything.
Designed specifically for spa owners, Pabau is the best spa software on the market, as it has everything you need in one place.
Key features
Alongside a booking calendar where staff can schedule and manage appointments and staff shifts, Pabau allows you to integrate an online booking page on your website so clients to book appointments 24/7. In the meantime, the system will automatically send intake forms and pre-care and aftercare instructions, which you can tailor to the individual service.
A robust client card is also something Pabau prides itself upon, where you can securely store all the information you need about a client, including any allergies or medical conditions, before and after photos, detailed treatment notes, appointment history, and lots more.
Another great feature are its super customizable deposit functionality that will help you reduce no-shows in your spa. Lots of systems allow setting deposits, but it’s the fact that you can customize to a service or even to an individual level that sets Pabau apart.
With automatic client recalls, reviews, membership and loyalty programs, and the ability to create and send targeted email and SMS campaigns from the system, it really has it all.
Simply put, Pabau is an incredibly feature-rich system (it has more features than we can fit into this blog) that you can use to your advantage to scale your spa.
Benefits of using an all-in-one solution
- With all-in-one software, you have everything you need to smoothly run your spa and wellness industry in one place
- You won’t need to integrate with lots of other external systems, which can be complicated and costly at the same time.
- You can automate all your processes and save a bunch of time on admin work.
The best appointment scheduling and booking system: Acuity Scheduling
Relying on traditional methods of scheduling appointments is no longer practical. It’s a complex industry and the less a system does for you, the more you have to do!
You need to take deposits and collect medical questionnaires and intake forms ahead of an appointment. You might need to book specific equipment or rooms, i.e. a Hydra Facial machine, collect payments, and send appointment reminders to the your clients.
Additionally, offering clients the convenience of online scheduling is crucial.
So, if your spa primarily requires scheduling software without additional tools, Acuity Scheduling can be the perfect fit to meet your business needs.
Acuity Scheduling has some great features that will help you control your booking availability with ease and enable automated appointment scheduling. And, as a plus, it offers robust payment tools so clients can make credit card payments online.
It can adapt to any business so works effectively as a spa scheduling software.
Key features
- Limit when clients cancel or book appointments and you can set a maximum daily appointment limit which can prevent appointment overload.
- Create specific time slots for different types of appointments.
- Book recurring appointments.
- Send automated appointment reminders and notifications.
Pros
- Easy to navigate due to the system’s user-friendly interface
- Affordable pricing plans
- Automated reminders for reducing no-shows
- Signed BAA for HIPAA compliance with their premium plan
Cons
- Doesn’t work well across 2 or multiple locations
- It’s not robust enough to work on its own (works best as a software stack) — you might have to use multiple management software to do everything you need
- It caters to lots of different industries, and features might be ‘stretched’ to suit this
Best client relation management tool: Boulevard
Maintaining a relationship with your clients is also very important. When we say to maintain a relationship, we don’t mean you should go get a cup of coffee with them, but to keep them engaged and interested in what you offer at your spa.
Tracking such information, including birthdays, wish list items, and preferences is key. You can then use that information to create targeted marketing campaigns based on the treatments and services client are interested in or send them a birthday discount. It gives you the upper hand over competitors and helps you gain more returning and loyal clients.
Boulevard is a CRM solution that, besides offering functionalities such as booking software, point of sale system, and marketing tools, excels when it comes to client management.
With Boulevard, every contact you make with your clients will be personalized. The system will create client profiles and will automatically store their personal information, information about their past visits, social media profiles, special accommodations, and more. Using it, you can then customize your client’s future appointments to improve client retention rates.
And, according to a study, having robust CRM software can boost productivity by 34%, sales by 29%, and forecast accuracy by 42%.
Key features
- Search clients by location, first and last appointment, provider, referral source, and more.
- Ability to add suggested products for upsell opportunities based on their previous purchases.
- Storing and reviewing appointment notes to ensure everything is taken into account for future visits.
- Creating and adding emoji tags to highlight client attributes.
Pros
- Messaging center where staff can quickly communicate with clients via SMS.
- Great customization features
- Automated note-taking capabilities
- Intelligent booking — the system will book timing for services based on the client’s history.
Cons
- There’s no client-faced portal where clients can manage their appointments
- Can’t delete clients from the system
- The mobile app isn’t as developed as their website app
Best inventory management software: Fresha
Using products past their expiration date can spell trouble for your business, leading to a damaged reputation and client trust — something that’s hard to recover from.
However, with an effective inventory management system, you can not only track product expiration dates but also maintain awareness of your inventory levels, avoiding situations of both shortages and overstocking on less-utilized items.
Fresha boasts a robust inventory management feature designed to help you stay on top of your inventory. You’ll receive timely notifications when your inventory is running low, and you’ll know exactly when’s the time to reorder a new batch.
Also, creating new stock orders is a breeze, as you can do it directly within the system.
Additionally, Fresha facilitates a seamless stocktake process, automatically updating the system with the received products in real-time.
Key features
- Upload new products into the system in bulk
- Ability to create a supplier profile so you can order stock directly in the system
- Flagging discrepancies for newly ordered batches
Pros
- Easy to use
- They have their own POS terminals with low processing fees
- Affordable for people starting out as they have a subscription-free model
Cons
- Emails you send from your spa will have ‘From Fresha’ displayed prominently on them
- Has limited integrations for med spa and healthcare businesses
- Charging 20% for new clients that book through Fresha
Best marketing and promotion tools for spas: Hootsuite
In today’s world, your social media platform is your shop window. So the more you show up on social media, the more people will trust that you’re a reliable spa business.
If you need a tool that will help you with marketing activities in your spa, then you can’t go wrong with Hootsuite, which is a social media management tool.
Hootsuite offers some great features that will save you time as you can design, schedule, and publish social media and email marketing campaigns (through Mailchimp integration,) and paid ads across all your networks in just a few clicks. And, easy and successful management of digital ads is crucial because according to statistics, it increases brand awareness by 80%.
You can also respond to social media messages and comments in one easy-to-manage inbox rather than jumping around different platforms, and you can also automate your responses and generate captions for your posts with the help of an integrated AI writing tool.
With Hootsuite, you can also monitor mentions, hashtags, and keywords, so you always know what people are saying about your spa.
Key features
- Post scheduling for all your social media platforms
- “Streams” feature that will help you monitor all the social media channels you’re using and will show you a feed of relevant social media activity
- Analytics feature that will help you figure out what’s working and what isn’t
- You don’t have to learn how to set up paid social media ads on other platforms, as Hootsuite’s user-friendly dashboard simplifies the process.
Pros
- Multi-profile scheduling
- Includes stock photos you can use for your posts
- You get unlimited posts with all plans
Cons
- Doesn’t integrate with Google Business Profile
- You can’t tag people or companies on your posts
- Relatively high pricing if you’re just starting out
Financial and payroll management software: QuickBooks
When it comes to business management, understanding your profits and expenses is crucial. This knowledge provides valuable insights, enabling you to determine when you can reinvest in your business or identify areas where budget cuts may be necessary.
Efficient payroll management is equally vital for the seamless operation of your business, ensuring that your staff receives their payrolls and bonuses on time.
QuickBooks simplifies payroll processes, allowing you to handle payments for up to 50 employees. And, the software enables you to track billable hours for your employees, providing a comprehensive solution for various financial aspects of your business.
Additionally, the software automatically calculates and files your federal, state, and local taxes.
But QuickBooks goes beyond payroll management — it also offers invoicing capabilities to streamline your financial processes, generate pay-enabled invoices, create recurring invoices, and facilitate on-the-go payments.
Additionally, with the convenience of cloud-based accounting, your books are accessible from anywhere at any time.
Key features
- Manage your books and send invoices on the go
- Keeping photo records of every receipt
- Customizable reports
Pros
- Affordable price
- Integrates well with other third-party systems
- Great accounting reports
Cons
- Lack of industry-specific features
- Built for small businesses
- Lacks invoice customization and design tools
Advanced analytical tools for spas: Zenoti
Analyzing your business data will help you drive better outcomes for your business and make data-driven decisions. How many new clients do you get each month? What services are driving the most revenue? Having the answers to these questions is key to growth.
With the analytical tools Zenoti offers, you can get a comprehensive view of your staff, clients, inventory, financial insights, and more – all in one place. With only a few clicks, you can also create reports and customize the dashboard to your liking.
This will help you identify any opportunities and problems, drive revenue, save costs, and boost staff productivity. And, as a plus, research shows that businesses that use data witnessed a 10% reduction in cost and an 8% increase in profit.
Key features
- You can connect to about 25 different data sources from your business
- Create, customize, and publish analytics dashboards tailored to your specific needs
- You can share dashboards with employees
Pros
- It’s built for spas and salons
- Ease of use and navigation
- Communication with clients via text
Cons
- Not many integrations for spas and the ones they have you need to pay for
- Not able to customize the theme of the software to coordinate with the look of your brand
- Occasional syncing issues
Searching for the ideal spa software? Consider Pabau — a comprehensive, all-in-one solution tailored to your spa's needs
While it’s fair to say that while some other software solutions are excelling in specific areas, Pabau outshines in every aspect crucial for meeting your spa’s needs, and then some.
As an all-in-one software, Pabau provides comprehensive appointment booking services, marketing tools, robust client relationship management, inventory management, analytics and reporting, and streamlined payment options, plus many other features.
These tools collectively work to streamline your spa’s day-to-day operations, enhance staff productivity, attract new clients, and facilitate the scalable growth of your business.
If you’re eager to take the next step in growing your business, schedule a demo with us and discover first-hand the incredible features Pabau has to offer.
