SPA SOFTWARE
by Kate Parker, kateparker@spabusiness.com
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
It’s easy to make software complicated, but making it simple requires research and thoughtful restraint
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
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.
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
● Book4Time has a dedicated innovation team to test new ideas
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 ©CYBERTREK 2015
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 spabusiness.com issue 1 2016 107