The most successful salons and spas have one thing in common: they never stop looking for ways to elevate the customer experience and streamline operations. They rely on a robust technology ecosystem that keeps their salons and spas running seamlessly, while providing the foundation they need to innovate and scale.

No matter how large your salon or spa, the same technology principles apply. As a salon or spa owner, you need a technology ecosystem that grows with your business so you're never limited by your technology.

To help, we've compiled this guide to the 14 technology secrets of the best salons and spas.

The Basics

It almost goes without saying, but today's salons and spas need a reliable internet connection, a responsive, mobile-friendly website, social media accounts and an email address. These basic technologies should be scalable and easily managed, so you can make updates no matter where you are or what time it is.

1. Customer Relationship Management

Going to a salon or spa is a personal experience, and the more personalized you can make the customer experience, the better. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) helps you do just that by storing basic guest data like their contact information, and also maintaining a record of client visits and services. To be most effective, the CRM needs to act as a "single point of truth," capable of storing guest and financial information, and seamlessly integrating with other systems to collect and store data. This integration allows staff to view client preferences, reward points balances and payment information in a single location.

2. POS & Payments

While taking payments from your clients is essential to your business, it's the least interesting part of your guests' experience. The more efficiently and smoothly you can process payments, the better your cust. Look for a POS for salon and payment service that provides modern, convenient experiences, such as Apple and Android Pay and self-pay capabilities.

3. Appointment Management

Effectively managing appointments is critical for smooth operations at your salon or spa. Leveraging technology to handle this part of your business makes bookings fast, whether for individuals or groups, and allows staff to personalize the interaction and accommodate guest requests. The best appointment books manage logistics, like tracking rooms or resources, track productivity, support call centers that handle multiple locations, and provide a fast and reliable booking experience.

4. Online booking

Allowing clients to book online is a win-win scenario. Clients can book appointments at their convenience, and your staff is freed from administrative tasks so they can spend their time and energy delighting your clients instead of booking appointments.

5. Customer mobile app

Customer mobile apps with robust mobile booking capabilities are the next generation of customer service. Clients enjoy having on-demand access to booking, and it reduces reliance on your call center or front-desk staff. Plus, well-designed customer mobile apps provide an opportunity to upsell services or products so you don't miss out on revenue opportunities.

6. Online store

Online stores offer significant revenue opportunities through sales of gift cards and retail products. Taking retail sales online offers additional opportunities for your customers to purchase products between visits, and can even attract new customers to your brand. Online gift card sales offer your customers a convenient way to gift your services to their friends and family.

7. Electronic signatures and digital forms

Intake forms, consent forms, treatment notes are best executed as efficiently as possible. Taking forms digital speeds up the intake process for customers, and makes it easy for staff to take treatment notes or photos and add them to a guest's profile. Electronic signatures, that are stored with a guest profile, also ensure that you’re protected legally. Digital forms are ideal for the multi-location business as well, as they can be accessed in seconds from any location, making it easier to provide a seamless customer experience no matter which location your guest visits.

8. Staff management

Using scheduling and time clock software to manage employee hours and schedules makes it easier for staff, while ensuring accuracy and freeing up your time as a salon or spa owner for higher-value leadership functions like mentoring, training and customer interaction.

9. Staff communications

It's critical to have efficient methods of communication with all staff so they remain up-to-date on your offers, products, company announcements and so on. Email still has it’s place, but it’s no surprise that businesses are looking for real-time communication tools. Sending employee communications directly to staff makes it more likely they'll be informed of new information. Using peer-to-peer communications software empowers staff to keep each other informed of store-level logistical details such as ordering or maintenance issues for optimal results.

10. Employee mobile app

Customers aren't the only ones who benefit from a mobile app. Employee facing mobile apps ensure your staff can always access their schedules and messages, so they always know what to expect when they arrive for work. The employee app should also allow staff to track their payroll, commissions and tips so there are no surprises at the end of the month. And finally, make sure that the app also provides transparency on their performance against KPIs and goals.

11. Reporting and analytics

Reporting and analytics give you a 360-degree view of your business, so you can slice and dice the data to draw meaningful conclusions. Rather than guessing at customer loyalty trends, robust analytics tools help you identify and track KPIs to drive actionable insights.

12. Inventory management

Gone are the days of hand stock counts and paper accounting. Salon inventory management solutions can help you process purchase orders, track receivables, and trigger alerts when stock counts are running low. If you operate a multi-location business, you can easily transfer inventory between locations and even process online sales from a central location.

13. Marketing and customer communications

Text or email reminders reduce no shows and cancellations, and marketing tools help you create a consistent look and feel across all of your channels. Integrated marketing tools allow you to target specific customers based on their purchase and visit history, and use automated tools to send only the best offers directly from your spa or salon management software.

14. Lead and sales management

To grow your business, it's imperative that you track leads and sales through every stage of the process. Lead and sales management tools provide reminders and follow ups to help your staff stay on top of them, plus robust reporting tools that offer insight into which strategies are most effective.

Remember...

No matter what technology you're considering, remember that it's crucial to take integration capabilities into account when choosing software for your salon and spa. If your software systems aren't able to communicate effectively with each other, they won't deliver the seamless customer or operational experience you need to drive results. Zenoti is an all-in-one, cloud-based software solution for salons and spas. Want to learn more? Contact us for a demo today.