The world has changed dramatically since spring , 2020 , and as people continue to emerge from isolation and visits to spas and hospitality businesses increase , these businesses may need to rethink some existing practices .
Interest in wellness is exploding around the globe and opportunities to recoup revenue lost during hard times , and position your business for success , are plentiful . Are you ready for it ?
We ’ ve created a checklist of seven items your spa will need to thrive in this exciting new realm of possibilities .
Online booking
If you think of online booking as a nice-to-have , you need to update your thinking .
It ’ s now a necessity .
Research has found that a majority of people get frustrated with waiting on hold and that nearly 70 % of respondents would choose to book ( medical ) appointments online if the option is available , vs only 22 % who would choose to book by phone . And consumers don ’ t want to work around your schedule . One study found that nearly 60 % of doctor ’ s appointments were booked outside of office hours .
Online booking frees up frontdesk staff time to focus on other tasks , which is valuable when
so many spas are understaffed . It helps you keep better track of operations because everything shows automatically in your system , making scheduling and reporting easier . Online booking also helps you capture any bookings that you might otherwise miss from people trying to book outside of business hours . This helps increase revenue and make up for revenue lost during shutdowns .
A cloud-based software system
The cloud
is accessible from anywhere in the world , meaning spa employees can view their schedules , client information , and more , in real-time from anywhere This information can even be shared across multiple locations , streamlining operations and meaning guests can go to any of your spas without having to share their personal and credit card information more than once – a guest experience gamechanger . Cloud software also uses a subscription model and utility pay structure meaning you pay based on volume and can customize your software needs as you scale up . And upgrades are automatic . Conversely , for on-premise software , you pay upfront to install the software and again every time you want to upgrade . This requires IT involvement , a scheduled onpremise upgrade .
Contactless experiences
As we move into whatever normal is going to look like , there will be many different comfort levels . Some people will jump right back into full face-to-face interactions while others will be more reticent , and
we should meet them wherever they are . Contactless experience options will help with this . Virtual intake forms allow guests to fill out their information remotely , reducing crowding in waiting areas , and saving time entering the information manually into your system . Contactless check-in and check-out allow guests to come and go without having to stop at the front desk .
Contactless treatment and service options are also smart menu additions , as they serve to accommodate more reserved guests and can help make up for the shortage of staff that many spas are currently facing .
Also , if the pandemic has taught us anything , it ’ s that things can turn on a dime . Adding these options can help you better prepare for another disruption , be it a pandemic or something else .
ILHA 29