Now that we’ve been living with the changes we’ve had to make for some time, we’re adapting to a new way of being and realizing that some of them will be permanent, or at least long lived.

By Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time

As we look into the new year, I see good developments on the horizon. There will be a trend towards adopting more digital technologies to simplify processes, enhance the guest experience, save time and money, and facilitate sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability is one of the biggest trends we’ll see in 2022. A lot of efforts related to sustainability were put on hold over the past two years because of the pandemic and the sudden ubiquity of disposable masks, hand sanitizer bottles, and individually packaged items. Now that we’ve been living with the changes we’ve had to make for some time, we’re adapting to a new way of being and realizing that some of them will be permanent, or at least long lived.

This means reinstating some of the elements that were put on hold. In her Spotlight interview this month, Amanda Frasier, Forbes Travel Guide’s (FTG) Executive Vice President of Standards & Ratings, talked about the fact that FTG removed the requirement for a hotel or spa to offer a buffet service during the pandemic as a concession to health and safety concerns. Now, she says, FTG is bringing that requirement back because it’s an enhancement to the guest experience, but is rewriting it with some modifications that better suit how people now think about communal buffets.

Similarly, sustainability initiatives may look different in a year or two than they do now, and we don’t yet know what this might mean. We do know, however, that some of the practices that were introduced out of necessity will remain in place, and that these serve to enhance both health and safety and sustainability. Virtual intake forms, online booking, and contactless check-in, check-out, and payments, for example, help reduce shared touchpoints and paper waste.

Going paperless will soon be considered a standard best practice, and this will also include QR codes and digital menus. The entire contactless experience that we’ve been talking about will have a life of its own and new meaning in terms of consumer experience. Guests will choose their services, book online, and fill out forms before they even set foot in the spa, and when they physically arrive, they will check in on their devices and the devices will advise them where to go and what procedures to follow.

Digital technology will continue to drive more efficiencies, and the way that spas interact with customers will evolve. This has the added bonus of alleviating some of the stress spas are experiencing these days from being limited on staff. Existing staff will be more able to focus more on high value services and less on tasks that require being behind the computer.

Digital tech will also facilitate cancellation policies and allow spas to collect customer credit card information in a secure fashion online, without having to provide this over the phone, which can have an element of risk.

It’s exciting that we have these technologies available to help us create life changing guest experiences and ease the pressure on our teams and ourselves. People taking full advantage of the things that can make life easier and better is one trend I hope to see a lot more of.  

We’ve released a list of the spa & wellness trends we’ll be watching next year. Click here to download the Handbook: Seven wellness trends for 2022

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If you’re managing a spa, you’re pulled in a millions different directions at once. Spa management software can make your life a lot easier. 

Running a spa means juggling a lot to keep things running smoothly. There’s so much to do, from booking appointments and looking after guests, to managing and supporting your staff, day-to-day administration, tracking KPIs, and keeping stakeholders happy – often while understaffed. There are ways to make this life easier with spa management software.

Software is an incredible tool that can help you streamline operations, track data, understand your business operations, take care of admin work, maintain guest relationships, and more.

Here’s how spa management software makes your life easier.

Integrations are easy with spa management software

If you’re using other systems, like a property management system, point of sale system, or access control system, you want to integrate all your systems for a seamless guest experience, to save time, and to make everything more efficient. In software, an integration is where two solutions exchange data.

Say Company A is a retail POS solution and Company B is an eCommerce solution. A retail business that uses Company A’s solution for instore purchases and Company B’s solution for online purchases without an integration has to manually track stock levels every time a sale is made online or in store, to ensure they don’t sell something they don’t have. This is a tedious and time-consuming task that leaves plenty of room for error.

An integration allows Company B to share transaction information with Company A and vice versa, and inventory levels are adjusted automatically. Easy.

This is just one example of how software integrations make life easy. Integrations allow businesses to save time, improve customer experience, run smoothly and do things they would never be able to do otherwise.

Understanding your business operations is easy

A comprehensive reporting suite is the key to understanding what’s happening in your business, so you can see what’s working and what isn’t, optimize operations and set realistic projections for the future based on real-time data.

Tracking your KPIs manually is a time-consuming nightmare and there is no excuse for doing it anymore. Data is king and you must be able to access and understand your own data if you want to be competitive in today’s market. Real-time intelligence and dashboards provide you with reports on occupancy, operational efficiency, sales performance, and other KPIs (service specific reports, for example, allow you to conduct analyses of the success/failure of special promotions) and are easy to export to Excel. All of this puts the power to improve your business into your own hands.

Administrative tasks are easy

The right software takes care of administrative tasks so that you can focus on the guest experience. For example, you can save hours of time with automated end-of-day reports and financial summaries, and calculation of pay rates and commissions earned on products and services sold. The information you need is easily extracted, making payroll the information you need to run payroll.

Shane Bird, Director of Spa Operations at Turning Stone Resort Casino told us that using Book4Time’s booking and payment systems allowed Turning Stone to reduce time spent on payroll from 6-7 hours a week to about 15 minutes. This is a 95% reduction in time spent or 350 hours saved per year.

Bird also said, “It was taking another 5-6 hours every day for someone in finance to sit and audit the transactions. Book4Time has eliminated all of that. We estimate that our time spent on administrative tasks overall was reduced by about 92%, which is monstrous.”

Software will also automatically track loyalty points and update balances on customer accounts. It easily integrates with a hotel PMS, processes room charges in real-time, and can transfer all spa revenue to your hotel system. Plus, inventory management is a breeze when you can centrally track and view balances  across all of your locations in real time with a central, cloud-based online tool. Track purchase order progress in real time over the cloud, automatically update on-hand counts, easily record received products, and more.

Personalizing the guest experience is easy

Centrally managed notes, guest profiling, and automatic alerts allow you to log all of your guest information, build customer profiles, and give your staff quick access to that information, across multiple locations. This makes it easy to personalize guest experience, no matter which of your spas they’re visiting.

Build relationships and make emotional connections. Be ready before the guest arrives at your spa. Access purchase history, preferences, and more, collected across multiple points of contact. Keep notes of customers’ important dates, like birthdays and anniversaries, and records of conversation topics, so staff and therapists can pick up where they left off and ask about that recent trip to Europe or family member’s graduation.

This level of personalization makes people feel seen and appreciated and there is no stronger relationship builder than making someone feel seen and appreciated.

Justifying your needs is easy

Hotel and resort spa directors may have to go through several layers of approval before being able to upgrade or make any changes. Spa and wellness has traditionally had a difficult time justifying costs and is often regarded as an afterthought. Stakeholders want to see that their investment will be returned, which is hard to demonstrate without evidence of past success. Comprehensive reporting dashboards are the answer. With these, it’s easy to pull up the numbers to show exactly how well your spa is doing, how it could be doing better, and exactly what you need to make that happen. The proof is at your fingertips.

Daisy Tepper, Spa Director at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, a Forbes Five Star hotel and spa, is a great example. She used Book4Time’s reports to justify the cost of a new treatment room. She said, “The treatment room utilization shows us how much money our rooms are pulling in and what we can do better regarding occupancy. This report actually allowed me to justify the cost of a new treatment room for the spa. The owner of the Post Oak is all about performance and he needs to see justification before he can decide if he’s going to expand the spa and how. I ran the report and he could immediately see the benefit, so he gave me the money to build another one. I’m happy to report that we’re getting a beautiful new couples suite with a fireplace!”

Are you ready to make your life easier?

There are a number of different spa management software solutions on the market. One of the top platforms for hotels and spas today is Book4Time, which offers more than 200 reports and has the widest scope of integrations in the industry. There are many things our customers love about our software, but we think the one thing we hear most often is that they love how easy it is to use.  

Daisy Tepper, who we mentioned above, Spa Director at the Post Oak Hotel, said, “When you hire someone, the easier the system is for them to learn, the better for us. [Book4Time is] very user-friendly. That’s what I was looking for, and that’s what I got.”

Vivian Villamizar, Spa Director at The Palms AVEDA Spa, Miami Beach, also told Spa Executive that Book4Time is “very user friendly.” She said, “I have therapists who didn’t even dare to use our system before, They now feel very confident about using the software system.”

And Jane Fellows, Spa Manager at The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, said, “I think the thing that I hear from most of the team is that they like the ease of actually reading the diary and the interface itself. If you’ve got a busy day, it’s easy to look at the screen and you can see the provider, the guest, the treatment, the room that will be used. It’s very straightforward. They don’t have to dig into anything to find any information.

“It’s very simple and easy to read. I run a report and it’s got what I need.”

Are you ready to make your life easier? Contact Book4Time to find out how.

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Software is a tool that, like any other tool, can be used for the most basic functions or imbued with deeper purpose. Here’s how your spa software should foster community. 

By Cynthia Connelly, Vice President of Customer Success, Book4Time 

The importance of community in the hospitality, spa and wellness industries has been front and centre in recent months. As we move into a new era and way of operating, our communities have become increasingly valuable for navigating a new landscape. ISPA town halls in which industry leaders come together to share ideas and experiences with one another have provided insight and guidance, as well as feelings of comfort and reassurance that we’re all going through the same shared experiences and have each other’s best interests at heart.

Communication and staying connected are key to survival. Fortunately, our industry is one in which even fierce competitors tend towards connection over antagonism. And this is what will keep us vibrant and innovative, even in the hardest of times.

Community building can be fostered in more ways than one and in ways that might not immediately come to mind. For example: by your software partner.

Software is a tool that, like any other tool, can be used for the most basic functions or imbued with deeper purpose. A hammer is used to hit things, and can also be used to build structures that provide living spaces and create communities. Software has been used in more meaningful ways than anyone could ever count.

Here are three levels on which your spa software partner should support and foster community relationships.

Your partner community

A partner should care deeply about your shared relationship and this should be evident in their product and company conduct.

Customer support should be 24/7 and 110% focused on ensuring that any issues are responded to with quality information and follow up. Customer success managers should be dedicated to developing long-term relationships based on business needs and should help you achieve desired outcomes.

Training and onboarding should be comprehensive and thorough, and designed to ensure self-sufficiency, while still guaranteeing availability for support should need arise. Moreover, seamless integrations with existing systems can help harmonious relationships between suppliers and between you and your guests.

This is the core of where your community begins.

Your guest community

From the core you expand into your guest community. Your spa software should make your Customer Relationship Management easy. This is achieved with functionalities that include collecting information through centrally managed notes and document tracking to create a personalized guest experience, an absolute must in today’s world.

Statistics show that: 

• More than two in five consumers (42%) say that if a company doesn’t provide them with a personalized experience, they’re likely to switch brands.
• Even if a product or service disappoints, 72% of consumers say they’ll give the company a second chance if it provides a hyper-personal customer experience.
• More than half (63%) of consumers expect personalization as a standard of service.
• 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after a more personalized experience.

Creating these experiences makes guests feel valued and appreciated. Should your company have multiple locations, this should continue with sharing of notes across all of them so that your guest feels like a part of your community wherever they are in the world. And this should flow through to your continued communication with guests between treatments, including collecting feedback and maintaining contact. Community doesn’t just happen when you’re in each other’s presence. It’s an understanding that you belong together, even when you’re apart.

Your industry community

Moving out into the whole of the circle, as mentioned, finding support within the whole of our industry is going to be even more important in the future. A software company worth partnering with should always be listening, gathering information, and using that information to make improvements. Any company with a wide customer base that includes hotels, resorts, spas, and casinos, should be tapping into those resources for insight and then creating solutions into which we can all share.

One of the things that we plan to do at Book4Time is develop a series of customer advisory boards. These boards of industry professionals will be grouped by areas like subject matter, special interest, or unique geographical location, and encouraged to share their experience, feedback, and any pain points. We will then take these insights into consideration when developing and improving functionalities. The idea is to bring people together to strategize on how we might do things differently and better.

Don’t underestimate the potential for your software partner to play a big role in your community.

Partners should be in tune with the industry, while professional organizations such as ISPA and the Global Wellness Institute ensure that the community is broad, inclusive and engaged. Whether you work for Accor, Four Seasons, Marriott, Jumeirah, or an independent company, everyone has similar objectives. We will achieve these objectives, and surpass them, more efficiently together, as a community.

Spa Executive is published by Book4Time, the leader in guest management, revenue and mobile solutions for the most exclusive spas, hotels, and resorts around the globe. Learn more at book4time.com.

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If you think switching spa management software systems has to be a scary and stressful experience, here’s some good news for you.

Changing the software you use for your spa or wellness business can be a daunting prospect. If you’re like many people, even when things aren’t working as well as you would like, you’re scared that something else might be worse. So, you stick with the thing that isn’t working. 

But, while change is scary, if you don’t keep up with technological developments, you will fall behind. Need proof? Just look at all the examples of businesses and industries that didn’t read the writing on the wall, like newspapers, analog camera companies, and even former dotcom giant, Yahoo.

Fortunately, change doesn’t have to be nearly as difficult as you might think.

Legacy systems can leave you stuck in the past

If you’re running on a legacy system, you’re probably missing out on important technological advances that can make or break your business success in the new world.  

Does your current software company offer everything you need to succeed? This includes, but isn’t limited to: 

• Online and mobile appointment booking 
• Staff and payroll management 
• Inventory management 
• Customer relationship management (CRM) 
• Revenue management 
• Seamless integrations 
• Business intelligence and reporting management  
• Reliable data security
• Responsive and fast customer support 
• Communication across multiple locations 

Switching spa software can be easy

If your software does not offer these things, it’s time to switch. This might sound scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Yes, with the wrong company, switching can be a nightmare. With the right company, switching can be painless, maybe even fun. 

Here’s the key: when evaluating a new provider, look for one that offers the features and functionality that meet your needs, PLUS the services and support you need to make an easy switch with minimal interruption for your business, and people you can actually talk to. 

Look for a company that can provide the following:

 Remote setup and installation

 Often, when you switch software, you have to have teams come onto your site to set up and install servers. Cloud software can be set up entirely remotely, requiring no disruption in your spa space. It also takes up no room, as the server is stored in the cloud.

 Gradual implementation

It’s not unheard of for a business to have to shut down for a week or so for installation, setup, and training on a new software system. You probably can’t afford that. Ideally, a software company allows you to take your time and do the installation, set up, and training over the course of several weeks, rather than cramming everything into a few days. This way, you can continue running your business uninterrupted. 

Subscription payment model & minimal upfront cost

The upfront cost of switching to an on-premise system can be huge — plus the cost of additional licenses and functionalities, should you wish to add them later. Cloud software is purchased by subscription, meaning there is no big initial spend and payments are more manageable.  

Data importing

Some software companies, particularly legacy systems, require that you manually enter all your own data, including product, service, gift card, and customer contact information when switching. This can take days, or even weeks. Look for a software company that allows you to import the information into a spreadsheet and then do the input for you.

It may never feel like the right time to make a big change like switching your spa software. But, if you choose carefully and do your research, switching can be much easier than you expect, and the rewards will be worth it.

To learn more about how easy it can be to change software providers, download our guide to the ease of switching your spa management software. 

Click here to download our guide to The ease of switching your spa management software. 

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The cloud software vs. on premise debate remains a big one. Which should you choose for your spa? Here’s why cloud is the clear winner.

When choosing a software solution for your spa or wellness business, you want one that is within your budget with the functionality to successfully run your company. To find those things, you’re going to have to decide between a cloud solution and an on-premise one. Which should you go for?

The answer is actually simple: the cloud is a better solution for almost every business.

Cloud software vs. on premise: what are we talking about?

Before we get into comparisons, let’s answer the question of what we’re talking about when we say “cloud” software vs “on premise.” “Cloud computing” means storing, managing and processing your data and programs on a network of remote servers, rather than on a local server or personal computer. Examples include iCloud, Gmail, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce. Conversely, “on premise” means storing and accessing data and programs on your computer’s hard drive or a central server somewhere on your premises. Examples include, purchasing a Microsoft office license and installing it on your computer.

 Why is the cloud a superior option for almost every business these days?  Here are five reasons:

1. Accessibility

When it comes to accessibility, there is no competition. The cloud is accessible from anywhere in the world where there is internet access, meaning spa employees can view their schedules, client information, and more, in real time from wherever they are. Even better, if your business has multiple locations, cloud software makes it easy to share information across all of them. This is a guest experience game changer, since a guest can go to any of your spas without having to share their personal and credit card information more than once.

On-premise software can’t offer this functionality, as its use is limited to the computers and servers on which it has been installed.

2. Cost

Cost is one of the biggest advantages of cloud software solutions. On-premise software requires that you pay the full price of the software upfront, and then for any additional licenses, should you wish to add more users later. 

Cloud software is purchased by subscription, meaning more manageable payments, and typically uses a utility pay structure by user and access level, meaning you only pay for what you use, and services can be added or removed as needs change. Cloud software also saves the cost of the IT staff that would be required to maintain an on-premise solution, as well as the cost of the IT infrastructure you would have to put in place if you haven’t got one already.

3. Ease of implementation and maintenance

Cloud software is fully accessible online and requires no hardware or installation on your part. The software company takes care of these things for you, and complimentary training documents and videos are typically offered by the company to help get you up and running. On-premise software, on the other hand, must be installed on your computer and/or servers and requires in-house IT infrastructure and a team to maintain it and make regular updates. With cloud software, the vendor is responsible for maintaining the data warehouses and any hardware on their end. Updates are made regularly and are shared with the customer as the product continues to improve.

4. Security

Security is a top priority for any company that stores data – a breach can be devastating. You might think your company data is safer in your own hands, but is it? A 2019 survey of nearly 300 C-level security professionals found that a majority now believe the risk of a security breach is the same or lower in cloud environments compared to on premise.

One reason may be that cloud software companies are required to do their due diligence to ensure that they’re compliant with privacy laws, like HIPAA, and that their data is secure. Although on-premise software platforms are also required to be compliant, there may be a need for further monitoring and management in house. This often requires more work on your part – elevating your level of exposure and risk.

A good cloud software company is constantly updating security measures, because security is their top priority too. A breach would ruin them, so someone is always paying attention. It’s their business to notice suspicious activity and to alert you immediately. Can you, with confidence, say the same of anyone running your in-house IT service? Moreover, the ability to control access levels lets you limit who has high-level access to data, which can ease concerns about an inside breach (some estimates are that half of breaches are inside jobs). 

That being said, not all cloud companies are created equal. It’s important to ask pointed questions regarding security before purchasing a software, and choose a company that has the right measures in place. 

 5. Customer support

On-premise software often has the advantage with customer support, because users can turn directly to their in-house IT team. Getting customer support from a cloud software company can be a whole other story, and it can sometimes take days to get a response to a request, meaning stretches of downtime interrupting business operations. However, there are companies out there, like Book4Time, that take customer support very seriously, won’t leave you waiting, and will work with you until your issue is resolved. Because keeping your business up and running is our business. Always ask about a company’s customer support and turnaround time on support requests before making a purchase decision. If they can’t give you a satisfactory answer, run.

There is obviously a lot to consider when purchasing software for your spa or wellness business. Do your research and ask all the important questions. If you want to keep costs down with an easily accessible solution, you’ll probably find that a cloud software solution is the right choice.

Check out our spa and wellness trends to watch for 2020. Sign up for Spa Executive’s newsletter and download the free report! CLICK HERE >>

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com.

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When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, time management is often at the top of the list for leaders. Here’s how spa software can help with your time management.

Time management is something almost every business owner and manager grapples with. Whether you’re running a business of one or managing a team of hundreds, productivity is forever something to be optimized and time management is a key element of that puzzle.

One of the keys to optimal time management is not spending time on tasks that can take care of themselves. This is particularly relevant in spa and wellness, where guest experience is of the utmost importance and resources, including time to optimize that experience, are often limited. So, why would anyone manually take on work that spa management software can do for them, and even do a better job of it?

If optimizing your time management and increasing productivity are among your New Year’s resolutions for 2020, consider these 5 ways that spa software can help.

Online and mobile booking

It’s clear to most people by now that online and mobile booking increase revenue for a variety of reasons. For example, because millennials prefer texting over calling and because increasing numbers of people will not leave a voicemail and will not call back if their call isn’t answered on the first attempt. So, if you miss that call you lose that customer. Online and mobile booking also saves staff time that would otherwise be spent on the phone taking appointments, which can be significant.

Reporting dashboard

It can take a full day or more to manually create, look over and interpret your business reports. From revenue streams to occupancy to employee performance, there is a lot to keep track of, and doing this manually eats up a lot of time. It also creates more room for error than most of us should be comfortable with. A comprehensive reporting dashboard, like the one offered by Book4Time, saves all of this time and turns hours of work into just a few minutes a week. Customers repeatedly state that Book4Time’s reporting dashboard has made a world of difference to the way they operate and has freed up time to focus on other things.

Customer surveys

One of the most important aspects of creating an excellent customer experience is collecting feedback from guests so that you can rise to meet their needs and expectations. The only way to know for sure if a guest is happy or unhappy, and whether you could be doing something better, is to ask, since a majority won’t actually tell you unless you do. Spa management software should be automating this process for you, so that you don’t even have to think about it, sending surveys to guests after their visits to your spa. Once you have gathered this information you can immediately take any actions required to improve the experience, which might include making fast fixes for mistakes or missed opportunities.

Scheduling

Manually creating an employee schedule is a big task. Matching team member availability to requirements and occupancy is convoluted and can result in overstaffing in some places and holes in others. It can take hours, depending on the size of your business, and still yield unsatisfactory results. Add reviewing time sheets to that time. Why would you want this headache when software can take care of all this for you, and also allow staff to read their own schedules from anywhere at the same time?

Inventory tracking

Managing inventory is a tedious task but ignoring it can cost you. You want to ensure that guests always have their favourite products available to them and that you don’t wind up with a pile of unpopular products going to waste on your spa’s shelves. This means keeping track of sales and replenishing orders where necessary. Manually inputting inventory data can result in errors and also takes time that would be better spent on other things. Software, like Book4Time, will not only save you time by taking care of inventory tracking, it will also eliminate human error. Book4Time also automates replenishing products for you.

It’s good business practice to take a look at how you’re spending your time to see where you could be spending it better. This will seriously benefit your bottom line.

We’ve released our spa and wellness trends to watch for 2020. Sign up for Spa Executive’s newsletter and download the free report! CLICK HERE >>

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com.

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The customer satisfaction survey is a key element of spa business success. Some people balk at the idea of soliciting feedback – I once heard a manager refer to the idea of sending a survey as “crazy” – but you should do it.

The only way to know if your customers are happy is to ask them

If you want to know if your customers are happy, you have to ask. A vast majority of people will not complain after a negative experience with a brand; they just won’t go back. (Think about it. Do you complain every time you’re dissatisfied with a product or service? Or do you just write off the business and look elsewhere?) And an experience doesn’t necessarily have to be negative in order for a customer to not return. In many cases it just has to be “not great,” which is pretty much interchangeable with “not bad.” Of course, you don’t want a “not bad” rating. You want a rating of “excellent” or its equivalent. And the only way to know if you’re hitting that target is to ask. A customer satisfaction survey is the way to do this. These can be sent through platforms like SurveyMonkey.

Surveys are opportunities for retention and acquisition

Surveys are also an opportunity to work on customer retention and acquisition – if a spa guest is dissatisfied with their experience, you have the chance to make amends and try to keep them as a customer. If a guest is thrilled with their experience, you can ask for a referral or review. Customer satisfaction surveys also tell you where you need to improve.

Here are a few tips for sending a survey that people will complete:

1. Provide an incentive. Offer a gift or discount for taking the survey. Why should anyone invest their time otherwise?

2. Keep it short. People are busy and they do not want to spend more than a few minutes on your survey.

3. Stick to the point. If it’s a customer satisfaction survey, stick to that. It can be tempting to add extra questions in an attempt to get more information and expand your scope, like “What other products would you like to see in our retail store?” or “How many spas did you contact before making an appointment with us?” but those questions are for another time. Keep it short or you risk respondents abandoning the survey.

Questions to ask in a customer satisfaction survey

Now, here’s a list of questions to ask in  customer experience survey that can help you get the information you’re looking for. You might not want to ask them all.

When booking your appointment was the experience simple and intuitive?

Yes/No

How did you book your appointment?

Online
Mobile
Phone
In person
Other (please specify)

On a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being excellent and 1 being terrible, how would you rate your experience with our front desk staff?

Did your appointment start on time?

Yes/No

Who was/were your service provider(s)?

What services did you have?

(List of services you offer)

Did you feel that your service provider(s) was/were knowledgeable and professional?

Yes/No

On a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being excellent and 1 being terrible, how satisfied are you with your experience in our spa?

On a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being very likely and 1 being not at all likely, how likely are you to recommend us to friends and family?

What else would you like us to know?

(Comment box)

Don’t leave loose ends

Do include the comment box. There may be something the guest would like to discuss with you that they didn’t want to complain about at the time. They might think “Well, OK. I’ll tell you. Since you asked…”

I’ve have done this, myself; not complained at the time of an unpleasant customer service incident but later said something when asked in a survey.

If there is a complaint, do follow up and make amends. This is your chance to win back a customer you would otherwise have lost. The incident I just mentioned was with a hotel. They followed up with an apology, a $50 gift card, and a pair of socks for my daughter. This was a nice surprise and I have since spent far more than the value of the gift card and socks with this company. Everyone won.

Don’t leave loose ends and your bottom line will reflect that. Ask and you shall receive the information you need.

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com.

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