Independent spa consultant Anni Hood highlights some cost-effective systems to enable simple and smart spa management in your facilities

The New Year is always a great time to reassess, take stock and generally take a fresh approach to pretty much everything! However, the economy remains tough and no-one truly knows what this year will bring.

Everyone’s budget has been cut without exception and working smarter, not harder, is the name of the game. Efficient and effective management remains key and having the tools to be able to achieve that is vital.

I spend a huge amount of time looking for quick and relatively inexpensive ways for spas to be able to perform to their optimum. Training is at the base of all routes, however, there are some tools on the market that I’m particularly impressed with that are easy to use, efficient and at an incredibly low cost.

The first is a tool that is barely out of the blocks, but I was familiar several years ago with an associate system developed by the same founder that worked outstandingly well for both health and safety and general performance management.

The system is called Spasmatter2 and it is an absolute snip at GBP 250 or AED 1500 (US $404). This highly productive tool works by providing a series of simple routine checks that are carried out on a daily basis ranging from business management, marketing, human resources, health and safety and operating standards.

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It educates and develops knowledge through usage and is a valuable source of information and reference for more junior members of the management team, while at the same time providing vital checks for your business. As a manager or director, the time and effort that it takes to compile this sort of information and create a system to operate it is counter productive when these sorts of initiatives are readily available.

Using the framework that Spasmatter2 provides will help you and your team focus on the pinch points of your business and also ensure due diligence and increased efficiency. The system makes it impossible to overlook the vital KPIs of your business.

The second tool I mentioned in an article last year and still believe it to be an exceptionally cost effective and hugely beneficial tool to help you manage your business, as well as find and drive new business. SpaBooker is an online software system and is a division of SpaFinder, the world’s largest spa media, marketing and technology company.

As well as providing the necessary platform for operation, SpaBooker provides thousands if not millions of potential customers through its link with SpaFinder. The features of the model not only drive additional revenue but also enable spas to reduce labour as bookings can be so effectively driven online.

Cost control is also a key feature. There are ‘Enterprise’ and ‘Unlimited’ solutions based on the type of spa you have — from a standalone/multi-site day spa to a hotel operation — and the costs associated with it are dependent on the volume driven through the model rather than there being large one-off fees/licensing. The fee is based on 0.5% of sales through the system with a cap for both versions. It is the only software solution that I am aware of that drives new customers through your doors — that alone is hugely compelling, particularly in this climate!

Spa development specialist Anni Hood is based in the UK. Previously, she was group director of spas for Jumeirah Group in Dubai and is now working with Red Cashew on new spa projects.