As a salon /spa owner or manager, you are well versed with the gamut of back end processes that are required for smooth operation. The sequence of processes on any given day include accepting bookings, organizing schedules raising invoices, processing payments, managing your employees, managing your inventory and collecting customer feedback. Juggling between these tasks can be quite overwhelming, and therefore it is absolutely necessary that the administrative processes are not only streamlined but also run highly efficiently. In an ideal situation, the software should efficiently do the administrative tasks involved in running the salon/spa and leave you with enough time to focus on other business aspects such as marketing, customer relations, strategy, and revenue generation. Thus, in order to excel at your business it is only natural that you expect the best out of the technology that you adopt to run your processes. With the salon/spa POS software market filled with plethora of choices how do you ascertain which one is the best? Read along to know about the important salon POS system features, which must be present in the software.
- Quick Hassle Free Appointments
The appointment management system of a salon POS system should be such that it can accomplish all tasks commencing from enrolling a new client to confirming and appointment, and in as few steps as possible. A good salon / spa software will have a platform which quickly enrolls a new client, and schedules an appointment in not more than 8 steps. Further, the system should be able to accept and consolidate bookings received through multiple channels such as website, app, chatbots etc. Once the appointment is confirmed, and put into the relevant work schedules of the salon the system should track the progress and send automated reminders to the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the appointment translates into a revenue generating transaction.
- Centralized Database
People centric businesses need to maintain a comprehensive database on their clients. From basic information such as name, contact details, and birthdays to customer’s product and service choices and preferred payment methods all such information are necessary to enable the business to be able to better serve the clients. An important hair salon point of sale system feature is a centralized customer database management. A well-crafted POS system will not only have this module existing in the basic system but also will be designed to allow customers to make necessary update in their records on their own. With a comprehensive up-to-date client information, which includes the purchase history for both products and services, the software will empower the businesses to make better service pitch to the client.
- Invoicing, Payments & Accounting
Ranking amongst the common salon POS system features, the invoicing, payments and accounting system is a no brainer. For every transaction that is generated, the system should be able to generate invoices, and accept payments through multiple gateways. Some of the popular software such as the one from Zenoti is able to accept payment through multiple payment gateways such as Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay etc. Further, with each transaction being recorded there is complete traceability. For recurring payments, system generates a schedule of upcoming payments due and sends automated reminders.
- Inventory Management
For any business to be able to run successfully, it has to arrive at the optimal inventory of inputs that are required to deliver on its commitments. Within the beauty and wellness industry the need of accurate inventory management is perhaps nowhere as important as it is for a salon /spa as they tend to have higher loss due to human errors. Your ideal salon/spa software should have an inventory management module that can give you a real time information of the stock in hand and also send information about future procurements. By designing an efficient system, you can reduce your overheads by over 10% and prevent blocking capital in inventory.
- Reporting
As it with any software that is designed to help run the operations of a business, the salon software should be equipped to provide on demand reports. Whether it is daily sales, cash flow statements, revenue or sales the software should be able to generate reports in a single click that can be accessed anytime from anywhere. The salon POS system should be able to provide multi report selection with data variables as per the requirement of the management. With on demand reporting, managers and owners can review the business performance on the go, and take the necessary strategic decisions, including the ones to regain lost customers.
- CRM Module
For your salon/spa to stand out and appeal to the customers, it is important for them to know that you take their feedback very seriously and do everything to resolve their concerns. Thus, the salon / spa software that you deploy must have a robust CRM module which not only records client feedback but also analyzes it to check for issues that are repeatedly being highlighted by clients. Further, should any client ever provide a negative feedback or raise a complaint, the system should help track the progress of resolution and keep the client abreast about the development.
Considering the benefits that comes from deploying a salon / spa POS system, we understand that you may be tempted to get one immediately. However, we do hope that you will actively seek for the features mentioned above and conduct your due diligence. While searching for the best salon / spa software, it is also important to notice the signs that would indicate why a certain product may not be the right fit for your business model. So, a thorough understanding of your business processes is integral in ascertaining the best software for your operations.
