Pat Shanahan, CEO of DaySmart Software, discusses why employee experience matters more than ever, and how spas can improve employee experience.
Employee satisfaction has long been discussed as a supplementary aspect of business planning. Now, with studies showing more than half of the national workforce is planning on finding a new job in the next year, this ‘Great Resignation’ has business owners rethinking that perspective. The reality is, employee experience should be a central aspect of business strategy, especially now as hiring and retaining talent is more difficult than ever.
Keeping employees happy in their positions will ensure spa owners have the help they need to maintain daily operations, and beyond that, superior customer service. As many appointment-based small businesses are seeing increasing demand, spas need all the resources available to continue providing top-quality service and keep business running smoothly. Fortunately, technology can help with much of that heavy lifting and the right business management software can make all the difference.
Automation is Within Reach
Business management software allows spas to automate many daily tasks that create frustration and drain employees’ time and energy. Automation may sound like a tool exclusive to enterprise businesses, but with business management software designed specifically for spas, automation is simple, efficient and cost-effective. With automation, employees are free to focus on the more fulfilling aspects of their jobs, such as client services, treatments, and developing new skills.
Tasks that often get put off, like inventory, can suddenly be done with a few clicks of a mouse or taps on a screen. With automated inventory, spas gain insight into their active product lines and all relevant details like size, stock count, supplier, and brand. Product reordering is easy when software lets you know when you’re running low. Employees won’t have to worry about the tedium of manual inventory, and the end result will be highly accurate without the possibility of human error.
In fact, the overall employee experience quickly improves by automating boring and repetitive tasks such as appointment scheduling and customer reminders. For instance, spas that use business software for online scheduling allow customers to self-schedule. This way, employees aren’t tied to the phone all day trying to fit appointments across calendars with no overlap. Customers simply choose an appointment slot that works for them from the available time. The best software will automatically notify employees of new appointment requests, allowing them to accept or decline, keeping clients updated through all parts of the process. This requires minimal time and effort, unburdening employees and simplifying the process for customers.
Happier Employees Means Happier Customers
When administrative tasks are automated, employees get to spend their days accomplishing rewarding tasks and solving more complex problems. This ultimately leads to happier employees who enjoy their work and foster a positive workplace culture. For spas, this is essential as customers will have a better overall experience when they enter this environment. Clients at spas want to feel relaxed and pampered when they walk in the door – stressed, overworked employees aren’t able to provide that atmosphere.
Not only that, but happy employees have been shown to be more productive, which means they will accomplish more throughout the day. At a time when hiring is difficult and businesses may be short-staffed, spas should prioritize employee happiness for the positive impacts on their bottom line. Even if your team is spread thin, employees who are enjoying their work will get more done, which is essential during the business boom/employee shortage many are experiencing with reopening.
As small businesses report an increasingly critical labor shortage, supporting staff with business management software can go a long way toward relieving overwhelmed employees. It’s also a selling point to advertise in hiring efforts that can differentiate your spa from others in the industry. Since applicants have their choice of job openings, the fact that your employees won’t have to do busy work may just make the difference to potential new hires.
Get Employees Back to What They Love
Spa professionals didn’t get into the industry to focus most of their days on inventory and scheduling; they did it because they love providing services to customers that improve their health and wellbeing. Helping clients feel good is what the spa industry is all about, but employees can’t do that if they’re spending their days on administrative tasks. Business management software for spas lets employees get back to doing what they love while also ensuring that operations run even more efficiently. In the end, this results in customers getting incredible service and coming back for more again and again.