Selecting a Web application to help you manage and market your business can be a similar experience. An attractive web site with an impressive list of features and functions can make you believe that you've found just what you need. I evaluate our competitors regularly and I have even been fooled once or twice. Unfortunately, just like in life, sometimes you've married it before you find the brick.
Your true test is always going to be in working with the web-application itself. You must be able to try out all features and functions that your business will require. A sales person demo or watching a "pretty" video does not constitute trying out an application.
Technology can be a tricky business. In our 6 years of providing online appointment booking and Salon & Spa Management services to beauty professionals we've seen a lot of pretty faces that do not have the technology to back up their claims.
We've seen some of our competitors post images of features that are not really available in their system. We've seen several remodel their "pretty"web site 3-5 times without ever making changes to dinosaur technologies their clients are struggling with on a daily basis. Applications with old technology or patched together pieces of multiple old can be very bad for business.
Key things to watch out for as you build a list of Salon and Spa Management solutions you want to evaluate are:
- Disk-installed applications that have some "web-based" features can be complicated to maintain and may not be able to keep up with browser and handheld device technology.
- If you can't use a system as a self-serve demo online or if there are start-up or set-up fees, chances are the system is not user-friendly.
- If the screens in the system look like an old design - the system is probably old technology which can cause you problems going forward in this web-centric world. This is especially important if you are considering purchasing a product rather than signing up for a monthly service.
Key things to look for inside an application are:
- Is there flexibility in the main functions? Here are a couple of examples...Can you quickly add a client record while booking a new client or do you have to go to a "create client record" screen and do a full separate step before being able to accomplish this task. Can you assign custom service times and prices by professional or do you have to edit this information every time you book a service or check out a client? These small conveniences make a HUGE difference in daily ease of use for you and your staff. They also help prevent mistakes and help provide better customer service. Basic processes like appointment booking and checkout should not be painful.
- Overall system navigation: Can you quickly get to where you want to go in calendar views? We've seen systems that claim to be for Salon/Spa professionals where a user must navigate the views one calendar day at a time. Our system boasts a minimum 2 month individual date view-access with up to 12 months in view in one click. Most Salon/Spa professionals work on a 2-8 week repeat appointment basis, so daily navigation is extremely cumbersome trying to manage appointment schedules.
- Is there really Real-time Online Appointment Booking? Real-time online appointment booking means your client logs-in selects an appointment and it is immediately placed directly into your schedule. Any system that requires you as the professional or administrator to confirm the appointment to the client before it is considered "booked" is nothing more than an email request. Many companies claim to have online booking that really do not.
There are too many "ugly" problems to list them all in this post, but hopefully you get the idea. You must look beyond a pretty facade or fast talking sales person and you must use an application before you commit because you will be spending a lot of time together!
