How many daily appointments does your spa receive? Whatever the number is now, as your business continues to gain momentum, you can only expect it to go up.
You don’t want to wait until the number of appointments booked outpaces your capacity to handle them. Appointments can slip through the cracks, leaving you with unhappy customers who may not entrust your spa for their future business.
Rather than risk it, invest in the right software solution now.
This guide to spa appointment software will detail what it is, how it works, and how to choose, with nine recommendations to get your 2024 off to the best start.
Table of Contents
What Is Spa Appointment Software?
Spa booking software is built for handling day-to-day logistics without overwhelming your employees.
Some options are overall tools designed to facilitate every aspect of running a spa, while others specialize in only one or two services, such as gift cards, business management, or appointment booking.
Here are some features you might find in your spa software.
- Inventory management: Do you have the products your customers need? You won’t have to guess when your spa software can gauge product inventory in real-time.
- POS: Enter and finalize transactions in the software with point-of-sale capabilities. This will make it easier to track your spa’s sales and revenue.
- Employee management: Oversee details like payroll, work schedules, truancy, sick/vacation days, and other elements of employment, including shift scheduling, to maintain productivity in the spa.
- Booking: The star feature of spa scheduling software is the booking capability. Customers can make appointments through the software, which will log upcoming appointments and provide a calendar view.
- Notifications and reminders: Whether it’s time for a customer’s spa appointment or you’re running low on an aromatic oil, reminders keep you updated.
- Client data tracking: With time, the spa software accumulates customer data, including how often they book appointments, their preferred spa employee, how much money they spend, and which products and services they like. You can use this information to tailor email communications.
- Email marketing: Speaking of emails, some spa software options double as marketing tools. You can use email marketing to segment your audience, reach your clients, and automate emails.
- Loyalty programs: Launching a loyalty program is a great way to drive revenue and increase leads. You can manage your spa’s loyalty program entirely within the software, simplifying this initiative.
- Integrations: You must expect salon software to integrate with the other tools your spa relies on.
What Are the Benefits of Using Spa Appointment Software?
If your spa doesn’t already use appointment scheduling software, here are some of the advantages of making the jump.
Fewer missed appointments
As mentioned, appointments will continue amassing as your spa grows. This is a good problem to have, as it means business is healthy. However, it won’t remain that way if you have so many appointments your spa can’t handle them all.
Scheduling software will help you manage your appointments with ease. You’ll see every client request the moment it comes in. Your availability calendar will update in real time, preventing double bookings.
You won’t have to stress about clients slipping through the cracks, which is a very real possibility without the right software tools. You can accommodate each client, ensuring their happiness so they come back for more.
Simpler client bookings
If you’re still taking down client appointments on the phone, you’re not living in the 2020s. People don’t want to pick up the phone and talk to anyone anymore, let alone wait to get a receptionist on the line, then give all their details on the phone.
Spa software often includes an online booking component. Clients can select an appointment that works for them (as you have available on your schedule) without having to directly communicate with anyone at your spa until it’s time for their appointment.
Increased productivity
The time your spa staff spends setting up client appointments could be put to better use. You’ll discover how once you invest in appointment scheduling tools. You could use more staff to serve clients, or perhaps stock shelves, work on your social media presence or email marketing — you name it.
Productivity will increase once you simplify your scheduling.
Less pressure on staff
Besides the time your spa staff spends tied up on the phone, they also likely feel stressed by the constant appointment juggling. Switching to spa appointment software will reduce their strain, improving their day-to-day business operations and reducing the turnover rate at your facility.
Better customer service
You will undoubtedly improve your customer service by using online booking software.
The user experience begins when a lead or client lands on your website. Even if you have exceptional service at your salon, if setting up an appointment is too much of a drag, your clients might not bother.
Instead, they might give their business to another spa with an easier appointment setup. Using software helps your spa gain the competitive advantage you need.
Smarter marketing campaigns
You can also bolster the power of marketing using appointment software with marketing features and tools. Marketing your spa can improve your search engine ranking, attract organic traffic, increase your email newsletter audience, and boost your social media presence.
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Top 9 Spa Appointment Software Picks for 2024
Are you ready to see which spa appointment tools we recommend? Here is a list with key features and pricing.
1. Mangomint
As one of the top-rated spa and salon management and booking tools, Mangomint uses automation to simplify what’s already an easy process once you begin using spa software.
Here are the features you can select from.
- Appointments: With Express Booking and single-screen appointments, your clients will find it easier and more intuitive than ever to book with your spa or salon.
- Payments: The built-in POS system Mangomint offers helps your spa accept more payments and faster, too.
- Staff management: Each staff member within your spa has their own account with permissions, a time clock, customer service durations, payroll reports, and custom compensation structures.
- Two-way texting: Open your communication channels with this feature. All message interactions go straight through the software.
- Multi-location support: Grow your spa and scale up with Mangomint. You can switch from one location to another within this software and track them as they grow.
- Virtual waiting room: Put your clients in a virtual waiting room they can use as they wait to check-in. This feature will improve client satisfaction and best of all, it’s automated.
- Reporting: Mangomint produces business intelligence, payroll, sales, and client retention reports, plus more than a dozen others suited to your needs.
The Essentials plan for two to 10 service providers costs $165 per month, the Standard plan for 20 service providers is $245 per month, and the Unlimited plan for unlimited service providers is $375 a month.
2. Zenoti
Discover your competitive advantage with Zenoti, an appointment scheduling tool with two dozen features for med spas, salons, fitness studios, spas, beauty facilities, and barbershops.
Let’s take a look at what’s included.
- Business management: Reduce the time spent on tasks with business management features for guests and staff within Zenoti. Its business management suite includes inventory management, business intelligence, appointment management, and employee management.
- Sales and marketing: Track your sales within Zenoti’s platform and launch comprehensive spa marketing campaigns. You can automate parts of your marketing campaigns, including text and email marketing tasks.
- Mobile: Provide mobile services to your clients to elevate your customer service and improve client retention within Zenoti.
- Employee management: Internally, staff can access their schedules, review their commission rates, and see when they’ll next get paid. You can oversee the visibility rules for this data as needed.
- Payments: Introduce touchless payments so clients can check out quickly. You can also use Zenoti to manage your invoices and bills, including via mobile.
- Loyalty and rewards program: Launch a successful rewards or loyalty program your audience will love, customizing it to their needs and interests. You should see more qualified leads in your funnel soon.
- Reviews and feedback: Rely on Zenoti to generate more feedback, including reviews and testimonials. These forms of social proof will attract more clients to your spa or salon.
- Reporting: From inventory to guests, staff, and revenue, Zenoti tracks it all and presents this information to you in neat, appealing reports.
3. Boulevard
Marketed as the ‘software for self-care’, Boulevard serves industries like med spas, barber shops, nail salons, and spas. Boulevard offers myriad features, including forms, client management, payments, reporting, and more.
Here’s an overview.
- Self-booking: Erase the micromanaging part of your job and let your clients set up appointments themselves with self-booking within Boulevard. You’ll save time, and your clients will appreciate the freedom, so everyone wins.
- Client management: Gain more insights into your clients with Boulevard. The software will save client details automatically. It also provides a total lifetime value for each client and allows you to personalize communications, such as email.
- Payments: Process more payments within Boulevard, which has all-in-one payments. You can store cards, accept contact-free checkouts, and introduce discreet tipping.
- Marketing: The Boulevard Marketing Suite allows you to send one-time email blasts or automated campaigns that will excite your audience.
- Forms: Digital forms will reduce your paper trail and cut your clutter. You can also customize your forms within Boulevard to serve your spa’s needs.
- Reporting: Unlock all the insights you need about your spa’s marketing campaigns, revenue, customer value, and leads. Boulevard allows you to filter your results and customize your reporting templates.
Pricing for Boulevard starts at $175 a month for the Essentials plan, $325 a month for the Premier plan, $455 a month for the Prestige plan, and custom pricing for the Enterprise plan.
4. Vagaro
The fitness, spa, and salon management software Vagaro is designed for beauty, wellness, and health businesses eager to provide better services. The features offered by this software will free up your time and expedite payments, branding operations, marketing and customer tracking.
Here is an overview of the best Vagaro features.
- Calendar: Never miss an upcoming appointment with Vagaro’s detailed calendar. You can add custom colors for priority and appointment details so you know who it’s with and how long it will last.
- Customer tracking: Is it time for your customer to earn their reward? You’ll know with Vagaro’s customer tracking feature, which measures relevant audience metrics and provides customer information at your fingertips.
- Payments: Between Vagaro Capital, invoices, and payroll, you’ll always have access to payments owed and received with this spa software.
- Branding: Build a website and your own app to put a personal stamp on how your spa does business.
- Marketing: Automate email and text marketing within Vagaro so you can make your campaigns more hands-off.
Vagaro charges by how many locations you have and the number of users. You’ll pay $25 a month for one bookable calendar and one location and custom fees for several locations.
5. WellnessLiving
The spa appointment software WellnessLiving could be just what your spa needs to take business to the next level. Supporting companies from yoga studios to martial arts studios, spas, and everything in between, WellnessLiving offers many features you need in a booking platform.
Here is what you can do with this software.
- Multiple booking options: Let your audience schedule appointments how they like, whether through website widgets, Book-a-Spot, Google reservations, or online.
- Business tools: Manage every part of your spa through WellnessLiving, including forms, clients, payments, reviews, and rewards.
- Marketing: Promote your spa services within WellnessLiving using its built-in marketing tools. You can launch direct mail, push, SMS, and email campaigns.
- Reporting: Dive deeper into your client insights using WellnessLiving’s rich, detailed reporting. You can fine-tune the advanced metrics displayed and generate single-click reports.
WellnessLiving offers four pricing plans: Starter for $89 per month, Basic for $129 per month, Business for $159 per month, or Enterprise with custom pricing.
6. Meevo
Meevo is an easy-to-use spa appointment software that also offers marketing and client management features. You get social media tools and email marketing too.
Here are some services within the software.
- Online booking: Let your customers schedule their appointments the modern way with online booking options through your website using Meevo.
- Client preferences: Blow away your client’s expectations by learning about their preferences and using that information to make informed product and service recommendations.
- Social posting: Who has time to run a spa and post on social media simultaneously? Let Meevo take care of the latter task within its marketing suite, so you have more time to handle the former.
- Email marketing: Launch successful email campaigns within the Meevo marketing platform. You’ll feel like a marketing expert, even if this is your first campaign.
- Goal setting: How do you grow your spa business? One goal at a time. Plan for small and larger, long-term goals, and get ready for that endorphin rush when you check them off your list.
- Security controls: Keep your spa operations locked down tighter than Fort Knox with Meevo’s security features.
- Self-pay: Meevo Self-Pay is a smart option for handling client payments. You can also explore MeevoPay POS and other payment options within the software.
- Reporting: Track your spa at a glance with detailed reporting. You’ll learn more about your clients, revenue, and everything in between with client retention, payroll assistance, daily sales, and location-based metrics reports.
Meevo charges by the number of professionals on your team. A plan for five professionals costs $139 a month, a plan for 10 professionals costs $179 a month, and a plan for 15 professionals costs $269 a month.
7. Phorest
Phorest is a tool designed for spas, barbers, beauty salons, and hair salons. It helps make appointment booking and reporting easy so clients and business owners can save time.
Let’s explore Phorest’s features.
- PhorestPay: Phorest’s payment system includes online gift card processing, online store payment processing, and general payment processing. No charges will catch you off-guard.
- Marketing Suite: Enter the Phorest Marketing Suite and promote your business better. Set up a loyalty program, create your own booking app, manage ads, and increase your reviews.
- Salon management: The salon management tools Phorest offers include inventorying and stock, staff management, POS software, and a salon management app for taking your tasks and insights on the go.
- Client management: Online booking is only scratching the surface with Phorest. This spa software also offers self-check-ins, video consultations, automated emails and SMS, consultation forms, and scheduling.
- Reporting: See how using Phorest elevates your spa by checking the data it gathers and curating it into sharable reports.
8. Weave
The award-winning spa appointment software Weave is an all-in-one small business platform with automation features for reviews, payments, reminders, scheduling, texting, and calling. It’s no wonder it received so many prizes for its service and usability.
Let’s take a look at what’s included.
- Email marketing: Take your promotions to the next level with the power of email marketing. Weave makes it easy to implement email marketing campaigns through its software, even if you have no prior experience.
- Multilocation support: Spread your wings and fly, as Weave is a scalable solution that grows as your spas do.
- Online scheduling: Facilitate online scheduling with Weave and watch as your calendar automatically fills up.
- Reviews: Weave promises to increase your client load and win you more glowing reviews by using its software.
- Communications: Streamline communications within Weave, using options like team chat, two-way texting, reminders, and phone options.
- Payments: Establish pay terminals, set up online bill pay, or use text-to-pay within Weave to prevent bills from languishing too long.
9. Daysmart Spa
Spa management doesn’t have to be hard when you can use a tool like Daysmart Spa. This software for spas and salons offers great base features, with the option to add more services when they’re needed.
Here’s how to get your spa growing.
- Branding: Build a positive brand with services such as reputation management, integrated payments, mobile apps, and online booking through your website.
- Communications: Expand how you communicate with customers with options such as two-way texting, text marketing, email marketing, and appointment reminders.
- Business operations: Save time in your day-to-day by implementing Daysmart Spa’s payroll processing, client management, online forms, and appointment booking features.
Daysmart Spa offers five pricing plans to select from. The Basic plan costs $29 per month, the Deluxe plan is $69 a month, the Deluxe Growth plan costs $149 a month, the Premium plan is $199 per month, and the Premium Growth plan has custom pricing.
Read also: Spa Email Marketing Blueprint for 2024
What To Look for in a Spa Appointment Software
As you weigh your choice, comparing the above spa appointment tools we reviewed, the following factors will help you narrow your options.
Pricing within your budget
Only your spa knows what you can afford to spend on software, but you shouldn’t blow your budget on this or any other tool. With low-cost and no-cost plans available, your spa should have no trouble finding a software and pricing plan that suits your budget.
A wide range of features
The more features, the better! Even if you have no use for them now, you never how things change, so it’s better to have the option to use more features than fewer, especially if you’re interested in a long-term software solution.
Scalability
Speaking of long-term solutions, you must consider scalability when considering spa software. The right software will allow you to work with more clients as your business grows, helping you reach new heights.
Good customer service
If you have a problem with your software, how long does it take for a resolution? Remember that the longer you can’t use the software, the longer your customers are inconvenienced, so you must prioritize fast turnaround times.
The customer service department should be reachable by phone, email, or chat, and they should operate in a time zone commensurate to yours.
Ease of use
All software has a learning curve, but there’s a difference between a small bump and a mountain. Overly difficult software will take too long for you and your spa employees to learn, preventing you from reaping its benefits.
Tutorials, free demos, instructional videos, and onboarding can assist you during the instrumental early days.
Flexible plans
You may change your mind about spa software. However, you don’t want to find out too late that you’re locked in for the next year. Flexible plans allow you to try several options until you find the best software solution for your spa.
Integrations
Ideally, the software you select should integrate with all the tools your spa already uses. However, barring that, it should gel with most of them.
Read also: Reasons Small Businesses Need Marketing Automation
Bottom Line
Better business operations require spa appointment software. You can rely on the tools we’ve listed in this article for simplifying your spa appointment scheduling, implementing your marketing strategies, accepting payments easily online, and generating real-time reports about your key performance indicators.
If you’d like to try an all-in-one marketing automation, appointment scheduling, and customer relationship management software that costs no more than your daily cup of coffee, sign up for EngageBay.