In the spa and hotel world – and in any sector, really – ability to scale is key to success.
When we first start out in business, a lot of us make do with spreadsheets and manual processes for accounting and tracking data. But as we grow, the limitations of these methods and the inadequacies of rudimentary systems become evident.
When is it time to elevate your spa or hotel business with a software designed specifically for your needs and that rises to meet the operational requirements and challenges unique to hospitality? When you know, you know.
Here are 14 signs you’ve outgrown spreadsheets and manual processes.
Complex Accounting Needs
As businesses grow, their financial transactions often become more complex. If you’re facing challenges with increasingly complicated accounting, including packages, bundles, promotions, add-ons, and upsells, it might be time for a more robust system.
Multi-location Challenges
For hotel chains or spas with multiple locations, working in multiple currencies and consolidating financial data or managing inter-location inventory can become tricky with basic tools.
Dynamic Pricing Fluctuations
If you’re manually trying to manage your yield, adjusting rates based on season, occupancy, or special promotions, a more dynamic pricing tool might be necessary.
Complex Booking & Reservation Systems
If your current system can’t manage simultaneous bookings, special requests, or frequent changes effectively, you need a more comprehensive tool.
Inadequate Customer Profiles
Hotels and spas thrive on repeat business. If you’re unable to track customer preferences, history, or feedback efficiently, you’re missing out on personalized service opportunities.
Integration Issues
The need to integrate with hotel reservations systems, POS systems, customer feedback platforms, CRM, e-commerce platforms, inventory management, etc. can outgrow the capabilities of basic tools.
Lack of Real-Time Data
Business decisions often need to be made quickly based on current data. Manual processes can result in delays in data gathering and reporting, which can lead to missed opportunities or misguided decisions. Real-time data like check-in/check-out status, or guest requests, is crucial for smooth operations.
Staff Scheduling Issues
Managing shifts for a growing team can become too complicated for basic tools. Manual processes don’t allow for real-time updates and for team members to have remote access to their schedules.
Trouble Managing Loyalty Programs
As your customer base grows, so might the need for a comprehensive loyalty program management system. If you’re struggling to track and redeem points or rewards, consider upgrading.
Reporting Limitations
If you can’t quickly analyze KPIs, including Occupancy Rates, Revenue Per Available Treatment Hour, and Cost of Goods Sold you might need a more sophisticated system.
Access Control Issues
As your team grows, you might need more granular control over who can see or modify specific data.
Growing Inventory
Managing inventory for spa products or hotel amenities can become complex, especially if there are frequent changes or multiple suppliers.
Compliance & Security Concerns
As businesses grow, their legal and regulatory obligations often expand. Given the amount of personal data hotels and spas handle, ensuring data security and complying with privacy regulations is crucial. If you’re struggling to meet these with your current tools, it’s essential to transition to a system that can help you maintain compliance.
Customer & Vendor Management
If managing your growing list of customers and vendors is becoming cumbersome, it’s a sign that you need a more advanced system.
Manual Processes Take Time & Leave Room for Error
Another major issue for businesses of all sizes and in all sectors is that relying on manual data entry and spreadsheeting leaves big room for errors and inefficiencies. Humans make mistakes due to fatigue, oversight, misunderstanding, and simple accidents.
One typo can change a whole day’s reports, which bleeds over into every other report. Plus, working manually is incredibly time consuming.
Jennifer Lynn, then Spa Director at Resorts World Las Vegas, told us in 2021 that using Book4Time had transformed this process. “The complexity of spa payroll could leave a scholarly mathematician confused,” Lynn said. “Book4Time has a software program that can adapt to the diversity and complexity of compensation when configured properly and makes it simpler to understand.”
In another interview Daisy Tepper, Spa Director At The Post Oak Hotel At Uptown Houston, told us that Book4Time’s payroll reporting had reduced her time spent by 83%.
And in still another example, Shane Bird, Director of Spa Operations at Turning Stone Resort and Casino’s Skana and Ahsi spas, told us that using Book4Time’s reporting dashboards reduced time spent on payroll from 6-7 hours a week to about 15 minutes. This is a 95% reduction in time spent, or 350 hours (nearly three work weeks, saved per year. Bird also said it was taking another 5-6 hours every day for someone in finance to sit and audit the transactions and that Book4Time has eliminated all of that.
“We estimate that our time spent on administrative tasks overall was reduced by about 92%, which is monstrous.”
Get the Software You Deserve
Recognizing that it’s time to switch to more comprehensive systems before you encounter serious challenges is crucial. Don’t get stuck using outdated tools and processes. Get the software you deserve.
Image by jannoon028 on Freepik
