With nearly 70% of spas now offering online booking options for their customers, it’s very clear how important spa software has become in recent years.
That’s not surprising, considering how much there is to keep on top of when running a spa business. You’ve got to manage the day-to-day operations, recruit and train staff, balance the books, adhere to rules and regulations, and find new customers. All while delivering top quality customer service.
If you have multiple spa locations, then the whole thing becomes even more complex.
But even when you know you need to be using a spa management tool, it’s not always easy to know which one is right for your business. Especially once you realize how many options there are out there.
If you’re reading this, though, it probably means you’re either considering going with Zenoti, or you’re already a Zenoti customer and you’re looking for an upgrade.
In either case, you’re in the right place. In this article we’re going to explore the reasons you might be looking for a Zenoti alternative, run through the key features to look for in spa software, and how Book4Time might just be the spa tool you’ve been looking for this whole time.
By the end of this guide, you’ll feel well-informed on what to look for in a Zenoti alternative, and be in a position to decide what the right tool is for you and your business.
Why You Might Be Looking for a Zenoti Alternative
While Zenoti is a decent spa management tool, there are a number of reasons why you might be looking for an alternative:
- Limited customization: Despite its industry-standard feature set, some Zenoti users are left disappointed by the lack of customization options. This includes things like an inability to fully customize client intake forms, and limited branding options.
- Complexity: Although you wouldn’t think an extensive feature set would be a bad thing, Zenoti can actually be overwhelming due to its cluttered user interface and complex menu structure.
- Learning curve: Because of these complexities, it also creates challenges when training new and existing staff to use the tool. This can cost you time and money, and increases the likelihood of mistakes happening.
- Integration limitations: If you’re hoping to integrate Zenoti with your existing systems, this can also be a problem. Its limited integration options mean that even if it integrates with your existing systems, the connections are very limited.
- Booking system inflexibility: Despite its robust booking system, Zenoti customers can struggle to get it to work how they want. That’s because the booking UI can sometimes be confusing for group and couple bookings, and because it doesn’t integrate well with classes and forms.
- Inventory management issues: The Zenoti inventory features are impressive, providing you don’t have any specialist needs. That’s because it does struggle to support diverse product lines and integration with specialized equipment, meaning you’ll likely need to find a manual workaround.
Key Features a Spa Software Should Offer
When you’re comparing spa management tools, or trying to decide what would be the best alternative, it’s important to understand the features and functionality that make up a truly great tool.
To make this easier for you, let’s run through these key features…
Appointment scheduling
At the core of any spa business operations is scheduling appointments for their customers. You need to be able to easily book them in, and keep tabs on when everything is happening.
Your spa management software needs to make this simple by featuring an easy-to-use system for booking appointments that includes the ability for your customers to book appointments themself. The tool should also make it easy to deal with rescheduling and booking cancellations.
Client management
A really good spa management tool will serve as your CRM (Client Relationship Management) tool, where you can keep detailed profiles with contact information, customer preferences, and treatment history.
You should be able to keep notes on your clients, and even communicate with them via email or SMS. Essentially, it becomes your hub for both storing information about your clients, but also keeping them in the loop.
Reporting and analytics
The only way to make informed decisions about your spa business is by having the right information in front of you, in an easy-to-process format. This is something your spa management tool should be giving you in the form of reporting and analytics.
It’s important to have customizable dashboards to keep up with key performance indicators, and common financial reports that cover revenue, expenses, profit, etc. This should extend to your staff performance and productivity too, so you can track where things are working and where they’re not.Â
Third-party integrations
In an ideal world, your spa management tool is the only tool you’ll ever need. But in reality, you will likely also need to rely on accounting tools like Quickbooks, POS (point of sale) applications, and other software.
This is why your spa management tool needs to be able to integrate with various external tools. That way you can still have a seamless experience working with your various specialized apps.Â
Inventory tracking
Your business isn’t just based on appointments — you likely offer a wide range of products to your customers. Which is why inventory management is such a critical feature to have in your spa management tool.
Your software should be alerting you when stock is low, and make it easy to manage suppliers and track expiration dates. Ideally, it’ll also handle reordering for you, so you don’t have to be manually keeping tabs and putting orders in.
How Book4Time Stands Out as the Top Zenoti Alternative
Book4Time was built to be the ultimate spa management tool no matter the size of your spa business. This has been achieved by baking customization and flexibility from the beginning. This ranges from being able to offer personalized web interfaces and mobile applications, to supporting multiple spa locations even across different countries.
Because it used Amazon AWS for its cloud-based architecture, it’s also secure and scalable. So you never have to worry about an outage if too many people log on, and you have the comfort of knowing our data is stored under international regulatory standards.Â
The reporting and analytics in Book4Time are also advanced, meaning you can find any data you need within the KPI reporting and analytics tools. As a customer, you also get superior customer support, including 24/7 live support via various channels such as phone, email, and live chat.
You get all of this packaged up inside an easy-to-use app that’s designed specifically for hospitality businesses like yours. Giving you everything you need to run your spa business efficiently and give your customers a world-class experience.
FAQ for Why Book4Time is the Best Zenoti Alternative?
What makes Book4Time better for spas compared to Zenoti?
Book4Time is better for spas because it is easy-to-use, has all the features you need, and has advanced reporting and analytics. Because it’s cloud-based, it’s also secure, scalable, and helps you to adhere to international data regulations.
Can Book4Time integrate with other systems like my current CRM or payment gateway?
Yes! Book4Time gives you extensive integrations, seamlessly connecting with a wide range of third-party systems. This includes things like hotel property management systems (PMS), payment gateways like FreedomPay, marketing and loyalty programs, financial and inventory management tools, and other existing software solutions that businesses may already be using.
Is Book4Time suitable for global operations?
Book4Time is well-suited for global operations, as it supports multi-location and multi-brand management across different countries. It also gives you compliance with international regulatory standards, and provides services in over 100 countries worldwide.
How does Book4Time improve customer experience compared to Zenoti?
Book4Time improves customer experience compared to Zenoti by giving you centralized guest management across multiple locations, so your staff can access customer preferences and purchase history easily. This facilitates personalized service and makes every guest feel valued, regardless of which property they visit within a portfolio.
Can Book4Time scale with my business as it grows?
Book4Time is designed to scale with your business as it grows. It does this by using a cloud-based architecture that supports multi-location and multi-brand management, extensive integrations with various systems, and features that cater to both small spas and large enterprise-level spas.