With 21 spas across southern Africa, Camelot Spa Group required a software system that could combine information from all its branches to deliver accurate statistics. It selected software from South Africa’s ESP Online to do this.

Camelot owner Debbie Merdjan has made full use of the reports to understand her customer mix and buying habits. “We’re able to view the more popular treatments and packages and see what areas in the business need more attention,” she says.

Knowing what clients want means marketing can be directed in the right areas, thus producing better results. ESP Online’s system can also perform a detailed weekly stocktake, which helps Merdjan find any losses or inaccuracy in stock levels so that wastage and loss of revenue doesn’t occur.

Other features of the system that have impressed Merdjan are the web interface, which gives Camelot the opportunity to remotely view a spa’s data “to know exactly what is happening in the business by viewing the different reports”. There’s also a computerised bookings and rosters module that enables the company to “accurately track staff performance and make sure that all bookings and sales are being accounted for”.

Spa-kit.net Keywords: ESP Online

ESP Leisure software was introduced at the new Aqua Sana spa at Center Parcs Woburn Forest in the UK (see SB14/3 p74) to provide an online booking service for guests. Kerry Fenton-Kent, group Aqua Sana manager, says customer demand now fully drives rotas, where historically at the company’s spas it was the other way around, with all bookings being made via a contact centre or once they arrived on-site.

The result is reduced queues on arrival at the Aqua Sana booking desk while the software also gives the guest the convenience of planning their own itinerary. Day-to-day management of therapy columns has also become even more efficient, according to Fenton-Kent.

The ESP software was already in use in other areas at Center Parcs villages such as leisure booking and cycle centres, so installing it at the Aqua Sana spas meant using one leisure system across the board and receiving one suite of reports.

“The system is effective visually and easy to navigate. It’s easy to search availability and provides the ability to manage retail stock and rota management of therapists,” says Fenton-Kent. “We have a good relationship with ESP and continue to work with them developing the system.”

Spa-kit.net Keywords: ESP Leisure

French company Deep Nature offers 420 treatments per day at the 40 spas it manages for luxury hotel, residences and cruise ships worldwide (see SB14/3 p32). President and founder Julien Patty describes ADN’s Nymphéa software as a complete solution which enables “interactivity between our teams, and which perfectly meets the requirements of large profit centres”.

Used in most Deep Nature spas, the software can interface with hotel property management system (PMS) software, which Patty says allows the company to post spa invoices to the client’s room and helps “manage inter-service with ease”.

Patty also particularly appreciates the 365 days-a-year hotline and the high level of customer service at ADN. “With spas located all around the world, like in Bora Bora, which is 12 hours behind France, the hotline availability is more than important,” he says. “A reliable management tool is essential for the running and the profitability of a spa facility where the difficulty is not to create a spa but to create one that makes money!”

Nymphéa optimises client mailing based on consumption patterns and provides accurate statistics on treatments and products with daily, weekly, monthly and/or annual figures. The software also allows Deep Nature to create promotional campaigns and to measure direct returns.

Spa-kit.net Keyword: ADN

Angela Cortright, principal at the Spa Gregorie’s day spa chain in California, describes herself as a computer industry veteran. She conducted an “exhaustive analysis” before selecting “user-friendly yet powerful” software from Millennium.

“I was impressed with the robust feature set, the dedication of the company to staying on the leading edge of technology, its culture and its customer support,” she says.

Cortright says that the three Spa Gregorie’s make rigorous use of Millennium’s analysis tools to improve operations. These cover areas such as inventory turns, most and least popular products and services, therapist productivity, yield management, traffic patterns and revenue patterns. The data is then reviewed and discussed at monthly, and in some cases daily, management meetings in order to “set direction for profitable strategies”.

The fact that Millennium’s software is user-friendly helps to reduce errors and training costs as employees can be quickly brought up to speed in using it. Cortright also says the system is smart enough to help prevent mistakes such as double booking or ring out errors that, in turn, save money.

Finally, the marketing tools on offer have proved to be a great help in improving revenue. “We’re able to pinpoint customers who meet certain criteria, such as frequency of visit or purchase patterns and market to them,” explains Cortright.

Spa-kit.net Keyword: Millennium