谈现代水疗实用软件

Spa China Magazine

July - Aug 2009

原本打算用更多文字来告诉大家如何选择水疗管理系统，但由于篇幅有限，只好直奔主题，说说水疗管理系统能给经营者带来什么益处。一个好的水疗管理系统，应该能指导管理者如何有针对性地为本地客人和游客推荐适合的水疗服务，也应有助于记录员工的工作安排及数据追踪。实际运用时你会惊讶地发现更多的优势，下面我先列举一二供大家参考。

有助于提高客户关系的管理机制

早在04年，我就在一篇文章中提到：经研究统计，每位消费者每年通过各种媒体渠道收到的市场资讯多达百万条。这些渠道包括平面及电视广告、路边的广告牌、邮寄的传单、电子邮件，甚至还包括网站弹出的广告。再加上基于网络这个平台的通讯交流工具，如：Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Linked-In等等，我大胆推测如今的消费者每年收到的市场资讯接近两百万条。

如何获得市场资讯并传达给你的顾客成了一项十分艰难的任务。客户关系管理并不仅仅是收集、整理、汇报顾客的个人信息，它应该有助于改进和提高服务的质量和方式。尽管有些想法还不够成熟，但以下的尝试可以帮助你改进与客户的关系。

充分运用那些对于顾客来说有特殊意义的日子。每个人一生中都有一些这样的日子，如生日，周年纪念日，孩子的出生日，毕业日，升职加薪日……特别的事件和日子都可能是向顾客推荐水疗服务及产品的良好时机。

一封贴心的生日祝福邮件，或在周年纪念这天为他们特别准备一项服务，都可以加强水疗中心与客户的关系，进而带来新的商机。

水疗中心也可以向即将来店的预约顾客发送自动的确认函，顺带介绍产品和疗程，这种方式比较容易被接受，也能让顾客提前了解产品和服务。在和客户之间保持良好互动关系的关系上，发送这样的咨询，不会让顾客感觉突兀和被打扰。曾有人统计，建立在已有客户关系基础上的行销活动的响应率比传统的宣传方式要高出5倍以上。

进一步的互动可以围绕顾客的兴趣和喜好来进行，擅用你的水疗管理系统会更加便捷。根据记录了解客户偏爱的产品类型、音乐和护理疗程后，可有针对性的发送他们可能感兴趣的促销活动及产品信息。再次要强调的是，与顾客接触时，要尽量提供那些对他们来说有价值的信息给他们。

有助于适时调整供求关系

用系统来维护历史记录的一个重要作用就是可以适时调整供求关系。大部分水疗中心的总监根据记录发现，在一周的某几天，甚至一天的某几个时段，客户对疗程的需求大于水疗中心当时所能提供的。通过总结，他们能清楚的了解到客户的需求什么时候较大，什么时候适中，什么时候较弱。

根据这些资料，管理者可以依据需求状况进行价格策略调整。如供不应求时，可相应提高价格来实现供需平衡。在供大于求时，采用优惠的价格策略刺激当地客源的消费，这是一个增加需求，增大收益的有效途径。

有助于提高员工的工作效率

一个完善的水疗管理系统，对员工的工作效率必然会产生影响。通过系统进行预订、登记客户信息和销售数据，水疗中心的管理者只需要轻轻敲下键盘就可以收到每日及每月的数据统计报告。无需员工花费大量时间进行数据的手工登记、统计来获得所需的管理信息。

通过系统化的记录、管理和报告数据可以节省大量人力和时间，员工们可利用这些时间更好地为顾客服务。工作效率的的提高能促进服务质量的改善，时间的合理利用，为护理疗程匹配合适的理疗师，更好地满足顾客的需求。

有助于减少库存成本和避免缺货现象

掌握水疗产品零售店的历史销售模式，保持最适当的存货量可以有效降低零售成本和库存成本。

人工进行库存管理和销售记录时，为了确保零售店的货源及对固定水疗中心的供产品应，唯一的办法就是维持一个充足的库存。管理好存货的周期和补充次数是一项比较困难的工作。

使用零售和定点系统，零售店及理疗室的存货可以维持在一个较低的库存水平。为每种产品分别设定一个标准值，当库存低于这个值时，系统会向管理人员发出警告。甚至还会提供一个补货的标准，以帮助管理人员向供应商发出适量的产品订单。

整合水疗中心的系统与酒店的PMS管理系统

试想一下，你们的中心在等待两位预约了下午来做疗程的酒店客人——一对夫妇，他们预订了一个三小时的特色情侣疗程，但是整个下午都没有出现。觉得奇怪的工作人员只好打电话到酒店询问，才得知客人根本没有入住酒店，并在几周前就已经取消了预定。一个豪华的理疗室和两位理疗师就这样闲置了几个小时。如果整合了水疗中心与酒店的系统，那么这个损失就完全可以避免。

负责酒店客房预约的员工，通过整合的系统就会发现，这对预订房间的客人同时也预定了水疗服务。那么预订系统会自动询问，客人是否想要保留水疗服务，还是想连同房间一起取消。如果取消的话，理疗室和理疗师的就可供其他人再次预订。

酒店的PMS管理系统与水疗中心的预定系统之间应有一个连接。这将有利于减少预订取消所带来的收益损失。在进行系统审查时，人们往往忽视了加强水疗系统与酒店PMS管理系统之间连接的重要性。总而言之，这一点是很值得酒店及度假村等注意的。

总结

任何针对水疗中心问题的解决方案都应该为中心增值，预订系统尤其如此。这些系统会提供较为精准的结算报告给水疗中心和酒店，帮助管理人员进行数据分析。光是这些就能让这项投资物有所值。

水疗中心除了要考虑购买系统的预算以外，还应该花点时间做以下准备：一、找到适合他们中心设施的最佳系统；二、确保系统操作无误。通过的研究和对员工的培训，水疗中心就能充分利用系统为客人服务，从而得到可观的投资回报。

Benefits of a Proper Spa Management System

From Spa China Magazine

July - August 2009

There are many benefits to using a proper Spa Management System, from how the management markets the spa’s services to local clients and tourists, to how staff and transactions are tracked within the system.  A description of a few of the many potential benefits follows.  This is far from being a complete list.

Benefit:  Improving Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

In an article I wrote in 2004, I mentioned that researchers estimated the average consumer received roughly one million marketing messages a year across all media.  These include print and television advertisements, roadside billboards, postal fliers, email solicitations and even internet pop-ups.  With new web-based communication and networking tools like Facebook, My Space, Twitter, Linked-In and many more, I’d venture to say the average consumer now receives much closer to two million marketing messages a year.

Trying to get marketing messages across to your clients has become a very difficult task.  CRM cannot be just about collecting, processing and reporting client information; it is about serving clients in an essentially enhanced way.  Though some of these ideas are rather basic, here are a few considerations in further reaching your clients:

Use personal dates that are important to your clients.   There are important dates in every person’s life, such as his or her birthday, anniversary, child’s birth, graduation or job promotion.  Each of these events provides an opportunity to promote the spa’s services and products at a meaningful time to the client.

A personalized email wishing the client a happy birthday, or a special his & her service on their anniversary provides a much greater return on marketing initiatives.  Since these events are significant to the client, the spa has an opportunity to strengthen their relationship and increase future business. 

The spa can also send automatic confirmations for upcoming appointments, which provides yet another opportunity to highlight products and services in a message the client is more likely to open.  These event-based outbound messages are seen as being less intrusive since they are based on recent interactions.  Some have estimated that event-driven marketing efforts produce response rates five times greater than traditional outbound campaigns.

Further client interaction can be based around client interests, conveniently managed within your system.  Know what types of products, music and treatments your clients like.  Then on occasion, send out a promotion highlighting specials for those who share a common interest.  Again, reaching out to clients based on information of value to them.

Benefit:  Maximize Yield Per Customer

A significant benefit of maintaining historical data within the system is the ability to use statistics to maximize yield per customer.   Most spa directors will recognize that the demand for treatments greatly exceeds the supply during certain parts of the week, or even certain parts of the day. Using historical data, they can recognize when demand is strong, when it is moderate and when it is weak. 

Using this data, management can set pricing strategies to manage demand at each level. In times when demand is strong, prices could be increased to bring demand more in-line with supply. For times when demand is weak, enticing local residents with lower priced treatments will be an effective measure to increase demand and boost revenues. 

Benefit:  Employee Productivity

Employee productivity can be positively affected by the installation of an integrated Spa Management System.  By electronically integrating the booking agenda with client profiles and sales data, spa managers can receive daily and monthly statistical reports at the press of a button.  No longer is there a need for long hours of manual data entry to retrieve required management information.

The time saved in properly managing the data and reporting statistics, allows staff to be more productive serving clients.  The increased employee productivity results in improved customer service, better utilization of available times, better matching treatments with therapists and client requests, etc.

Benefit:  Reduce Inventory Costs and Out-of-Stocks

Knowing more about the historical sales pattern at the spa’s boutique, and keeping track of minimum stock levels can assist in lowering the cost of both retail and professional stock.

When inventory and sales records were kept manually, the only way a spa would be able to keep retail items in the boutique and professional items in the treatment rooms would be to maintain a very high level of stock.  Managing inventory turn times and restocking times was a very difficult task.

With a properly implemented retail and point-of-sale system, lower levels of inventory can be maintained in both the boutique and treatment rooms.   Each item is given a PAR value that alerts management when these low-inventory levels are met.  Further, the system provides re-stock levels to ensure spa management places an appropriate order with suppliers.

Benefit:  Integration between Spa and the Resort PMS

Imagine, your reception team is waiting for a two hotel guests to arrive for their afternoon treatment – a husband and wife who booked a three hour, couples signature treatment - and they never show up.   Curious, the spa’s staff calls to the hotel to connect to the guest’s room to see if they’re coming in. 

Upon inquiry, the hotel staff mentions that guests by that name aren’t staying at the hotel.   Further query indicates the guests canceled their stay several weeks back.  What should have been a three hour couples signature treatment has turned into a deluxe treatment room going vacant for several hours, and two therapists with nothing to do.   A loss that could have been avoided with full integration between the Hotel & Spa systems.

With full integration between the two systems, hotel reservations staff will be informed that a guest canceling their booking also has a reservation in the spa.  The reservation agent will then be prompted to ask if the guest would like to keep the spa booking, or cancel it along with the room.    If the guest cancels the spa booking too, the space and therapist are made available for other bookings.

It is quite important that a full-link exist between the resort’s PMS and the Spa booking system.   This will improve relations with clients and will reduce revenues lost through missed cancellations.   An enhanced link between the Spa System and the resort’s PMS is often overlooked when reviewing systems.  It is however, an important feature for hotel and resort properties to consider.

Summary

Most spa solutions should be capable of adding some value to the spa, particularly in providing a booking engine for spa treatments.   These systems should be quite capable in providing advanced reporting to help spa and resort management in analyzing data.  These alone should provide some return on investment.

Aside from the financial investment the spa makes to purchase the system, they should also be prepared to invest time into a) researching the best solution for their facility, and b) ensuring proper onsite implementation of the system.    It’s through proper research and training that a spa will be able to fully utilize their system and realize a proper return on investment.

การประยุกต์ใช้เกคโบโลยีใบธุรกิจลปา ใหัไคัประโยชน์ลูงลุค (ตอบกี่1)

From Thai Spa Association Magazine

          August 2008

休闹软件 轻松管理 - 访慨念软件研究公司商业发展总监 Bill Healey

休闹软件 轻松管理

访慨念软件研究公司商业发展总监 Bill Healey

Spa China Magazine 2009

Leisure Software, Easy Management. Interview with Bill Healey

Leisure Software, Easy Management

Interview with Bill Healey

Spa China Magazine, August 2009

Profile of Golf in Vietnam 2010-2011

During my time traveling through, and living in SE Asia, I’ve had the pleasure to visit Vietnam on several occasions.  As an American, I have always been well received and have enjoyed each of my visits to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and many coastal towns along the way.

I’ve recently had a chance to catch up with a long-time contact, Robert Bicknell, recently the General Manager and Director of Golf at the Tam Dao Golf Resort and currently General Manager at California Fitness in Hanoi.. 

[BH] As an American in Hanoi , how did you get your start in golf ?  And how did that take you into Vietnam ?

[RB] I started playing golf when I was five years old as my family were founding members of two clubs.

My father was always working, so weekends were the only time we could spend time together. When that young, I thought that golf was fun, but the important thing was being with my father and knowing there would be ice cream afterwards.  Now that I have a four year old daughter of my own, I bring her to the club as often as I can so she can play in the grass, hit plastic balls at the range and “drive” the buggy with me.

Despite working over 70 hours a week,  I make the effort to spend a lot of time with her. At night we watch cartoons or read together, which is the best relaxation prescription ever invented and she always runs to get me whenever golf is on TV. She already has a pretty good swing form from watching the LPGA.

I turned professional in 1978 and moved to Asia full-time in the early 1980’s. I was invited to build a golf course in Vietnam in 1992 and have been here ever since. It’s been a wild ride and I don’t regret one moment of it, despite the ups and downs.

[BH] What positions do you currently hold?

[RB] I am currently the General Manager for California Fitness & Yoga in Hanoi. Prior to this I was General Manager / Director of Golf for Tam Dao Golf Resort in Vinh Phuc province, one hour from downtown Hanoi. However, having been in Vietnam for almost 19 years, I have been either directly or indirectly involved with most of the clubs in the country at one time or another in either a management or advisory position.

I am also a columnist for the Sunday Vietnam News, Golf Today, and Vietnam Golf Magazine. 

[BH] Why Fitness? Have you stopped your involvement in golf?

[RB] Not at all. I still teach golf for the Hanoi Junior team, but I wanted to step back from golf management for a while and take a position that allows me to spend more time with my family.

Also, Fitness is a huge part of playing better golf, although most people don’t realize it. The PGA Tour players are good, not just because of their skills with a club, but also due to the hours they spend in the PGA Tour Fitness Trailers on site at every event. So, not only are those guys good, they’re also in excellent physical condition.

Fitness is something that can help players at all levels, so instead of just fixing their swings as in the past, I am now concentrating on helping each player build a better “machine” for producing that swing.

[BH] What is your history with the Vietnam PGA?   How does that involve educating other golf professionals in the country?

[RB] At present, there is no official PGA organization in Vietnam, however this is something that is currently in the works and will fall under the authority of the Vietnam Golf Association and the Ministry of Sport. We hope to have all the paperwork finished within a few months as doing most anything involving the government takes a bit of time, especially with a sport like golf it is still rather unknown to many.

[BH] How large is the golf market?  (i.e. number of clubs, golfers, etc).

[RB] There are currently 26 clubs operating in Vietnam, and around seven more licensed or currently under construction. At one point there were as many as 150 golf projects “announced” for Vietnam until the government put the kibosh on most of them and rightly so until a national plan can be put together.

[BH] The global economy has been down for the past year.   How has that affected golf tourism in Vietnam ?

[RB] Amazingly enough, the global economic crisis hasn’t really impacted the golf tourism market in Vietnam all that much because the vast majority of tourists come from neighboring countries, so the cost of airfares aren’t outrageously high. Secondly, the airlines and hotels have taken steps to lessen the impact by offering special packages, as did the respective golf courses. Half a loaf is better than none.

To give you a better idea of the current situations, most clubs in the country are reporting more rounds in the 1^st quarter of 2009 than during the same period of the 2008. Tam Dao in particular was 1500 rounds higher than the previous year. In 2010, the figures continue to rise nicely. I’m not complaining.

[BH] What challenges does the golf market face, and how are those challenges being met?

[RB] The biggest challenge is reigning in unrestricted growth. In Asia, many people are far too eager to jump on the bandwagon without first doing due diligence and careful planning. They try to build as many golf courses as possible without understanding the marketplace. The result can be disastrous for both clubs and the environment.

Vietnam has the advantage of looking at other countries and seeing the mistakes that were made so they can avoid them. A good example is Thailand which is considered “golf heaven” due to over 200 courses and a thriving tourist industry. However, it is “golf heaven” for the players, but golf hell for the owners as only 20% of the clubs are relatively profitable. The others are sucking wind while they try to stay open.

Vietnam used to be a food importing nation before the embargo was dropped in 1994, but is now one of the leaders in agricultural exporting, especially rice and coffee.  Thus, the government is restricting the use of agricultural land for golf courses and rightly so. Sacrificing food security for golf makes no sense to anyone and protecting the environment has become a major issue as well.

At present, the Vietnam Government has been discussing these issues with industry leaders and professionals to find the best path for growth. Despite many misinformed comments by some, the government takes the time to listen to the business community and often acts on their suggestions in many different areas.

Positive growth of the nation is the primary goal for all of us and, judging from the results, the government’s methods have been correct.

[BH] You’ve had some rather well-known golfing guests – both political and sporting figures.   Who are some that are best known or of special note?

[RB] In the past, Lee Trevino, Nick Faldo and Greg Norman have visited Vietnam to design golf courses. However, I would prefer not to name names when discussing political or business VIPs as that would breach confidentiality, but it is safe to say that we have hosted many prime ministers, presidents, sultans, and royalty from different countries over the years.

US presidents George HW Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have all visited Vietnam in the past, mostly for political events and, sadly, didn’t have time to play golf.

[BH] How prevalent is technology in Vietnam Golf?   Specifically, in regard to Club Management and internet golf bookings?

[RB] Vietnam is no stranger to technological advancement. Ever since the end of the US-led embargo in 1994, Vietnam has rushed to catch up to the other nations in this regard with a lot of success. Most all clubs are using advanced booking and accounting software. Internet bookings are mostly done through the club’s website or through e-mail.

Some clubs have recently changed webhost so they can provide each member with their own club e-mail address and, more importantly, employ a “live chat” system so the members can contact reception directly in writing. This will greatly reduce any misunderstandings due to differences in language.

[BH] Do you see that technology can assist clubs in managing their profitability, managing revenues through tee times, etc?

[RB] One of the problems in Vietnam cannot be solved exclusively through booking software simply because quite a few players simply ignore the systems, show up when they want – usually late and almost never call to cancel. Software cannot solve this problem, but it CAN help clubs to identify and track players who do this most often, so they can take corrective action.

However, on the positive side, modern software systems let managers track almost everything in the club, amount of rounds played by each member and guest, player’s favourite food / drink, shirt sizes, ball, handicaps, birthdays etc. This allows the club to be more fine tuned to the needs of the members and guests. On the other side of the coin, the software allows us to reduce expenditures by showing us areas which are wasteful.

The more information managers have at their fingertips, the more accurately they can maximize profits and reduce expenditures.

I’d like to thank Robert for contributing to this profile on Golf in Vietnam.   I’d also be one of the first to encourage foreign golf tourism into Vietnam.

Published in Gaming & Leisure Magazine

http://www.gamingandleisuremagazine.com/

Spa at Peninsula Beijing, G&L technology magazine

Having experienced spas through Asia to the Americas, it’s with great honor to have the opportunity to profile The Peninsula Spa by ESPA in Beijing.   This is part of the prestigious Peninsula Hotels group, with world renowned locations such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Beverley Hills, New York and others.   We’re very pleased to have time with Victor Rinaldi, Director of Spa at The Peninsula Beijing.

[AH]  Victor, you’ve become a highly recognized name in both the Asian and global spa industry.  Can you give us a bit of background on your industry experience?

I joined the spa industry in the year 2000 after relocating from London to Singapore. This was the time that spas were expanding throughout Singapore and I was able to spend five years to learn the management of high quality spa operations. In 2005 I was able to move to China, where I have lived ever since, specializing in opening and managements of spas. I joined The Peninsula Beijing in December 2007, through opening and into the establishment of the premier spa in China.

[AH]  Many markets have seen difficult times since the global economic crisis hit in late 2008.   How has that impacted the China spa market?   How has that impacted the market for The Spa at The Peninsula Beijing?

The Peninsula Hotels have very loyal, luxury – oriented clientele who value our philosophy and principles, and we strive to exceed the expectations of our guests.

It is said that luxury will always be in demand in any economic milieu and The Peninsula Spas by ESPA are no exception, with a continuous strong demand for their spa experiences.

[AH]  What makes The Spa at The Peninsula Beijing unique?  Or what makes it a draw to clients?

The Peninsula Spa by ESPA is the exclusive brand of spa found only in The Peninsula Hotels throughout Asia and the USA. The Peninsula Hotels opened the first spa in Hong Kong in 2006, and hence expanded to Bangkok, Chicago, Tokyo and New York, as well as Beijing. Our spas work diligently on standards, and partnering with the prestigious ESPA organization has proved to be a very successful combination.

[AH]  You’ve had your share of experiences in using technology for managing spas.  How have your IT solutions been able to help your Reservation staff effectively manage reservations for revenue enhancement?

I have been fortunate enough to work with spa management systems over the last nine years and have seen their evolution through this time. A system that is well set up for the end-user can have a great effect on reservation efficiency. In my view, the set-up of the system is paramount, for ease of use and to be assistance rather than a hindrance to the end user.

Two specific benefits are to ensure the elimination of inaccurate reservations, and to maximize revenues. Computer systems can be set up to ensure that only the right reservations are made in the right treatment rooms, for the right therapists with the right guests, to ensure that there is no overbooking of resources and therefore no guest is disappointed. It helps the staff to prepare for treatments and allows for a smoother operation. For revenue maximization, by knowing what your resources are, and scheduling correctly, the amount of ‘blank space’ in a spa can be reduced through intelligent scheduling by the receptionists. Everybody benefits because the therapists can work the optimum amount of hours, more guests can be accommodated, and the spa can maximize its revenue generation.

I believe that a well maintained computer system can assist with regular clients. At a spa, the guest needs to feel at home. If there is a strong bond with the receptionist or the therapist, and all the guest preferences and guest history are known, they will feel like a welcome guest in your home, rather than a stranger.

Conversely, if a guest visits a spa on two or three occasions, and has to repeat their entire preferences each time, they will not feel as welcome, and are much more unlikely to return. Spa software helps to ensure that all information can be viewed immediately, assisting in providing excellent guest care.

[AH]  Use of technology by your Reservation staff can assist in how The Spa works with clients.  Have you noticed benefits in the use for back-office functions?

Yes, the ease of retrieving useful management information is an added benefit, allowing for future marketing efforts to be based on actual client preferences that have been seen in the spa.

Spa Directors need to trust their staff, and at the same time be confident that the systems are not being abused. In a sense, all systems have weaknesses, and the use of a well configured spa software system helps to minimize this risk.

Software will help to ensure that the correct transactions are made, and appropriate accounting procedures are in place, and will allow the spa management to extract relevant information to allow them to analyze the business and report to stakeholders.

[AH]  The Peninsula Beijing currently uses Opera for it’s Property Management System, and Concept Software for Spa Operations.  How important is the interface between the Spa & Hotel?

It is essential to have an efficient interface to ensure guest’s bills are accurately recorded at all times. By seamlessly interfacing with, for example, a hotel’s Opera system, the correct spa treatment and product charges can be posted to guest rooms and appear on their room bill immediately. Financial controllers can also look through the records from the spa software should any auditors raise questions.

[AH]  Each Peninsula Hotel is a high end, 5 star property.  Do you see that the use of technology can assist other spas in China?   And how prevalent is the use of technology at China spas?

In China, the spa business is currently at various stages of development, depending on the city, the property and the scope of business. Five star properties in the major cities in China generally have the understanding of the benefits of spa software, from both operational and financial angles, which is very much in line with an international client’s expectations. In a five star operation, proportionately more reservations will be made in advance, and the organization abilities provided by computer systems are very apparent.

As we look through the industry and at traditional Chinese massage centers, bathhouses and the like, we see more of a manual system of operation, paper based, which provide an insight into the culture of Chinese business. I have visited several very large bath houses, which are popular and efficient, on a much larger scale than any five star hotel spa, which have organized paper based systems. In these kind of environments, it is very rare to receive many advanced reservations for treatments, but rather that most treatment reservations are made on the spur of the moment.

We appreciate the generous contribution by Victor Rinaldi, Director of Spa at The Peninsula Beijing.  

written by Aubrey Healey

for Gaming & Leisure Magazine

www.gamingandleisuremagazine.com

Fall 2009 issue