Embracing Modern Technology

Embracing Modern Technology
Computers, Software Provide Automation, Efficiency And Security

by Matt Morgan

Computers allow tanning salons to streamline operations and improve efficiency. The time saved frees employees to look after other aspects of the business, such as maintenance or fielding phone calls. And that's just on the single-salon level.

Todays technology allows owners to keep tabs on all of their salons, even from another location and often instantaneously.

I couldnt imagine life without a computer, says Susan Gonzales, owner of Baja Sun in Baltimore.

On a basic level, computers replace client cards and paperand- pencil inventory. They open and close the register, crank out mailing lists, generate about any type of report you needfrom how many clients you have, where they live, where they heard about you, etc., to daily, weekly, monthly sales figures, tax reports, and payroll reports.

Humans are creatures of habit, but resisting change is no reason to avoid embracing modern technology. Salon owners may fear losing control of the day-to-day rituals at a salon; however, this shouldnt be a concern. In fact, computers combined with a quality management software package help an owner keep better tabs on his or her operation and employees. Not only that, it helps eliminate honest mistakes and makes it easier to correct them if they happen.

Skin typing, minutes allowed by skin type, etc., are easily accessed when using a computer, says Anissa R. Stancato, corporate manager of Tan-U Tanning, Inc. in Wooster, Ohio. The sheer volume of tanning salons today makes computers the only efficient choice for maintaining a database of clients and easily accessing a clients information without having to look through numerous file boxes. It is also important for maintaining security against theft of product, money or tanning sessions.

To combat computer misuse, Stancatos employees are allowed to use her system for just about everything related to the business of running the salonbut not Internet access. If left unmonitored, employees in any industry are liable to surf Web sites, e-mail, chat, play games and otherwise waste company time online.

Our employees are pretty computer savvy, she says. They run a backup every night and print out reports to be sent to the corporate office along with their daily sales sheets. We have Internet access at our corporate office, but the salons do not.

We are considering linking our salons through a DSL [high-speed] connection to our corporate office, but the employees would only have access through the tanning program to the other salons. Corporate office would then have access to the information at each salon throughout the day.

The key component to a computerized salon is salon management software.

Softwares primary function is to automate basic business. All you really have to have is the ability to sell to your customers and manage packages or enforce package ruleswhen a package expires, obviously the package isnt allowed for use anymore, says Jeff Oakes, president of Nichesoft LLC, maker of TanTrack.

Other features include keeping track of clients purchase history, equipment and lamp usage, inventory, and flow of cash, credit cards, checks and returns. Most software operates timers, and quality programs will have reliable and secure backup.

Getting reports at days end never has been simpler. With a software system, its a lot easier to summarize all that data you have in your computer and twist it around and get any sort of report you could ever want,

Oakes says. It would take you days or weeks or months to compile from a card system.

Software packages are able to generate a wide variety of information. I need very, very detailed reports that tell me exactly whats happening in my businesshour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, says Tony Toepfer, president of Helios. I need to know what promos are working and what the rate of return is on my advertising.

As single salons get bigger, their need for computerization increases. Some advanced features include remote management, identification systems and e-mail marketing.

An owners anxiety of being away from the salon could be eliminated if he or she were able to check in at any time, from anywhere. Remote management allows a business owner to manage his or her business away from the salon, says Hope Pendley, director of operations for SunLync LLC, which manufactures Breeze Lite, Breeze 2000 and SunLync software systems.

As long as you have access to the Internet, you can check on your salons. You can seereal-timewhat are the sales for the day, how many transactions make those, whos in which bed and how long have the beds been dirty. Furthermore, salon owners can change prices of inventory or adjust quantities, or add or update information on new employees.

High-tech identification systems protect a salon owners business by helping eliminate employee theft. This is the most important feature for Toepfer, who also is a salon owner. Without an ID setup, for example, an employee could take money from one customer, call up another customers unlimited package and promptly pocket the moneyno one is the wiser except for the employee, who is richer. However, a biometric fingerprint reader would verify the identity of the customer and employee. Readers also come in handy in combination with passwords and sign-in clocks to keep employees honest about their whereabouts.

E-mail marketing is another smart move an owner can make to get tanners in the door during the busy season, says Anthony Lunsford, president of Jireh Consulting Group, Inc., maker of SalonXpert. Its one of the biggest things because youre able to e-mailmarket all your clients and it doesnt cost you a penny, he says. I could tell you the guy who bought a bottle of [a particular lotion] last week and send only those people who bought that lotion a special offer.

Existing salons with a handful or more of locations require more features. They certainly would be interested in linking each salons computers and converting data from an older software system.

Getting salons talking to each other saves time because once an employee enters information into the database, it goes to all locations so no one has to enter that information again. It can save you a lot of time in repetitive, non-productive tasks, Pendley says.

Also, linked salons enables data from all locations to be securely backed up at one main source. The brain of the connectionthe servercan be placed anywhere, including the corporate office, busiest salon or owners home.

Software providers also offer Internet-based backups. If something were to happen at a location and all equipment were to be lost, at least the records would be safe.

I cant stress enough how important a backup is, Lunsford says. Once you have a hard-drive crash, its next to impossible to recover that information.

Whats more, with regulations on the rise, its increasingly crucial that salons have accurate, up-to-date records of its tanners. When you have multiple salons connected together in real-time, you cant have a situation where a person tans at Salon A and then leaves for Salon B which may be 10 minutes awayand tans again, Pendley says. If youre not linked together, thats a huge liability.

What about a salon that is upgrading from an old program? The thought of re-keying thousands of entries is enough to make any owners stomach turn.

If anybody ever tells you changing from one software system to another is painless, thats not true,

Pendley says. As human beings, we dont respond to change very well. Its somewhat stressful to learn a new system and get used to something new.

Most software offers some sort of data conversion to eliminate having to manually enter data from an old program. The trick is to make sure the new package accepts the old systems data. Also, with a good program, adding or growing a salon should be effortless.

The value of a program is in the details, and most every program has different details. Its like comparing apples to, say, Apple computers. So the best suggestion for deciding which program to buy is to make a list and prioritize needs.

Is it important to have detailed reports? What about timer control? Client tanning or purchase history? Payroll or EFT management? Employee identification? E-mail marketing? All of these features and more are offered by salon management software, but owners wont know unless they ask the manufacturer.

Besides comparing features, software manufacturers recommend owners survey fellow salons and check references, and watch presentations and get demonstration disks to help narrow their decision.

They should interview people in the industry who actually use the package theyre considering. Talk to references. Thats priceless, Lunsford says. You get to ask people what they think of the package. Talk to an actual user of the package and see what that persons opinions are.

Dont just rely on the software companys contacts either, because obviously those references are going to put their best foot forward and give biased, glowing recommendations that may not represent the whole story.

Whenever possible, watch a demonstration of the products features, such as at a companys trade-show booth. Sometimes a PowerPointstyle presentation on the product works, but software companies agree that a working demo is best. Working demos are fully-functioning programs that allow owners to test out actual featuressuch as entering a certain number of recordsand see whether they like those features.

Sometimes, all it takes for an owner to pick one program over another is a gut feeling. If the salons needs are met, sometimes the owner should go with that feeling and buy the software that feels right.

All of the software packages offer a slew of features,

Nichesofts Oakes says. A lot of them are bells and whistles. Know what it is you want to use and dont be so concerned with what cool feature it is. Thats the best way to find out if you like a software package.

Unlike most softwaresuch as word processorsusers dont pay more money for more features or less money for fewer features with salon management software. This blurs the line between low-end and high-end software, Toepfer says. The whole difference is the feature set. In salon software, its the nature of the business for people to determine a price based on whatever they think they can get. Most companies charge more for less and some charge less for more.

For this reason, cost shouldnt be a driving factor. The indoor tanning industry tends to look at management software as an expense, like electricity, but there is danger there, SunLyncs Pendley says. Software shouldnt be considered an expense, she says. It should be considered an investment in their businesses. It should allow them to control expenses and increase sales. Theyve got to look at how quickly they can make the investment give them a return on their money.

Salons may choose to lease or purchase their software, depending on their needs. Some vendors offer both options. Programs range widely in costfrom free to tens of thousands of dollars.

Salon owners need to make sure their new software system will run on the computer they have or will purchase. To do this, they should know the minimum requirements for running the software. Each software vendor has a different list, so find out what it is before buying.

A suitable system can be found through any computer manufacturer, retailer or wholesaler such as Gateway or Dell, CompUSA or Wal-Mart, or Costco or Sams Club.

There also are software vendors that sell computer systems to take the headache out of building a computer setup.

Multisalon owners already should have a network in place to link all salons together. A digital subscriber line or DSL, like what Stancato is considering, is one option for the salon environment. It runs on an existing phone line yet allows the business to use the phone at the same time its connected to the Internet. Software companies with higher-end packages will advise clients on the optimum hardware for their product, including where to go for networks and other connection devices.

Like software, its best not to buy more hardware than needed. Its up to each salon owner to know what is necessary and what isnt. There are other ways to minimize costs, too.

Why pay money for a stateof- the-art system when you can buy one generation behind for half to a third of the price? Baja Suns Gonzales asks. Depending on needs, a salon should be prepared to spend between $1,000 for an entry-level computer and $3,000-plus for a higher-end computer that includes a monitor, microprocessor, memory, hard drive, keyboard, printer, etc.

Baja Sun operates on a new Dell computer featuring business-quality components: Windows XP Pro; a 256-kilobyte processor; a 60-gigabyte hard drive; four USB ports; two parallel ports; and a CD burner. Not all salons need what Baja Sun has, and some salons need more.

A 256k processor, the fastest available a few years ago, is plenty for a salons needs today, as is 60GB of hard-drive space. USB ports utilize the new plug and play capability of computers. Basically, peripherals such as printers or digital cameras plug into a USB port and the computer automatically recognizes it. Four is a decent number to start out. Because of USB ports, parallel ports arent in as much demand today but, like 3.5-inch floppy drives, they are good to have around in case theyre needed. Most printers, for example, still require a parallel port. A CD burner is a good choice because it stores lots of information on one disk and is reasonably priced.

Look for a computer with a warranty that covers manufacturing defects and other problems, and understand exactly what is covered under the warranty.

Most new computers are covered for one year, and some warranties include on-site maintenance. Many retailers offer extended service agreements that, in essence, lengthen the warranty.

Weigh the price of the warranty against the price of potential repairs. Major computer manufacturers have technical support and warranties in case their systems break down.

Software vendors agree that the most important considerations in a software package surprisingly have nothing to do with the softwares features: service after the sale and feature flexibility.

A salon spends countless hours and energy to build a database of its clients. If something should happen to that database, the salon could be crippled, resulting in lost records or lost business. A good software company works closely with salons to ensure downtime is minimized; likewise, salon owners and employees need to rely on that support.

Service is paramount, Helios Toepfer says. You must deal with a company that has excellent technical-support services and support amenities such as training.

Computers can be a major buying decision, so support should not be overlooked. Ask questions and uncover potential hidden costs. For example, are there any limitations, such as how often users can ask for help? Its like buying a car, Lunsford explains. It looks beautiful on the surface, but you drive it home and the transmissions flipping. All of the sudden you go for support and its like, Oh, you didnt read the fine print. We dont cover the transmission.

Some companies offer free support around the clock.

Support can be given through a toll-free number, by e-mail or online. Some companies offer free support for a period of time after the sale, but offer optional service after that for a fee. Others offer optional fee service from the start. In some cases, updates are included in the paid support.

Since not every salon is managed the same way, management software should be flexible enough to change to meet each salon owners needs. How easy is it for a employee to get around in the program?

Theres such a high turnover rate for employees in the salon, you dont want a package where youre going to have to spend tons of time training people how to get around in itbecause youre going to be training new people pretty frequently, Oakes says.

Automation. Efficiency. Security. These are fundamental to a well-run tanning salon, and just a few of the many instant benefits to software and the computers they need to run. Embracing modern technology should not be feared, but welcomed. It is important to every business, Pendley says. It makes me wonder how we ever survived without it.