Part of managing well is maximizing your time. As the industry changes and many owners are either 1) multi-site and spending less time in each store, or 2) part-time owners with full-time jobs (like me!), the need for management efficiency grows. Fortunately, the tech sector is exploding and there’s an app or a tool to make almost everything easier. There’s no telling how many hours these tools save me each week, but I thought a great management tip would be to share them with you![gap height=”15″]
For the first couple of years I had my store, employee scheduling was one of our greatest frustrations. Managing schedules for 10+ college students can be exhausting – especially if mommy or daddy has always managed their calendars for them. We use WhenIWork – it allows staff to enter their availability in the app, and then we can choose to manually make the schedule, or let the app do it and then we can make changes. When staff needs to request time off, they use the app and it waits for manager approval. They can also switch shifts in the app (with manager approval). This has taken our scheduling time down to almost nothing. Bonus: the app also alerts staff with texts and push notifications of their shift times, and doesn’t allow scheduling someone at multiple locations at the same time. WhenIWork.com is free for up to 75 employees, some features require a paid plan.[gap height=”15″]
Appointment Scheduling – Early on, we fell in love with Genbook. It keeps customer records, can track session revenue, sends tanners reminder emails and spray-tan prep instructions, and then emails them for feedback and publishes reviews after. It’s cut down our spray-tan communication and questions by more than half. Check out one of our stores at SHADE.genbook.com. Genbook.com is around $30/month.[gap height=”15″]
Report Syncing – This is one of the biggest ones for us. I’m a data person and like to keep close tabs on store activity. Each evening at closing, our team uploads a sales detail report and a client visit report to Dropbox, and it automatically syncs to my computer. If I have my laptop open when they save their reports, I often review them before they’ve left the store for the night. Not only does this give me a daily monetary report, it also lets me congratulate the team on great sales, question discounts, and send “thank yous” to salon guests. Dropbox is free, and most POS software will allow you to save PDF reports. Dropbox.com is free for this use; larger plans available for increased storage.[gap height=”15″]
Forms & Reporting – Web forms are no longer the “way of the future” – they’re the way of the present! We don’t do any paper reporting, except our inventory form. Our staff fills out and submits opening and closing checklists online. Managers get immediate reports and know exactly what’s going on in-store. It also drastically cuts down on phone calls throughout the day. If we don’t need to know it immediately, it goes in the report! We also handle job applications this way. View our application at theSHADEspa.com/apply and our Closing Checklist at goo.gl/EsRFAl. You can create forms like this (no coding required!) using wufoo.com, which is free for limited use; inexpensive paid plans are available. [gap height=”15″]
And finally, everyone’s favorite: payroll. Maintaining compliance and making it easy is everyone’s dream. We use Gusto, and running payroll for both stores takes me less than ten minutes combined. Employees self-onboard so I don’t have to deal with all of their paperwork. It also handles all of my quarterly reporting, sends W2s, tracks vacation, 401K, and files all taxes for me. It’s my favorite subscription service! Gusto.com is $39/month + $6/employee. Bigger Bonus: use this link and get a $200 Amazon gift card when you sign up! First month is free: goo.gl/48Vaxa.[gap height=”15″]
These tips and tricks have made the management of our stores much more efficient. I hope they’ll do the same for you![gap height=”15″]
Fortunately, the tech sector is exploding and there’s an app or a tool to make almost everything easier!
