At the forum of heads of beauty salons, the "hot issues" of automation of management of the salon business were discussed.
In our opinion, many of the issues discussed are relevant for the industry as a whole. Below you will find a summary of our report:
Let me introduce myself, ISMI Kiev, the developer of the ISMIe Beauty software. We are glad to have the opportunity to join the discussion and present the point of view of our company.
1. The cost of the program, first of all, depends on the management practice adopted in the beauty salon, and secondly, on the features of the software product, the price paid to the developer is far from being in the first place, let's see the examples:
the products of Universe (Russia) and Ikosoft (France) are comparable in price, the cost of living in Moscow is higher than in Paris, at the same time 9000 Ikosoft sales in France versus 1800 Universe sales and the unsuccessful start of Ikosoft sales in Russia are due to the traditions of salon business management in our countries
the price of the ISMIe Beauty program is 1.5 - 2 times lower than that of the leader of the Russian market with comparable functionality. Paradoxically, one should not expect interest in our product in Moscow - the demand for software for beauty salons, as marketing research shows, is price-inelastic in Ukraine and Russia.
As the practice of sales shows, even if the salon's net profit fluctuates at the level of the cost of the program, the salon still buys the software, because without the program there is no way even to evaluate its financial result.
managing a beauty salon without a program, without a client base, without taking into account is possible only if the salon is a professional enterprise and the owner himself is constantly busy working with clients, personally remembers their preferences, significant dates, service history, does not forget to congratulate, call "lost clients" , consumes material values. As soon as authority is delegated, the program is needed. An alternative to the program is dependence on the opinion of the administrator, since it is many times more expensive to organize full accounting on paper or in spreadsheets.
if the monthly income is not enough to cover the costs, then wouldn't it be easier to sell such a business and put the money on a deposit.
2. Frequency and cost of updates? Since programs for beauty salons are used for management accounting and management, there is no need for updates after setting up and launching into operation in the enterprise. At the same time, in order to guarantee the buyer the applicability of the software product specifically at his enterprise, the developer, as a rule, provides a year of free technical support, during which either evolutionary updates will occur, or 3-4 program releases will be released and, accordingly, all wishes will be taken into account. buyer. This is a standard approach, and our company uses it. Naturally, we will not deny you the desire to extend technical support for the next year: a telephone consultation line, remote support, free delivery of updates, but only if you wish.
3. After-sales service? After-sales service continues throughout the year. Failures of the program are possible if the equipment fails: the computer burned out, the hard drive flew. Troubleshooting is a matter of five minutes if you have a backup copy of the program. We pay special attention to the backup of our clients.
4. Is it possible to try the program before buying? Yes, of course, it is standard practice to be able to “try” the software before purchasing. And regardless of the location of the client, we provide the opportunity to work with the program on our computer.
5.1. How do you save by purchasing the program? In economics, there is such a concept as “lost profit”: any enterprise, no matter how badly organized it may be, can receive “standard” income, the task of an entrepreneur is to make a profit in excess of the “standard” income. By purchasing the program, you save on the cost of obtaining information about your beauty salon, processing which information you can earn more.
5.2. Is it possible to reduce the rate of an accountant or administrator? You can reduce the rate or open a vacancy, personnel issues are not related to the absence or presence of the program. The presence of the program can contribute to the effective management of the enterprise, if you are ready for it.
5.3 If it's cheaper to hire people than to buy a program - better hire people? A similar question was asked 10 years ago in one of the Kiev nightclubs that belonged to our company. At that time, the salary of an accountant was $ 200, and the cost of the program was $ 15,000. A month later, we bought the program. If we compare the salary of an employee and the cost of the ISMIe Beauty program, then the choice will be in favor of the latter. Imagine an employee who works for $ 30 a month, serves you faithfully and does not expect a salary increase.
5.4. If the program allows you to better control costs, then where exactly do you allow "overspending" and why you cannot find it without the program, or is "laborious" ... As practice shows, organizing accounting even in terms of inventory requirements of standards on paper or in spreadsheets is almost impossible. And the reason for this is the lack of economic feasibility. Another thing is the program, it reduces the cost of accounting tenfold, but its use is not limited to accounting.
6. How can you increase your income after purchasing the program? In answering this question, we will emphasize two positive effects: increased profits by reducing “unforced” losses: ineffective advertising, misuse of materials, calculation errors, wasted time, and increased revenue through customer relationship management. After all, the program is a tool to improve service standards. Managing a beauty salon manually, you use no more than 5% - 7% of the possibilities. Using the software, you will be able to influence at least 20% -30% of the key opportunities, which statistically determine 80% of the profit.
7. Will the purchase of the software allow you to receive tax benefits? No, the assumption of "tax breaks" is purely theoretical calculations that have nothing to do with practice.
8. At whose expense will the training in working with the program be carried out? Our company provides training for free (the cost of training is included in the cost of the software product).
Finally, I want to emphasize that software in a modern beauty salon is as necessary as scissors, a mirror, a comb. To express gratitude to the moderator for the "acute burning issues" that are still being heard in our countries.
ISMIe