Do Wellness Centers Still Need The Help Of Reservations Call Center?

Do Spas Really Need Reservation Call Centers? Your answer depends on the direction your spa will take today.

 

Reservations call centers. This is a line of business relevant to hotels and restaurants. But a reservation call center for the spa industry? A quick Google search will not show much result — well, maybe except for fitness centers. And maybe there are some establishments that have a contact center that caters for reservations in place. But all in all, it is uncommon for spas to have one. So, do wellness centers still need the help of reservations call centers? This article aims to shed some light on this matter.

“Thanks for calling. If you need further assistance, please call us.”

We all have heard this line before. We all, at one point, have a conversation with call center professionals. Whether we had good experiences or otherwise, bottom line is, call center professional — and call centers for that matter — is a part of our everyday lives.

When our Internet service got cut off unexpectedly, we call the customer service hotline to get our answers. We also call the same hotline when the product we bought isn’t working as expected. And of course, we call these centers to place a reservation at the hotel we wish to stay or at a restaurant where we wish to celebrate a special occasion.

Now, picture that spiel in a spa industry.

People might think that it would be faster or easier to visit the spa for bookings instead of calling the spa’s hotline. And on the part of the spa operators, they would be hesitant to put up a call center of their own — even partnering with a call center contractor because of the add-on cost just to maintain it.

You see, call centers these days play an important role in any business — especially to marketing and business development. Articles from TalkDesk and TMC discuss in detail the pros of putting up a contact center. Advantages like cost efficiency, brand improvement, and the business can be reached at any time will definitely create positive results for a spa. However, spas can just hire a receptionist and let him or her do the reservation calls for the business, right?

Well, there will come a time that a single receptionist cannot handle wave upon wave of reservation calls because your spa business is booming.

Think of it this way: Both industries share one thing in common — the success (or failure) of the business depends on the level of satisfaction the customers experience from companies they do business with.

Customers’ satisfaction is the bottom line!

Actually, that is all there is to it. What customers love to receive from a spa business — or any other business for that matter — is the feeling of exclusivity.

It is the feeling where the clients have the full attention of the business.

So, how can we provide that five-star service to our clients?

There are two things that you would want to consider before putting up your own reservations call centers:

With a dedicated reservations call center handling phone coverage, your massage therapists can give clients their full attention. They can do their work without worrying about missing an appointment.

1. Your business never misses an appointment. Just as what is mentioned earlier, call centers can help build your company by showing your clients that they can reach you any time at any day for reservations. Many traditional spas are closed on regular business days. By establishing a contact center that will do bookings and reservations, your agents can book appointments for your spa on weekends and on days (and times) that your establishment is closed.

2. Having a reservation call center, you will give your clients 100 percent attention.

With a dedicated reservations call center handling phone coverage, your massage therapists can give clients their full attention. They can do their work without worrying about missing an appointment.

Interestingly enough, a survey conducted by Software Advice shows that a majority of spa guests prefer to call the hotline. From the total number of respondents, only 16 percent would either call the office or visit the establishment to book an appointment.

Also on that survey, more than half of the respondents would want to book their appointments via an online portal. Now this begs the question, should spa businesses put up an online presence for bookings or just do it the old-fashion way?

Offline Versus Online

The obvious advantage of an online booking system is convenience. The clients can easily book at their leisure. Additionally, having an online presence is advantageous because of its low cost structure. Cutting down on cost can provide more flexibility, especially if there is a sudden downturn in the industry. Software and apps can link the online booking system directly to a company’s tracking system so you know exactly how your company effectively (or ineffectively) manages appointments.

Now, going offline when booking an appointment has its perk too. Making your client call the office for an appointment will provide an opportunity for both parties to connect — the very foundation of loyalty. For example, clients can have a liking to a particular therapist because the latter provides top-notch services, thus making the former request for the latter’s services. Clients can do that when they call in for an appointment. Indirectly, you as a business owner will have an idea which services or promos work. By knowing which service the clientele wants, your business can hone it and make it the service that your business will be known for.

So, do spas really need reservation call centers? It all boils down to one thing.

At the end of the day, your answer depends on the needs of your spa to grow.

We can go on and on deliberating the benefits and downsides of having a reservation call center — even go in depth of crunching numbers on whether we will go the traditional “pick-up-the-phone” or go online to book a reservation.

If we do that, this post will go on forever!

So, talk to your team and discuss among yourselves the direction your spa will be taking six months from now. When you have reached a decision, and you collectively decided to put up a call center to handle your reservations, give us a ring or drop us a line. We guarantee that we will be there to support your spa every step of the way.