-by Rachael Pritz, RB Pool & Spa

With social distancing and stay-at-home orders still in place, customers are eager to prepare for summer, which has resulted in an uptick of spa sales. Oftentimes when customers are looking to purchase a new spa, they are also interested in adding complementary parts, such as covers, cover lifts, steps, and start-up chemicals. To make the sales process easier to manage, there are a few key features that your spa accounting software should include:

• Pre-programmed spa sales questions for staff
• Spa kit pricing
• Mobile scheduling for spa delivery
• Spa serial number tracking (for warranties and future marketing)

Spa retailers report that these features not only create efficiency for their team and their customers, but also help drive more profit. In this blog, we’ll show you how. You can also download our free checklist here to ensure that the software you choose includes these features.

Technological advancements allow today’s spa software programs to include a set of pre-programmed questions to ask the buyer, from colors and jets to DVD and stereo options. The full list of questions that a customer receives will vary based on their responses throughout; as a customer answers each question, the program adjusts automatically to ensure that your sales person obtains all of the information necessary to complete the order.

This feature is designed to help build a contract between you – the specialty spa retailer – and your customer. It’s an efficient way to collect orders and it minimizes the need for follow-up calls.

With spa kit pricing, you can bundle certain products together, including the spa, steps, covers, cover lists, umbrellas, etc., and provide a combined price (it hides individual pricing). This enables retail staff to maximize the up-sell items for increased profitability. This feature was designed to give specialty retail stores a competitive edge and level of professionalism that makes them stand out from the competition.

Allowing customers to schedule deliveries via their devices creates convenience and efficiency for both customers and for your team. This feature is particularly important for spa retailers as they navigate social distancing and stay-at-home orders amidst COVID-19. It’s helping them maintain business.

RB Mobile Live is one such example. It’s easy to use in the field and is a time-saver back at the office.  Spa retailers can easily view all scheduled service and delivery jobs, along with the customer’s information, including equipment profile, job notes, directions and photos on record. You have immediate access to all updates done at the office, and the office is instantly updated with work done in the field. In addition, it will enable you to do the following tasks, all from your iPhone or tablet:

• Eliminate service forms
• Record spa water test results
• Take payments at the job site
• Look up inventory and do physical inventory on your truck
• Calculate recommended chemical dosages prompted by Mobile Live through the Mobile Live App
• Add parts and chemicals used directly to the sales order
• Track service tech hours
• Optimize your service routes to lower fuel usage, complete more jobs in one day, and ultimately generate more revenue

Using a software that can track the serial number of the spas on the retail showroom floor and in the warehouse will help you keep a tight grip on inventory and warranty claims, especially during busy season. Manually tracking often results in lost warranty revenue on both parts and labor. Specialty retailers often find thousands of dollars of additional cash from warranty claims with manufacturers, which can be easily missed in the heat of the season if you don’t have a system for tracking. You should have a system in place for running reports during the busy season (we recommend doing this weekly) as well as during the slower months.

When you’re evaluating a new software that includes these advanced features, the price can feel intimidating at first. However, by automating tasks using a software, you will drive efficiency, streamline operations, and save your employees time — all of which will help increase profitability. Imagine if your employees had 20 additional hours each week to follow up on sales leads, make additional service calls, or tend to customers in the store during peak hours.

Ultimately, implementing a software with the features mentioned above will immediately help reduce or eliminate stressors that might be inhibiting business growth. An all-in-one solution integrates with vendors, distributors, and water-testing softwares, and is designed to manage inventory right down to the service truck!

To make it easy for you to select the right software, we created a checklist of must-have features that you can save and access at any time. Click here to download.

If you’re looking for an additional resource on how to optimize your business, we encourage you to check out our eBook – “Your Ultimate Guide to Running a Smooth & Streamlined Pool & Spa Business.”