Information and Communications Technology
Two and a half years ago Hair Ware 2000 was introduced at Planet Skin. The software was designed in Australia, but customised for New Zealand, and was developed specifically for the beauty industry. A hairdresser and beauty therapist designed the software, and with user networks (both formal and informal) collectively sharing their ideas to make improvements to the software as time goes on, the result is a very comprehensive and functional package. The system takes into account the fact that many beauty industry employees are not computer literate, and is very user-friendly. Ian Sage estimates that 100 beauty salons in the country are using Hair Ware 2000. The computer system has allowed better administration, management, marketing and stock control at Planet Skin.
Hair Ware 2000 includes a database for client details. Examples of the information stored in client's files include:
- Personal details;
- Appointments (past and upcoming);
- Which staff member(s) they have seen;
- Treatments, products, prescriptions;
- Frequency of visits;
- Whether they rebooked after their last appointment.
There are a number of tracking and checking tasks available on the software - there are a huge number of subsets in the query function, and the user can produce a printout showing all of the clients who fit into the parameters requested. For example, management can produce a printout of all the female clients who see a particular staff member and have not visited the salon in the last 6 months. Information such as this is used for customised marketing, for example, a discount voucher or an offer to encourage a client to try a service not previously used. The software also enables Sue to track the performance of staff members. For example, she can query the number of rebookings each staff member makes, and the proportion of consultations that lead to product sales. This enables her to reward high-performing staff and take remedial action sooner when this is indicated. Sue comments that the information is extremely valuable, as sometimes the data extracted from the system provides a different picture than that which she thought it would show from her own assessments of the performance. However, she stresses that the information provided from the system in this respect is merely a tool that helps her make staff management decisions. It is only one of a variety of information sources that she uses in this process. The system captures and analyses information, freeing Sue up to collect other information that the computer system cannot.
The computer system is based at the reception desk at Planet Skin and there is also a computer in the manager's office. The receptionist is the custodian of the system, but all the other staff members are also trained to use it, as technicians need to "finish off" their clients. "Finishing off" involves the technician going to the reception desk and entering treatment, products, and advice details into the system after their consultation with the client. The receptionist then bills the client according to the products and services they have received.
Another planned use of technology at Planet Skin is a website. This is currently being developed. The objective behind implementation of this technology is to reach a wider market of consumers. For example, the website will allow rural customers to order products on-line, and people will be able to order gift vouchers on-line. This is part of the business strategy to look at other areas in which to grow the business and to broaden the customer base. As is the policy at Planet Skin, planning of the website included comprehensive analysis of exactly how the technology would add value to the business, including research into what competitors are doing in this area. This analysis showed that the website was a nice-to-have feature in growing the product sales area of the business, whereas the priority lay in using technology to manage the core clinic service delivery first. However, now that the core tasks are in hand, Sue's time has been freed up to look at developing additional market opportunities such as mail order via the Internet.
The business processes after the technology was implemented are represented in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Information Flows at Planet Skin (with the Technology)
→ Full Size Version of Figure 2 [11KB GIF file]
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