Problems with the Technology
Sue reports very few problems with the system itself. The challenges have been related to the people and nature of the stock sold.
One of the problems experienced with the technology is due to the low level of computer literacy among beauty industry workers. As many of the staff at Planet Skin had not used computers before learning to use the computer system, they lack basic keyboard skills. This has resulted in some trouble with the accuracy of some of the information entered into the system, so that sometimes the full benefits of the technology cannot be realised. Despite this problem, Sue maintains that the computer system is far superior to the manual system. However, she has had to commit resources to staff training to overcome this. Ian confirms that the keyboard accuracy problem is not unique to Planet Skin. He says that whilst the screens on the system are designed to look as much like the paper appointments systems used in "manual" clinics, some staff take time to get used to keyboards rather than pens. He says, however, that once technicians get used to it, they say they would never go back to the manual process.
Entering the stock into the computer system is described as sometimes being "fiddly and difficult" due to the large quantity of products coming in to the salon and also because some of the products are too small to attach a bar code to. This has meant that the beauty therapy range of products is not up to date on the computer system, so the stock records are currently not complete. One of the ways this problem can be overcome is by having a page of bar codes, so that the page, rather than the product, can be scanned. Ian estimates that the stock control feature of the software is only 50 percent used at Planet Skin, but even so, the improvement in stock management has been huge.
Another problem encountered with the system is due to reception being the link of the system. At times there can be staff congestion at the reception area, as one staff member tries to book an appointment, and another is trying to process a client's visit. There are plans to install another computer at the reception desk to overcome this problem.
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