Differentiating Services

written by Pallas Hutchison

This week, we updated how we organize our services in our booking software. This has already spurred a lot of discussion among the staff as well as clients. Yes, I just created hours of work for myself to update the backend of our software. Yes, I expect some confusion and maybe even some pushback.  This will take some time to get used to. New clients will probably find it easier to adjust than existing clients. 

Why did we bother doing this?

1. To better meet client expectations: We will begin more clearly defining what service we are providing. Client education and staff consistency will be necessary for this to work. Here is an example: A new client books online for a deep tissue massage. During their intake, the client says that they just want to relax, that they like firm pressure, and they want a full body massage. What they are describing is a Swedish massage with firm pressure. 
   
   Many clients confuse deep tissue massage with firm pressure. They are not interchangeable terms. Firm pressure can be used with many massage techniques. Deep Tissue massage can also use a light to medium pressure. (I've written an entire blog dedicated to just this concept. If you're interested, you can read it here: What is Deep Tissue Massage?) 
   
   
2. To allow our staff to specialize: Every massage therapist has a different approach to massage and a skillset that varies depending on the continuing education they have completed. Some massage therapists resonate with the spa-relaxation type services. Some do really well working with whiplash recovery. As the business grows, we want our staff to work with the types of clients that they do best with. This means better results for clients and more job satisfaction for our staff. 
   
   
3. To collect more accurate data on the types of services our clients want: This will allow us to do targeted hiring and bring on someone who meets the needs of more clients. For example, if the majority clients book under "for Pain Management", we will know that we need to bring on more staff with those skills. Alternately, if the majority of our clients are booking "for Athletes", we will need to bring on more staff with those skills.