I refer many of my clients to MindBodyOnline and use it in my own massage practice and consulting business. It is accessible from any computer in the world with online access as it is web-based. It is very affordable and easy to set up. Employees can use it to view their schedule as needed. You can also choose to offer online scheduling, online gift certificates and online product sales if you are interested. They also have a variety of Partner Stores you can add to increase revenue with out adding inventory. (Note: You will need to use them for your cc processing if you want to add those features). I have used it for over two years and am really happy with it. Follow the link to the web site and try the online demo. You can also visit my site www.spalutions.com and click on shopping to see what the store looks like.

MBOnline also links in directly with:

Constant Contact - easy client communications through email. I also use this service and really find it to be well worth the cost. I really like the archive feature and the survey feature as well. You can separate your clients/contacts into specific lists, track exactly who opens the email, what links they click on, who subscribes and unsubscribes and more. This is very helpful for improving your offers, articles and marketing efforts. Check out their site through my link and get a free trial (and help me save me a few bucks on my own subscription

If you don't need a client management system but need to add online gift cards to your web site, I highly recommend TheGiftCardCafe.com. They are extremely user friendly and provide a great way for you to improve your service level to your clients  and improve your level of professionalism and accessibility. The company also handles payment processing on all gift certificates sold as a part of the 8% fee they charge per sale -very competitive with other similar services. Plus the owners are really nice and want to help massage therapists succeed. The addition of this feature will no doubt increase your gift certificate sales and overall revenue!

Back to software - I have also used Elite Salon Software and found it to be very functional although I found myself wishing for features and/or reports that were not available on the system. Though it is updated every six months or so, I have to say I really like the web-based software more as it can be updated on a much more regular basis.

For larger spas and businesses, I also like ProSolutions - used it in my last spa - and Verasoft as client management systems. They are a bit more expensive than MBOnline but offer a wide range of reports and other features that can make them a good choice for bigger businesses. A lot of this is about user preference though so I suggest you request a demo for any platform or software program you are considering.

If you have additional suggestions about software or other technology that can help improve your business, please feel free to share it here. Thanks!