new massage software: Bodywork Buddy

[stonegirl]

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know about the new massage software that my husband and I have created. (He's the software developer, I'm the MT )

Bodywork Buddy is designed to manage your massage practice.
Our massage software is designed to help you manage clients, their sessions, track gift certificates and tally business expenses.

This is a practice management system that includes online scheduling. There is a free 15 day trial available if you want to try it out to see if it's a good fit for your needs.

*edited to reflect inclusion of online scheduling and change from 30 day trial to 15 day trail.

[stonegirl]

I should mention - it's currently setup that you need to enter your cc info before you can try it out - We're currently in the process of changing it so you can sign up risk free and try it out for a month (without needing to give out your cc #). This should be done within the next few days and I will post here to let you know when it's done. After the one month free trial, it is a subscription based system of $35/month. If you do sign up at this rate, you will be locked into this rate even as we add other features down the road. (I don't want to give it all away, but there will be some very cool features coming!)

[stonegirl]

it's now setup so you can login and try out the system without having to enter your cc information.

[PremoMT]

ohh free 1 month trial? I will be doing this when I get back to the office tuesday! thanks for this!

[pueppi]

Will look at this in the next few weeks.

[stonegirl]

Thanks guys - feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions. We're currently working to simplify the design and navigation even more, and we're building the online scheduling aspect of it as we speak. Free email and phone support are available if needed, so don't hesitate to contact me.

[pueppi]

Does it come in a non-online version? Something you can purchase and keep on your personal computer?

[stonegirl]

No - this program is a web-based service only. We're adding online scheduling and many other features including e-newsletter capabilities, etc - that can only be done with an online based system. The advantages to a web-based service are: you can access your files from any computer with internet access, we do the backups for you, online scheduling, features and updates will be automatically added - just to name a few.
Personally, I love being able to access my files from home as well as work. Web-based systems may certainly not be for everyone - I have tried desktop applications in the past, and I definately prefer this.
But of course I'm going to say that! I encourage you to try out several different softwares to find what is a good fit for your business needs.

[pueppi]

Thanks for the info.

Nope, web-based won't work for me.

But, I'll keep it in mind in case I know someone else who is interested.

[salonbabe]

I use a system called Platinum Software, I brought it into the salon 6-7 years ago and it has been invaluable to my business.


Platinum is a very professional, simple to use software. It has a customer contact database, electronic diary, totally automatic e-mail and mobile phone appointment reminders, super easy e-mail and text message marketing to lift any quiet days, loyalty cards, full retail sales and stock control.

The software also includes staff security with different levels to suit your needs, there is easy management reporting and best of all when I was looking for a system it gave us a 60 day free trial so we could really test out if it was the system for us.

I know they always endeavour to keep there prices as low as possible so everyone has a chance of using a system.

There website is www.salonsoftwaresystem.com
There tel number is +44 85 680 0019

I am sure they would be happy to help.

[stonegirl]

Hi All ~

Just updating you that online scheduling is now available with Bodywork Buddy.

What makes Bodywork Buddy's online scheduling different from other schedulers is what we call "optimized scheduling". This is an optional feature that will not allow clients to schedule an appointment several hours before or after existing appointments - so it cuts down on huge gaps in your day and keeps your appointments close together. It's optional, so if you prefer to have any and all open timeslots available for clients to schedule, you can do that as well.

Let me know if you have any questions. There's still a 15 day free trial (no credit card required) if you're interested in taking a test drive.

Thanks

*edited to reflect 15 day trial instead of 30 day trial

[moose_goose]

Hi All ~

Just updating you that online scheduling is now available with Bodywork Buddy.

What makes Bodywork Buddy's online scheduling different from other schedulers is what we call "optimized scheduling". This is an optional feature that will not allow clients to schedule an appointment several hours before or after existing appointments - so it cuts down on huge gaps in your day and keeps your appointments close together. It's optional, so if you prefer to have any and all open timeslots available for clients to schedule, you can do that as well.

Let me know if you have any questions. There's still a one-month free trial (no credit card required) if you're interested in taking a test drive.

Thanks

I can't wait to start having my clients use this! I'm pretty excited about the QR code, too. So easy for them to schedule!

[mamajen]

Stonegirl, any plans in the future to have this available for multi-therapist practices? I have 3 other therapists working with me as independent contractors (1 full time, 2 part time) and I'm looking for something exactly like what you have but that will work with more than one therapist. I've looked at mindbodyonline and am speaking with someone from spa-booker tomorrow but they really offer much more than I'm looking for. I need to have online scheduling available for 4-5 therapists, be able to keep track of gift certificates, be able to keep track of client info and history, and be able to print out reports for individual therapists.

If this is in the plans for you I may just wait till it's in place before deciding what to do. If not, I'm open to other options people may have.

[stonegirl]

Hi Mamajen,

Thanks for the great question. We do plan to add multi-therapist functionality... Unfortunately, I can't put a date on when it will be ready. If you'd like, I can PM you once we are ready to roll that feature out.

[PremoMT]

So far I'm loving the software. It's taken some time to adjust to using online versus paper recordkeeping, but i'm getting there!

and these guys are soooo good about noting requests, and ideas and implementing them! I'm excited to be part of the growth!

[stonegirl]

Thanks for the feedback Moose & Premo!

Just FYI, we've changed the free trial time to 15 days instead of 30. I edited my above posts to reflect that as well.

[stonegirl]

Update:
New features include

SMS (text) appt reminders to clients

Package tracking/redeeming

Embed online scheduler into your website (in addition to the "schedule online" button we've always had)

[moose_goose]

Update:
New features include

SMS (text) appt reminders to clients

Package tracking/redeeming

Embed online scheduler into your website (in addition to the "schedule online" button we've always had)

I really love the embedded scheduler in my website!

Can't wait to try to the package tracking. Had a client buy a years worth of massages yesterday - she's getting divorced and this is her way of hiding a little bit of money from him

[stonegirl]

A year's worth of massages will definitely be easier to track with the new packages feature.

[EgoMagickian]

Does boydwork buddy do 2-way sync with google calendar?

[stonegirl]

Currently it's a 1-way sync. We are actually implementing a 2-way sync as well as iCloud sync next. ETA 1-2 months.

[stonegirl]

Just an update: ETA on 2-way sync is a little further out. We're implementing some other features first that have been more requested by our members.

We just launched client testimonials this past weekend. Bodywork Buddy will automatically email your clients after their sessions and ask for a review of your services. You then have the option to publish those reviews on to your microsite (where your clients schedule with you online).

[stonegirl]

I just wanted to clarify the difference between one-way and two-way sync for anyone who might be reading this who might not know...

The current one-way sync DOES show your Google calendar in your Bodywork Buddy calendar, and vice versa.

What the implementation of a two-way sync will do is enable you to make changes to the other calendar from within each calendar. Meaning - you could make a change to your Bodywork Buddy calendar by editing a Bodywork Buddy appointment from within your Google calendar.

I just wanted to make sure it was clear that you can see both calendars from both places with the current sync setup, as I've had some questions about that recently.
Thanks!

[butterfly45]

I am trying to make my own web page, but i am having problems finding my own photos for it, any suggestions on how or what i can do?

[stonegirl]

Hi Butterfly!

Are you a member of AMTA or ABMP? I'm not sure about AMTA, but I know ABMP has a large library of stock photos you can use. There are also several stock photo sites that you can download pics for free if you reference the site, or you can purchase photos for as little as $3 or so. (freedigitalphotos.net is one that I use often, but there are many others as well.)