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Bodywork Buddy Blog

Bodywork Buddy: business management software for the solo therapist that keeps you organized and makes tax time a breeze.

Monday, March 30, 2015

*NEW FEATURE* Print/Email All Sessions on One Receipt


We've just implemented a new feature that many of our members have asked for: the ability to print or email all sessions from a specific client onto one receipt.

You can choose to do this from within each session record in the upper right next to the usual "print receipt" and "email receipt" buttons.




You can also do this from within each client's file in the upper right corner.



Now you can not only do that, but you can also choose a specific timeline of sessions you want to include if you don't want to do ALL sessions.




Thank you to our members for the suggestions and feedback. Your ideas help to make Bodywork Buddy even more awesome and we value your business!


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Member Spotlight: Tanya Knicely



Today's member spotlight is Tanya Knicely of Trust Your Journey Therapeutic Massage in Elizabeth, West Virginia.

Q:What inspired you to be a massage therapist?

A: My inspiration to become a massage therapist was two-fold. The first being my oldest daughter was attending a massage therapy program and would come home everyday with new techniques and amazing information about how massage works with the body's natural healing processes. Her excitement was contagious. Secondly, being a nurse at the time, I saw the benefits touch had with my patients and their healing. I saw these benefits from caring for ill newborns and their distraught parents all the way through the final stages of the dying patient who can peacefully transition into death with just the slightest touch on their arm, back or brow as they are passing. The comfort massage and touch in general allows is astounding.


Q:How long have you been doing massage?

A: I have been a massage therapist for almost two years.


Q: What is your favorite thing about being an MT?

A: The thing I like most about being a massage therapist is passing on the knowledge I have with my clients and why they are feeling the way they are. Whether it is through education about the muscles that are giving them discomfort and how muscles somewhere else on their body could be the actual problem or the benefit massage is to their body, even something as simple as the need for drinking an adequate amount of water to keep their bodies hydrated and systems flushed. Education is so important to me and giving my clients the information they need to help their body heal itself through massage with no side effect is wonderful.


Q: What do you feel is the most challenging issue for massage therapists?

A: I feel there are several challenges for massage therapists. One of them is educating people so they will include massage as an important part of their weekly or monthly health program. Another is educating insurance companies so they include massage as a necessary addition to preventative care and adding it as a covered benefit to more insurance plans. Education on massage as more than just a luxury is important for individuals and insurance companies.


Q: What advice would you give to other MT’s to help build their business?

A: I feel the best advice I could give another MT is to never stop learning, never stop trying new techniques that can give their practice and their studio that special advantage. Always work for the clients best interest and treat their clients as if it were themselves getting the massage. Because when you do that you will be more in tune with what your clients are in need of and how you can help them achieve their goals for their body, health and healing. And most importantly know where you want your business to go and never give up on getting it there. When your clients feel your passion for what you do, your advertising is taken care of...word of mouth is your businesses' best advertisement.


Sunday, March 15, 2015

*New Feature* Recurring Appointments


Bodywork Buddy has always had recurring/repeating general events, but now we also have the ability to create recurring confirmed appointments!

When creating a confirmed appointment via clicking within the calendar (dashboard > calendar > main > click into date on calendar > confirmed appointment), there is now the option to make the appointment recurring/repeating.

Fill in the client, service, and time details like when normally creating a confirmed appointment, and then select the repeating type from the dropdown box.




Once choosing the type of repeat, you'll have options to customize it more with how often it repeats, and until forever or a set date, certain days of the week, etc. 
Click Schedule Appointment.



Clients will receive a confirmation email with the first date in the series for the repeating appointment, and then receive their email reminders prior to their appointment as specified in your settings.

This latest update also includes the ability to delete just one in a series or the entire series of a recurring general event. (Up until now there was only the option to delete the entire series).




Monday, March 2, 2015

The Power of Real Reviews


Displaying testimonials or reviews on your website or in other marketing can be very persuasive to prospective clients looking to schedule an appointment with you. They build trust, aren't "sales-y", and help clients overcome skepticism.
When a potential client sees a whole page full of quotes and testimonials from existing clients, it
further cements the idea that you’re someone they want to do business with.



So, how do you go about collecting reviews for your business? While there are many review sites available to list our businesses on, there's also great testimonials all around us if we are listening. When a client comments about how great they feel after their treatment, ask them if you can quote them on that.

Many online scheduling softwares include automated emails that ask your clients to leave a testimonial or review. This is not only a great way to collect testimonials for your marketing, but a wonderful source of feedback to improve where needed. 

Some tips for collecting testimonials:
  • Ask for a review within a day or two of your service when it's still fresh in your client's mind.
  • Ask for their permission to use it and their name in your marketing.
  • Have an easy form for clients to fill out that simply asks them questions like "How do you feel before your massage? How do you feel after your massage? What do you like most about our services?".
  • Use an online system that automates the process for you. (Shameless plug: Bodywork Buddy.)
  • LinkedIn can be another easy source for testimonials. If you're connected with clients on LinkedIn, you can easily send a request for them to leave you recommendations. 
  • Facebook business pages includes the option to rate and review.

When using testimonials in your marketing, choose testimonials that are:
  • Filled with benefits.
  • Substantiates your claims.
  • From someone your clients can relate to.
  • Compares your services to others.
  • Credible - use real words from real people. Don't create fake reviews.
Keep mediocre reviews. This is your opportunity to make your business shine with great customer service. It also makes your testimonials more believable if there are some 3 and 4 star reviews in with your 5 star ratings.