2 page Case Study - Posted 7/8/2008

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Modern Mia Salon and Spa

Fast-Growing Salon Improves Efficiency, Service with New Operating System

Modern Mia Salon and Spa needed a technology solution to support its fast-paced, quickly growing business. It upgraded to the Windows Vista® Business operating system and now uses the enhanced features to find client information more quickly, schedule appointments more efficiently, and provide more personalized customer service. Modern Mia’s owner also upgraded her laptop and can now access her business files remotely, reducing late nights at the salon.

Business Needs

Located in Redmond, Washington, Modern Mia Salon and Spa offers upscale salon services in a warm, inviting environment. Founded in 2005 by Ana Judeh, the salon has grown quickly from four employees to eight, and business continues to flourish. To keep up with demand, Judeh plans to hire four more stylists, add three new spa rooms, and expand the salon’s offerings in early 2008.

With Windows Vista Business, I don’t have to stay late at the salon; I can leave at a reasonable time and then work from home. Ana Judeh Owner, Modern Mia Salon and Spa

Modern Mia also uses the Millennium system to schedule appointments, but the process was time-consuming and cumbersome. “We only had one computer running the scheduling software,” explains Judeh. “During peak hours, it was impossible for everyone to use the system to enter appointments, so we would hand-write the information into a scheduling book. I would stay at the salon─sometimes until 10 p.m.─and manually enter the new appointments into Millennium.”

Not only was scheduling difficult during peak hours, but the workload sometimes caused the POS software to run slowly or stop responding. Employees used a calculator to tally bills while customers waited. Judeh would later enter these transactions into the system, but sometimes data was lost due to errors or system failures. “We only backed up our systems occasionally─basically, when we remembered to do it,” laughs Judeh. “We had to manually copy each folder onto a disk. It was very inefficient.”

Judeh adds, “Our mission is to provide the highest quality service to our customers and create an environment where our employees can do their best work. We needed to become more efficient to support these goals.”

Solution

Many of Modern Mia’s clients work in the technology industry, so when Judeh mentioned her computer efficiency concerns several customers recommended the Windows Vista® Business operating system. Judeh turned to technology solution provider and Microsoft Certified Partner Moose Logic for help in evaluating Windows Vista. When Judeh saw a demonstration of the new software, she saw an opportunity to improve business operations at the salon.

In June 2007, Moose Logic installed Windows Vista Business and Microsoft Office Professional 2007 on Modern Mia’s three computers, and recommended connecting the three computers via a network so that the scheduling program would be available throughout the salon. To accomplish this, Moose Logic installed a server computer running the Windows Small Business Server 2003 operating system.

Judeh also upgraded the operating system on her laptop computer to Windows Vista Business and immediately began taking advantage of the new Remote Desktop Connection feature (available in the Business and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista). Judeh can now remotely access any file or program that is stored on her computer at the salon. “Moose Logic set up a few icons on my desktop for my important business programs,” explains Judeh. “One click connects me to the all the files that I need.”

In addition to easily accessing her documents remotely, Judeh also has more peace of mind knowing that her files are being automatically saved. The Shadow Copy feature (available in the Business and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista) allows Modern Mia to create point-in-time copies of files as employees work on them, so Judeh can quickly recover versions of a document if it is inadvertently deleted. Judeh also uses the Automatic Backup feature to schedule regular backups of the company’s files. “Now we receive alerts that let us know when to back up our information,” says Judeh. “It’s very easy.”

Benefits

With Windows Vista Business supporting the salon’s technology needs, Modern Mia employees have the freedom to work more quickly and efficiently while providing the individualized service that is quickly becoming the salon’s hallmark.

Increased Efficiency

Now that the salon’s computers are networked, employees can enter appointment information into any one of the three computers, reducing the need for hand-written entries. Using Windows Vista Business helps us quickly complete customer transactions, even during peak hours when workload is high. “All of our employees can now work on the computers at the same time without compromising system performance, and we don’t have to wait to retrieve client information,” says Judeh. “This helps us provide better, faster service to customers.”

Modern Mia is also using the enhanced Instant Search tool to increase the speed and ease of finding customer information. “We type the first few letters of a client’s name into Instant Search to find their purchase history and ask if they want to buy more of their favorite products,” says Judeh. “This only takes seconds, even during peak times, when before it would have taken several minutes.”

Greater Satisfaction

“Using Windows Vista Business has been a really good experience for us,” says Judeh. “The upgrade went smoothly. All of our applications are more organized on the desktop. The interface is intuitive and easy to use. Our whole system runs faster and our staff is more efficient.

“But even more importantly,” Judeh concludes, “our Windows Vista upgrade has helped us all feel more satisfied with our work. With Windows Vista Business, I don’t have to stay late at the salon; I can leave at a reasonable time and then work from home. The stylists can take the time to really care for the people that we serve. We work very hard to create an environment in which our staff and our guests feel valued and celebrated. In a powerful, behind-the-scenes way, Windows Vista Business helps us do just that.”

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