Frequently Asked Questions

Many years ago, Insight was sold at one price level very similar to the price of the Insight Professional Full user version today. However, we quickly discovered that only the larger than average businesses were able to afford to purchase Insight. What we decided to do to remedy this was to break the software down into 3 user versions and to discount the software depending on the overall size of the business…the smaller your business, the larger our discount. Remember, no matter what size your business, you receive the same full featured software…but at a price point that you can afford.

• Insight Renter - For individuals who are on their own or rent a “chair” from another business.
• Insight Small Business Edition (SBE) - For businesses with 12 employees or less (which covers 89% of salons and spas).
• Insight Full - For businesses with more than 12 employees.

We also found that many businesses don’t want some of the advanced features built into Insight. In order to accommodate these needs, we developed two versions of Insight…Insight Standard and Insight Professional. Just choose whichever version has the features you require and the user version that best fits your business.

The difference is clear. Our pricing model allows smaller businesses to afford Insight while still giving you access to all of the time saving functions and advanced features that will help your business to grow. We are focused on giving you all the tools you need to maintain and grow your business and we want to be an integral partner in your continued success.

Insight Professional includes all of the features in Standard as well as:

• Payroll commission calculations
• Payroll deductions calculated (for USA and Canada only)
• Multi-Part appointments (break a service up into parts to allow different parts to be done with different employees)
• Package booking wizard searches a range of dates instead of a single day.
• Automated e-mail confirmations of appointments
• Dedicated assistants for technical or finishing services
• Time Clock
• Clients can pay for transactions on account and then pay off account balances.
• Recurring billing feature (charge clients a set amount at regular intervals – requires credit card integration module)
• Many more reports

Exceeding the number of employees available in the user version your originally purchase is a sure sign that Insight is helping you succeed. When you need to add more employees but have already reached the maximum allowed, you will need to purchase and upgrade to the next higher user version or add more employee licenses. Insight allows you to add one employee at a time if necessary in order to reduce your cost in moving to the next higher user version. Your sales representative will also be happy to work out payment terms if required at the time of the upgrade.

Any time you want to add the extra functions included with Insight Professional you will only be required to pay the difference between Standard and Professional. There is absolutely no penalty for doing the upgrade to Professional after you have been using Insight and the upgrade can be done in a matter of minutes over the phone.

Credit Card Integration (CCI) is an extra feature of Insight but is not required. We offer many options for integrating the processing of credit card payments into Insight. CCI is a feature that can be included with your original purchase or added at any time after setting up your software. Even if you are already tied into an existing contract for CC processing equipment, it may be beneficial for you to consider an integrated solution.

We have been asked this question for years and we are finally getting very close to being able to provide this service to our Canadian customers. We can actually process credit cards in Canada at this time but do not yet have certification to process Canadian Debit cards. Since Debit is so popular in Canada, we didn't want to begin offering CCI in Canada until we are certified for both payment types. At this point our best estimate is that Debit integration will be available in Canada by summer 2008.

You don’t need it but it can be highly desirable. If you plan on processing credit and debit payments through Insight you can do this over a high speed connection in under 2 seconds and your cost on the CCI module will actually be lower. Having internet at the business also makes it easier to download Insight updates when they are posted on our web site as well as allowing our customer support department to invite you to an “internet meeting” where they can work with you on your computer to solve problems much quicker than regular telephone support. An investment in a high speed internet connection is not required but will be extremely beneficial to your business if you choose to set one up.

Yes, Insight is fully compatible with touch screen monitors. In actual fact, touch screens are a function of Windows and are compatible with any Windows software applications. A touch screen monitor uses advanced technology to determine where you touched the screen and moves the mouse pointer to that position and “clicks” the mouse on that spot. It is important to note that using a touch screen with Insight does not replace the need to have a keyboard attached to your computer (although technically you wouldn’t need a mouse anymore). You will still need a keyboard to type things like names and addresses. Again, the touch screens make areas of Insight like Sales and Appointments easier to use, it does not remove the need for a keyboard.

The short answer to this question is “yes” but in general we don’t recommend it unless it is absolutely necessary. Most receipt printers are very similar in their basic functions so Insight can usually print receipts properly on many different types of printers. However, advanced features are much more complicated to build into our software so we obviously cannot provide full support for every printer ever made. Cash drawers are less complicated since the only thing Insight needs to do is open them. Assuming that the cash drawer is plugged into a receipt printer, the brand and model of the drawer makes no difference as long as it is properly matched with the correct printer (certain drawers will only work with certain printers). When it comes to barcode scanners, Insight requires that the scanner be programmed in order to work as designed. We have provided “Quick Configuration” sheets to program the scanners we sell but if you have a different brand or model you should be able to contact the manufacturer to find out how to program it to work with Insight.

Assuming that the hardware you purchase is the same brand and models that we suggest, there is nothing stopping you from purchasing those items from another supplier. However, it is important to note that our pricing includes all shipping costs and we will also have a customer support representative contact you to assist you in installing and setting up the equipment when it arrives. Part of our process in selling equipment to you is to ensure that the items you are purchasing will work well together and will attach correctly to the computer you will be using. If you purchase the equipment from someone else, there may be conflicts and in some cases, clients have received hardware that they cannot even attach to their computer. Our goal is to make sure that you are completely satisfied with your purchase so we do a lot of checking prior to shipping to ensure that you are getting exactly what you need and want.

In most cases, we can get Insight to work with hardware that you were using with competitors software. There are some cases however, when dealing with very old or unsupported equipment where we simply cannot get it working as it should be. If you have already purchased Point-Of-Sale equipment and would like to purchase Insight, please notify your sales representative and they will have a hardware specialist contact you to make every effort to verify that your existing equipment will work with Insight before you make a final purchasing decision.

The Epson printer uses impact technology to print the receipts. While this technology allows you to use two-part receipt rolls (white copy and yellow copy) it does require ribbons, is generally fairly slow (8-10 seconds per receipt) and makes a fair bit of noise while it is printing. The CBM printer prints using thermal technology. This requires that you purchase special “thermal” paper rolls and will only print one copy of the receipt at a time. This usually doesn’t pose much of a problem though since the CBM can print a full receipt in 1-2 seconds and is extremely quiet. If cost is a major factor in your decision, the Epson is an excellent printer. However, the thermal technology of the CBM printer will provide you with a faster, quieter alternative for only a few dollars more.

There are two main differences between the Unitech and Metrologic scanners. First, the Unitech uses CCD technology to read the barcodes while the Metrologic uses a laser to scan. As a result, the Unitech scanner will normally need to be held within about ½ inch of the barcode in order to scan while the Metrologic can scan from as far away as 8-10 inches. Second, the Metrologic scanner is a sturdier scanner and comes with a 5-year warranty while the Unitech scanner is only covered with a 1-year warranty. The Unitech scanner is a good quality scanner for smaller businesses but we recommend the Metrologic scanner for medium to large businesses that sell more than a few products each day.

Yes, Dell does advertise computers starting at very low prices. However, there are many important factors that will significantly increase the total amount you pay. Usually you will find that when you go to the Dell website and choose that cheap computer you need to add more items to it before it will work for you. The absolute lowest specifications are not what you want when you are relying on that computer to run your business. We have chosen excellent quality parts and specifications that will ensure our clients will be happy with their computer for years to come.

The short answer is “maybe”. Since we are a Dell reseller, we are given a guaranteed price for the systems that we purchase so the price doesn’t change as often as it does if you purchase directly from them. Some days it may be a few dollars cheaper and other days a few dollars more expensive. We provide excellent Dell systems to save our clients the time involved in building their own computer and provide you with the peace of mind in knowing that your Dell will work optimally with Insight. In the end, the choice of where you purchase your computer is completely up to you.