Contact us!
Tel: 086 099 4163
Email: info@espconnect.africa
A message from Karl Markwald, Founder of ESP
In many ways our Hair & Beauty Industry post Covid is in a similar state to what it was in the 1990s when I started ESP. Then it was thankfully post apartheid.
Now it is the modern social media age with the POPI Act as law. Which means if your client data isn't protected you are at high risk of up to jail time. Client data is an asset that has to be valued and protected like a wad of cash.
This means everything now needs to be re-invented as our values and those of our clients have radically shifted in the social media age. No longer is paper based records "good enough". You have to have them under lock and key and that is working hard and not smart in this day and age.
Back then as a young 22 year old Psychology based Computer Science Business Strategist post graduate I was looking for an opportunity to make a difference and contribute to our rainbow nation. As fate would have it I was fortunate to be introduced to an industry icon of the hairdressing world.
Tony Martin of Yazo4Hair, an inspirational artist and business leader. He had the vision to seize the opportunity to move his salon to the V&A Waterfront when it was just a one hotel building with shops on the first wharf built. Now it is the premier retail space in Africa. Location! Location! Location! Tony endorsed my vison to use IT technology radically differently to benefit our industry. Not to computerize to cater to the accountants needs as the primary focus but instead focusing on the wellbeing of "people".
Putting people before profit in the same way Ian Fuhr did with Sorbet. Which is why they were such a success in the last decade under his leadership. By leveraging the ESP systems and collaborating to extend the key technology these pioneering leaders reshaped our larger Wellness Industry into what it is now.
The ESP Client Loyalty system was inspired by my work in London and LA and we collectively took it to a new level. Now it is an industry standard that others seek to imitate.
ESP Cloud has gone on to surpass this standard working with the likes of Carlton Hair and Spas of Distinction to mention a few key players whilst interfacing to banks and their loyalty programs.
Today with the POPI Law our personal DATA belongs to us and this changes everything. It's forcing Facebook/ WhatsApp / Instagram / Tik-Tok etc to change the way they all hunt for our attention as consumers. Our DATA is the bread crumb trail they are following.
ESP Cloud at its heart has always been a Soul Based Platform that enables you to engage meaningfully with your staff and clients. It's why we stress the quality of Point-Of-Presence results in a quality Point-Of-Service. As an Organizational Psychologist this is my passion.
Onboard to the ESP Cloud as we journey on this next chapter as a Collective Corporation. Taking our industry to the next level and positively injecting a makeover into your clients’ lives.
Remember you are special! You have what no one has the right to do in society! You have the right to touch your clients daily, in a positive way unlike dentists and other invasive practitioners. Your touch changes their lives from the outside in. As a psychologist I assure you that you have a magic wand of Wellness in your hands and with the ESP Cloud you now have the best tools available to run your enterprise so you can concentrate on the magic at hand.
ESP Cloud is here to help you capitalize on this unique gift that you have like the latest Thor Marvel Movie ... it's all about Love & Thunder.
ESP has 6 Directors - All of whom are industry experts in their own right
Contact us!
Tel: 086 099 4163
Email: info@espconnect.africa
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