Why You Need An Online Scheduler
If your business relies on client appointments, then continuously improving your booking rate is a must. Bookings lead to more traffic, which translates to higher revenues, more money in the bank…
And… well, you get the picture.
Now, there are many ways to increase client appointments. You can advertise your business, create a referral program, or beef up your marketing efforts. But while all these tactics can be effective, your efforts may fall short if you don’t have the best booking system in place.
This is where having a small business appointment scheduler comes in.
With the right reservation platform, you can boost your business’ efficiency, save time and money, and serve your clients better.
At the end of the day, the easier it is for someone to reach out and make contact with you, the more likely they are to do so!
1. 24/7 Appointment Scheduling
Having an online appointment scheduler enables you to take bookings at all hours, which can be a big boon for your business.
Today’s consumers appreciate the ability to reserve appointments outside the usual 9 to 5. Research shows that 35% of clients prefer scheduling appointments during non-business hours, and 40% of online bookings actually happen after hours.
2. An Easier Booking Experience
The traditional way of booking appointments can be quite cumbersome and involve a number of back-and-forth communication between you and your customers.
For starters, the client has to pick up the phone, inquire about available time slots, and then make a reservation (this is assuming that you’re on the other end to take the call). You, the service provider, would then need to manually take down the customer’s information, and you also have to be diligent about following up so they don’t miss their appointment.
The process not only takes a lot of time, it also leaves room for human error and miscommunication. What if the client forgets about their appointment and misses your reminder? What happens if you end up accidentally booking two customers for the same time slot?
Such issues don’t just put a strain on your operations; they can also diminish the overall client experience. And since the last thing you want is to deal with unhappy customers, it’s worth investing in a solution that paves the way for a smooth booking process.
By using an appointment scheduling portal that your customers can access on their own time, you eliminate the back and forth of traditional booking.
The software displays the services you offer and all available time slots, so your customers can reserve the time that works for them. Most solutions also have the ability to automatically add appointments to your calendar (as well as your clients’) so everyone is on the same page.
Additionally, many scheduling platforms can send reminders to your clients to help ensure that they make it to their appointment. And should something come up, your customers can easily reschedule through your portal instead of having to pick up the phone and go through the back and forth process all over again.
3. Fewer No-Shows
For service-based businesses, no-shows aren’t just minor inconveniences — they are missed revenue opportunities and they represent a lot of wasted time and effort.
If your business is plagued with no-shows, get yourself an online booking app that sends automatic confirmations and reminders. In a study on the effectiveness of SMS appointment reminders, the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine found that no-shows decreased by 39% when facilities sent out text reminders.
Another way to reduce no-shows? Take the hassle out of rescheduling or canceling appointments. Once again, your booking software can be a huge help here. By allowing your customers to change their reservation online (instead of doing it over the phone), you’re making it easier for them to reschedule.
4. Marketing Made Easy
Advertising and marketing dollars are rapidly moving online and for good reason: people are now consuming more content on the web. To that end, having a digital marketing strategy is no longer “nice to have” — it’s practically mandatory. If you want to get the word out about your business, you need to put in your efforts into web-based activities.
Online scheduling solutions can make this lot easier, not to mention more effective. Having a scheduling URL gives potential customers a clear destination when they click on your ads or social media posts. So, instead of sending them to a generic or poorly-designed website, you’re leading your customer to a page that puts them on a fast track to actually booking a service.
5. Time (and Paper) Savings
If you ever feel that there aren’t enough hours in a day to run your business, you’re not alone. A survey from management consulting company The Alternative Board found that 60% of small business owners would like to have more time, with 39% saying that dealing with paperwork is the biggest time waster.
If you’re in the same boat, one of the steps you can take to get more hours back in your day is to implement online scheduling. Since web-based booking platforms enable you and your customers to do everything online, you can spend less time penciling in dates and contact details and devote more energy to serving your customers and growing your business.
Not to mention, you won’t have to deal with traditional appointment books and calendars, which means you can cut back on paperwork. It’s a win for you, your customers, and the environment.
6. More Growth Potential
Businesses that automate their appointment scheduling process typically see higher growth compared to those that don’t.
Why? Consider the following:
More successful bookings – Having an online scheduling system helps you win over consumers who prefer to book their appointments over the internet.
But it’s not just about getting more bookings. Since online appointment systems can also send automatic follow-ups and reminders, your booking system can increase the number of completed appointments, which means you bring in more business.
Happier customers – There’s a reason why people love online booking: it’s more convenient for everyone. Aside from reducing back and forth communications, web-based scheduling lets clients reserve their appointments on their own time and pace.
All this to say that giving people what they want (i.e., online booking) and making sure that experience is seamless, will lead to happier customers who are more likely to come back.
Higher profits – Streamlining your booking process can reduce admin work and human error, so you can spend less time and money on tedious tasks. That can translate to a higher bottom line and a healthier business overall.
Scheduler Recommendations
SCHEDULERS
Acuity
Schedulicity
Square
Booker
Calendly
HIPAA COMPLIANT
Jane
Owl Practice
Dubsado is a Business Management tool which includes a scheduler. I encourage you to review both to see what is better for your business. The scheduler is great if you only have limited types of appointments clients would book with you for. (ie. just a discovery call). This is the program MWD uses.
*Discount code for Dubsado is MYWOLFDESIGN*
