What an Online Scheduling Tool Can Do for Your Business

How much time do you waste scheduling appointments? Now, think about all the time your customers waste trying to book a time slot with you. With all the back and forth, missed calls and being put on hold, scheduling appointments can be a hassle on both fronts. 

So, it comes as no surprise that 81 percent of consumers get frustrated being tied to a phone or a computer to wait for customer service help. Let’s change that.

Rather than constantly scrambling to find your planner or frantically searching for your calendar while your prospective customer is sitting on hold, wouldn't it make sense to offer a booking tool that knows your availability so customers can make appointments without having to check with you first? The answer is yes and it’s easy to do with an online scheduling tool.

The goal is to provide a convenient online booking system for customers that can lead to an increase in online bookings, revenue, and happier customers.

Streamline the Booking Process

In short, implementing an online scheduling tool will simplify customer interactions. Meaning, they won’t have to deal with the back and forth phone calls, wait for your business hours to schedule an appointment, or receive false information about availability from an employee. These issues arise all the time when the booking process is done manually and not automated.

During all of this hassle, many potential customers may lose interest and opt for an easier choice. It can be frustrating for a customer to have to wait just to hear back from you regarding an appointment. As a business, you should already have that information figured out and accessible to your customers.

People need a way to schedule appointments with businesses after hours because the consumer decision-making process has no time boundaries. In a sensem, you should be open 24/7 to your customers.

That’s where an online booking tool comes into play — you are able to put in your availability ahead of time so your customers can simply visit your website and book appointments without ever having to communicate with you. That means avoiding back-and-forth phone calls, confusion, wasted time and missed business opportunities.

Attract and Retain More Customers

Today, the majority of consumers prefer sending a message instead of making a phone call — especially younger generations. Messaging has become the preferred way that people communicate, whether it’s with each other or with businesses.

More than 6 in 10 American consumers say a digital tool such as online messaging or booking is preferable. This means that enabling an online booking tool to schedule and confirm a booking is not only convenient for your business, but also it’s what your customers actually want.

An online scheduling system eliminates the need for phone calls because your availability is automatically updated and syncs with your calendar as customers reserve and sign up for time spots with online scheduling. It creates a smooth booking process that your business needs. Most booking software is also easy to integrate into your customer facing engagement channels like your website, social media profiles, Google My Business page and live chat.

Online booking tools can increase your lead generation. With a conveniently placed book now button located on your website, social media, advertisements, or other digital channels, browsing prospective customers are more likely to convert and become paying customers. The button is right in front of them and instead of calling, all they have to do is click it.

Decrease Opportunity Costs

What’s worse than a no show? Not much in terms of business. Missed appointments wreak havoc on profits and over employee productivity. Not to mention it’s incredibly frustrating. But if getting a hold of your business is difficult — even just to cancel or reschedule an appointment — the chances of missed appointments increases and so do your opportunity costs. Implementing an online scheduling tool will likely increase revenue through new bookings and reduced no-shows.

Following up with customers, sending confirmation messages and reminders for appointments is key to preventing the issue of missed appointments. Without an online scheduling tool, this task can become very time consuming — time you probably don’t have. The best solution for any repetitive but essential task is automation.

Online scheduling tools offer a simple yet powerful interface for increasing customer retention and decreasing those pesky missed appointments. With a digital booking solution, your customers will have the option to enter their contact information when they schedule the appointment and the system will automatically send a follow up message for you.

Enhance Customer Experience

By automating a lot of the time consuming tasks, you and your employees can provide better service to your customers and improve customer experience. You will have more time to help customers and solve their problems.

An online scheduling tool is also less disruptive to a customer’s days and it’s quicker and easier than making a phone call. Providing a convenient online booking system for your customers is imperative and it will be

A seamless online scheduling tool can increase lead generation by reducing friction (through automation) and increasing the conversion rate of visitors on your website, social media profiles, or other digital channels to leads and eventually into paying customers.

By improving customer experience, you are also creating happier customers, which will inevitably lead to more repeat business — it’s a win-win for you and your customers.

Take Control of Your Calendar

If you’re looking to optimize your time and stop the back and forth with customers by streamlining the scheduling process, then you need to learn more about GoSite’s Booking tool. It’s a complete online booking system, fully customizable to fit around your business, service and processes.

The Booking tool helps keep your business’s appointment calendar full and your day efficient by introducing automated communication, reducing no shows, and increasing your bottom line.

Enabling your customers to book an appointment online is not only quick and efficient but also really convenient — for both parties. Take control of your calendar, book appointments when you’re available and let GoSite handle the rest.