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5 Appointment Software Features You Should Be Taking Advantage Of

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Appointment Bookings

When you think of appointment software, the first thing you think of is likely to be simple booking. A customer logs onto your network and selects a time slot for their next appointment. With just this feature, appointment software is a valuable tool for your business. However, it isn’t the only feature that can provide value.

In addition to creating a simpler booking process, appointment software has numerous other features that make life for both businesses and customers better. The following are five examples of appointment software features that can enhance your business beyond appointment times:

1. Payment Integration

Every appointment your business books likely comes with an expected cost. How payments are processed is part of the customer experience, for better or for worse. Using your appointment software to make payments easier is one way to stay on your customers’ good sides.

Paying for appointments the instant you book them is fast and convenient. Customers don’t have to spend extra time at the service desk when attending their appointment. A more streamlined appointment experience is always welcome.

This appointment software feature is also helpful for customers who frequently change their payment methods. Whether they’re switching to a new credit card or want to try using Paypal, this feature allows them to do so on their own time. Customers can also get instant digital invoices for all the appointments they book through a singular platform.

2. Reminders and Wait Lists

Perhaps the most valuable appointment software feature of all is automated reminders. Appointment reminders have been proven to effectively reduce no-show rates and late arrivals. Both of these can cause major problems for your business and sending out reminders is an easy solution.

Humans are far from perfect. Even the most well-intentioned individuals can mix up dates, get distracted, or simply forget they made an appointment booking in the first place. Appointment reminders sent a day or even a week before appointment times help to jog their memory. At the very least, it reminds customers that they need to cancel or postpone appointments before it’s too late.

3. Rewards Tracking

Appointment-based businesses thrive off of customer retention. Getting a regular customer to book weekly appointments is much more valuable than getting a bunch of customers that never return. One way to improve customer retention is by implementing a rewards program.

Some programs have tools that can track customer visits to reward them for repeat business. This is more reliable than offering a punch card that can be lost or manipulated. Using appointment software for rewards tracking also allows both businesses and customers to easily view when the next milestone is approaching.

Appointment as a program itself has features for creating gift certificates and discount cards to give to customers. For example, on a customer’s 10th visit you can create a gift card for them equal to the amount of a day’s services. With appointment software you can also keep track of how and when gift cards were redeemed.

4. Calendar Syncing

As helpful as appointment software can be, sometimes you’re just more comfortable with your personal online calendar. This especially might be the case when your appointment software is specifically built for use on a desktop computer. When you’re on the road and only have access to a mobile device, it’s nice to have your appointments synced with your personal calendar.

Let’s say you’re getting ready to leave for work and you want to catch a glimpse at your appointment schedule for the day. If you have calendar sync enabled, you can get an overview of your schedule on your personal calendar. As new appointments are booked online, these will be added for real-time updates.

This feature also adds value for workers who travel. Consider a traveling massage therapist, for instance. They might not always have access to their appointment software on the road, as they visit clients. However, a quick glance at their phone’s calendar will ensure that they’re always headed to the right place at the right time.

5. Data Tracking and Reporting

As the years go by, data has become increasingly valuable for businesses of all sizes and industries. While numbers aren’t the end-all-be-all of business operation, certain data metrics can prove to be extraordinarily helpful. However, data is useless if it isn’t being collected properly, which is something you can set up with most appointment software.

Some examples of appointment data metrics include time spent at your business, the average number of visits per customer, and demographic information. These numbers can tell you about the type of customers you have, what strategies are working, and the weak points in your business model that you could work to improve.

You might be surprised by just how much value you can get out of a single piece of appointment software. Even accessing one of these features in addition to regular appointment settings can be a massive asset for your organization. Start looking into available features now so you can start reaping the benefits today.

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5 Ways Self-Serve Appointment Scheduling Amplifies Your Business

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Ways Self-Serve Appointment Scheduling Amplifies Your Business

Being hands-on with your customer service strategy is a great idea. However, these days customers love being able to do things on their own. Self-serve appointment scheduling saves time for everyone and cuts down on human interactions that many people may wish to avoid if possible. 

While appointment-based businesses usually have a stronger relationship with their customer bases, there are still ways they can implement successful self-service options. Self-service can actually strengthen those relationships even though it may seem like customers are keeping their distance. Online appointment scheduling is a valuable integration that can really amplify your business in the following ways: 

1. It Offers 24/7 Scheduling 

Back in the analog day, appointment setting was very limited. You could only book an appointment over the phone during business hours when a company representative was available. This method of setting appointments was (and is) inconvenient for both parties.

With online appointment software enabled, customers can schedule appointments whenever they want. Someone could be lying in bed at two in the morning and book a dentist appointment. Thanks to your self-serve appointment solution, customers are less restricted when booking appointment slots.

Having the ability to schedule appointments 24/7 will do more than provide your customers with additional flexibility. By providing unlimited opportunities for customers to book appointments, you increase the likelihood that your time slots will get filled. Additionally, you’ll need to take fewer calls, which frees up your employees to tackle other tasks.

2. It Has Auto-Schedule Capabilities 

When you book an appointment after hours, there’s a chance you’ll forget the appointment entirely the next morning. However, you can easily avoid this by using another excellent appointment software feature. Calendar-syncing options are available so customers don’t have to manually add events to their calendars. 

Auto-scheduling helps keep missed appointment rates low. Couple this with appointment reminders, and your conversion rate will hit all-time highs. Online appointment software will do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to helping customers stay true to the commitments they make. 

Do you have loyal customers who make frequent visits to your establishment? Help them set up recurring appointments. If you have a client who always comes in on Monday mornings, automatic booking for those appointments will ensure they always get a time slot without going through the trouble of booking every single one. 

3. It Makes Appointment Scheduling an On-the-Go Affair

Not only can customers make appointments at any time, they can make them from anywhere. As long as customers have a device that is connected to the internet, online appointment software is ready and available. This means customers can book appointments while on the subway, at the gym, or even while at work. 

Online appointment software makes payment easier as well. Customers can choose to make payments online before even arriving at your place of business. This means they don’t have to spend as much time in the lobby. This will come in handy for customers who don’t have a very flexible schedule and might like using their lunch breaks to get quick appointments in. 

Simply having access to everything online is convenient. Customers can make changes to their personal profile, appointment preferences, and even upcoming appointment times on their own. 

4. Self-Serve Appointment Scheduling Reduces Errors

Let’s face it, humans are imperfect. Even your best employees will make mistakes from time to time. Reducing errors in appointment setting will save you a lot of headaches and keep your customers content.

With self-service, much of the responsibility falls on the customer when booking an appointment. The scheduling software will do the rest. Technology is programmed to keep errors to a minimum. As long as customers are careful about the times they select, everything should run smoothly. 

5. It Promotes Transparency

Along with self-service, increased company transparency is at the top of growing consumer desires. The more transparent you can make your business, the more you can amplify it.

For example, when customers use online appointment software, they can see the exact data settings you have put into place and can even customize them to their preferences. This gives you an opportunity to be upfront with how your company is using data and exactly what information you collect, as well as giving customers options. 

You can also be more transparent about things such as pricing. Calculating appointment costs can be tricky sometimes, especially when customizing services. If customers choose to pay upfront online, they can get a better idea of what your business is charging. 

There are many reasons why self-service will benefit your business in the long run. Besides, online appointment software is helpful in so many other ways that adding self-service is just one of many bonuses you’ll receive. Start implementing this solution today and watch how your relationship with your customer base continues to grow. 

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