5 Reasons Why You Should Start Online Appointment Scheduling

What is an online appointment scheduling software?

An online appointment scheduling software is a tool that allows businesses and professionals to better manage appointment scheduling. An appointment scheduling solution enables customers to book an online appointment via a portal. Businesses can use the scheduling software to track and manage those appointments. This scheduling software is also known as appointment booking software or online booking software.
A business can use the appointment scheduling software to schedule appointments, but also view calendars and schedules and enforce scheduling rules. The scheduling software also has tools in one place for reminders, follow-ups, canceling, and rescheduling appointments. It also issues notifications for online payment for services. Online scheduling solutions can also be integrated with other software like content management systems.
An appointment scheduling software can also integrate customer and employee data and calendar sync to the main database and evaluate calendar data.

Key Features of Online Appointment Scheduling Software

As we discussed, online appointment scheduling software can help a business to allow customers book appointments via portal and track and manage those appointments. The online scheduling tool your business uses should be innovative and designed to suit your business needs in mind. An onlinescheduling software should help a business set up an online booking page, automate customer and staff messaging and provide a calendar view with calendar sync options.
Here are the key features an online appointment scheduling software should have-

1. Easy to use booking page- A booking page is a web-based appointment scheduler which is used by customers to book appointments. A good scheduling software should have a booking page which allows scheduling appointments based on availability. A scheduling software should also have features to allow customization colors and content of the booking page to match your brand presence.
2. Calendar sync- When opting for a scheduling software, check that it has a calendar sync option which allows sync your calendar to the appointment scheduler. Calendar sync function of the appointment scheduler checks for other appointments and eliminates double bookings.
3. Notifications- The scheduling software should send out automatic email confirmation to the customer after Appointment Scheduling. The scheduling tool should also send out reminders which also reduces chances of no-shows.
4. Work hours schedule- An appointment scheduling software has the tools to set a business' available working hours and block off days when have holidays or are off. The scheduling software only shows customers the time and days on the booking page when a business is open.
5. Scheduling appointments- A scheduling software has tools which allow customers or staff to cancel or reschedule appointments. The appointment scheduling software also lists the various services, so customers can schedule appointments for service they want on the booking page. The appointment scheduling software also books appointments for staff who have the time slot free, which reduces chances of double booking.
6. Payments- An appointment scheduling software also has online payment options through which a business can accept payments via methods like credit card, debit card or third party payments like Google Pay.

Benefits of Online Appointment Scheduling

Apart from booking and scheduling appointments, scheduling software has various other functions like creating deals and promotions for email marketing and staff scheduling. Staff or Employee Scheduling can be defined as organizing the employees' work time in order to best carry out daily business activities. A scheduling app like Zip Schedules can be used to create employee schedules, request management for time offs and shift swaps, and 24x7help center.
Let us now look at the benefits of using the scheduling software for staff scheduling-

1. Staff schedules- As discussed, an appointment scheduling software books appointments for staff who are free for the time slot, which ensures that the customers have the employee's attention during the appointment and ensures a better customer experience. As per statistics, a good percentage of customers prefer scheduling appointments online compared to other methods.
2. Increase in revenue- The scheduling software automates employee scheduling so that the staff can focus on more revenue by servicing more customers. The appointment scheduler can be integrated with electronic payment gateways which speed up the billing process.
3. Boosts efficiency- Many times, employees have to serve multiple customers during rush hours. An appointment scheduling software reduces the chances of double-booking appointments which can lead to customer frustration and reduce efficiency. The scheduling software helps employees confirm appointments with customers to save time.
4. Minimizes no-shows- The scheduling software tracks appointments and sends reminders to customers. Certain scheduling tools also let customers confirm appointments through reminders. This reduces no-shows and allows better utilization of employee time.
5. After looking at the benefits of opting for scheduling software for staff scheduling, let us look at the benefits of using the scheduling software for appointment scheduling.

Better Time Management

An appointment scheduling software is beneficial for a business as it saves money and time. Let us look at the ways an online appointment booking solution can help with better time management-

1. An appointment scheduling system reduces no-shows by sending out reminders and customers can confirm or reschedule an appointment.
2. An online scheduling solution allows you to identify gaps in between scheduled appointments, so that you can allow for walk-ins or use that time for internal meetings.
3. The employees also save time spent handling phone calls and managing schedules when you opt for a scheduling software.
4. The customers also save time by just logging onto your website for scheduling appointments.
5. An appointment scheduling software also brings efficiency to your daily workflow by due to automation and letting the staff deal with tasks that need human intelligence.
6. As online booking software automates the appointment scheduling process it also saves on tedious paperwork for booking and confirming appointments.

Effective Communication

Open lines of communication leads to better productivity and happier employees. An appointment scheduling software is also good for bettering communication. Let us look at how appointment scheduling software can ensure effective communication-

1. There are times when the client will not show up for an appointment which leads to loss of revenue and time. A scheduling software sends out reminders to clients about their appointments so that they can reschedule if they want.
2. An online booking software will also show time slots and dates as per a business' working hours. So, there is no miscommunication about scheduling an appointment when a particular employee is not there or beyond working hours.
3. An appointment scheduling software is also useful to improve internal staff communication. The calendar sync option allows Scheduling Time for meetings between employees and also to get insight into their co-workers' projects and daily schedules.
4. The scheduling software can also be used to foster a healthier office environment by encouraging staff to mingle with each other at office hosted get togethers which can be announced on via the group messaging on the scheduling tool.

Higher Response Rates

Data has shown that most customers prefer online booking for appointment scheduling over any other method. An appointment scheduling software also doesn't have a time constraint for scheduling appointments. Let us now see how opting for an appointment scheduling software evokes higher response rates from customers-

1. A Scheduling Software provides accuracy and convenience for customers hence they prefer appointment scheduling in real time with a click of a mouse. 94% of customers said they will opt for a business that uses online booking over one who doesn't.
2. Online booking of appointments also allows customers to attach photos of any issues that they are facing so that the service executive has a fair idea of the customer requirement before meeting customer which cuts down on time explaining an issue and spend more time fixing the issue.
3. If a customer has a smooth online appointment booking experience, they are bound to return to the business. An appointment scheduling software helps a business market its services effectively to get new customers and retain existing ones.
4. A business can also use online appointment scheduling software to bring customers back by creating personalized experiences that customers can't access online. Data shows 64% customers spend more on products and services after scheduling appointments.

Better Customer Experience

We have already seen how customers prefer appointment scheduling software for scheduling appointments. We will now see how scheduling software can help you better customer experience-

1. Scheduling software makes it easy to schedule appointments for your services and the ease of service already translates into a better customer experience as a client schedule an appointment anytime.
2. There are times when the staff will be busy during peak hours and there might be mistakes while scheduling appointments. But using an online booking tool for appointment scheduling will reduce the possibility of errors and double bookings and provide a better customer experience.
3. Appointment scheduling software makes appointment scheduling fast and simple and all information your staff needs is in front of them every time thus they are able to serve the customers better.
4. Real-time appointment scheduling also gives customers easy access to your services at their convenience. This leads to an increase in satisfied customers and customer retention.
5. An appointment scheduling software also helps in building brand loyalty as it offers customers a seamless experience.

Flexible Scheduling

Online booking for scheduling appointments allows for a certain degree of flexibility as a client can choose the time best suited to them from the time slots offered as per the working hours of a business. Such flexibility can enhance the customer experience of the business. Let us now look at the flexibility offered by online appointment booking-

1. An appointment scheduling software allows appointment scheduling as per customer convenience. A customer can use a mobile or computer any time of the day for scheduling appointments. As per a survey by a business software provider 94% said they opt for a business that uses scheduling software.
2. A scheduling software caters to the customers' preferences as many have the habit of using the internet for much of their lives. Many often go to a company's website to look at products and services on offer and make decisions. Hence scheduling software integrated with the website can convert a curious customer into an appointment.
3. As the scheduling software is synced to your calendar, the appointment is also marked on the staff calendars and any cancellation or rescheduling is also reflected. This gives the staff the flexibility to opt for a walk-in or complete any other task they may have.
4. The flexibility offered by appointment scheduling software also ensures conversion of customers, as more customers are likely to return to a business if they can make or reschedule appointments at their convenience.