Scheduling appointments for your clients can be time consuming. Time that you could spend on other things, like updating your website or growing your business. However, if you are not using online scheduling software, you are losing out on some valuable time.
You can automate a time-consuming and repetitive task
Speaking from experience, it can take anywhere from four to ten exchanged emails discussing time zones, availability, and the length of calls just to set up a single meeting. This is inherently frustrating and time-consuming when it’s done at scale, and it only becomes more complicated when I need to get on a call with multiple people at once who all have unique schedules.
Scheduling software prevents this. You pass along a link with your availability pre-filled, and they can find a time that works for them to book.
Any internal discussion about “no, that doesn’t work for me, what about Tuesday?” happens without you, because they already know when you’re free.
As an enormous added benefit, this puts you in control of how long a meeting lasts. People often want extra time on free consultation calls with me, for example, but when they book, they explicitly agree to a predetermined time frame that I set. Only want 15-minute calls? It’s your prerogative to set it up that way, and the ball is in your court. If you try to schedule over email or let the other person set up the meeting, that might not be the case.
You can have a more standard schedule
One thing I loved about scheduling software was that it pushed me to automate my schedule. I’d leave an hour or two open several days a week, which could be used for impromptu meetings or scheduled calls. And if the calls didn’t end up being booked, that was just more time for me to work on other stuff.
For example, Acuity Scheduling allows you to set hours of availability in blocks, with built-in features to override hours for specific days or to keep regular hours.
If you’re worried about being overscheduled, you can also set up scheduling limits. If you want to accept appointments until fully booked, you can, but you can also ensure that you have a max number of calls or hours of calls per day if you choose.
These kinds of appointment scheduling features help you keep your schedule consistent without you needing to be on top of it all 24/7.
The software handles the details and the follow-up
Some scheduling tools, like Calendly, have features in place to handle every part of call scheduling, including sending the details and the follow-up messages to the person who booked the appointment with you.
This includes:
- Automatically creating a unique Google Meet or Zoom link for new calls and sending it to both parties
- Confirming the appointment through email
- Sending a reminder email to both parties before the call takes place
- Requiring payment upon appointment booking so you don’t need to send a separate invoice
And, if the user decides to cancel or reschedule, all of that happens automatically and frees up the slot for others to snatch up later. The details can be pushed to your Google (or other) calendar, too, so you aren’t waiting on an appointment that won’t come.
Learn more about how to automate Calendly or Acuity with Zapier.
It looks professional
When you’re using scheduling software, it shows that you’re taking your business seriously—and that you’re in demand. For small businesses who are trying to establish themselves and start out with a great first impression, scheduling software can make a difference.
One way to boost this impression is to have your scheduling software embedded on your website, allowing people to book you easily without filling out a contact form first. Most scheduling software will have a spot for people to leave a note saying what the meeting is about, so it ends up killing two birds with one stone.
How to use your online channels to get more appointments
Integrating online scheduling software and adding it to your website is a great first step toward filling up your appointments schedule. But beyond that, there are several things you can do to bring in new clients—and keep your regulars coming back.
Soup up your website
Straighten up your website so that it looks as visually appealing and professional as possible. That means including details about your business, your logo, and photos of yourself and your staff. And make sure to clearly outline all the services you provide so customers can make an informed choice when booking. If you’re just getting started, leverage tools like the “Fake It Filter” to make your calendar appear a little busy. That way, prospective clients can feel more confident that this isn’t your first rodeo.
Pay attention to online feedback
It’s crucial to consistently monitor social reviews sites like Yelp to keep a pulse on your business’s online reputation. And it’s equally crucial to respond. Make sure you’re giving attention to both the positive and negative comments, responding to each and every one. If you happen to get a subpar review, always lead by thanking the customer for his or her business and feedback, and then stay positive in the rest of your response. Steer clear of excuses and instead be open and honest about how you’re going to correct things going forward. That way, if prospective customers look at your Yelp review and see a flag, they know you’re addressing the issue.
Keep in mind that feedback can also come in a more private forum. With Square Feedback, people can comment about their experience from within their digital receipt and choose whether or not they’d like a response from you. Make sure to read each of these carefully and, if you’re able, respond with a personalized message. Maintaining a good relationship and connection with your clients makes them more likely to come back.
Establish a social media presence
Building a strong social following for your salon helps more people discover you—and establishes your business as an expert in the space. For an image-driven industry like beauty, photos say more than words ever could. Focus your social media efforts on the photo-heavy platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. Get on the hashtag bandwagon and do regular posts under things like #MakeoverMonday to show off before-and-after photos of clients. Throwback Thursday (#tbt) and Flashback Friday (#fbf) are great for recapping some of your salon’s best looks for the week.
Social media is also a great place to keep tabs on what customers are saying about you. If someone mentions you in a social post, respond in a timely manner to let them know you’re listening.
Market to repeat clients—they spend roughly 67% more than first-time customers.
How to get the most out of your scheduling software
As you make scheduling and appointment booking software part of your business workflows, keep the following best practices in mind:
- Pick a tool that offers integrations. Zapier integrates with a number of scheduling tools, letting you connect your scheduling software to the other apps you use most. That way, you can do things like sending automatic follow-up emails, adding new contacts to your CRM, and more.
- Consider where you want to embed your scheduling tool. Many tools allow you to embed a scheduling app on your site or within an email. If you don’t want it to be that public, you can just send out a link when a qualified lead gets in touch.
- Choose the right tool. Make sure the tool you choose is right for your business. For example, if you need to accept payments for appointments, you’ll need a heftier tool. But don’t discount the apps you already use, like Google Calendar, if you just want the basics.
- Consider setting up automatic limits to your schedule. The ability to say that I’m free from 12 to 3 but only want to take a total of four fifteen-minute calls in a single day is a huge advantage. It gives clients flexibility in choosing time while still preventing me from being overwhelmed or running late if a call runs over.
While meetings themselves are time-consuming, having scheduling software in place can mean that the appointment booking process doesn’t have to be.
Streamline your scheduling process to make more sales
Having everything in one centralized place that you and your employees can access from anywhere streamlines your operations. In fact, it could save you hours a week.
Before using Square Appointments, Camille Libao of Glow & Go Lashes was spending 30 to 45 minutes a day just managing her calendar at her desk. Now her clients can book their own appointments through her website, which integrates with her personalized Appointments page. Once Camille confirms the appointment, her clients receive automated text and email notifications and reminders so she doesn’t have to follow up manually. With that time back, she sees a whopping 10 additional clients every month. We see this trend across all sellers who use Square’s online booking software. Square Appointments sellers who use software for scheduling book more than twice as many appointments as Square Appointments sellers who don’t use it. That’s a lot more sales.
Check your appointments calendar on the go
Not only is scheduling software more convenient for your clients, it’s also more streamlined for you. Implementing appointments software and an appointments app means you don’t have to be at your salon to check your availability. The ability to check your schedule from anywhere makes juggling your schedule less frenzied—and saves you a ton of time.
The Square Appointments app gives you all the information you need to run your business right at your fingertips. You can set up and edit your appointments calendar from anywhere and accept appointments automatically or manually as clients book them online. You can also complete payments everywhere—the app allows you to check clients out directly on your phone or iPad through the Square Point of Sale app.
Jillian Seagraves, a hairdresser, has found the Square Appointments app extremely helpful in streamlining her day-to-day tasks. “I was always on the phone, trying to find times to squeeze clients in,” says Jillian. “And since I couldn’t see my schedule before coming in, I’d often head to the salon and sit there with no clients, knowing I could be at home with my family instead. With the Square Appointments app, it’s like my business is open 24/7. I love not having to log on to my computer to manage every appointment, and it’s great to see my calendar right on my phone.”
Add your appointments calendar to your website
You should add your online appointments calendar to your website, which is easy to do with Square Appointments. All you have to do is add a simple snippet of HTML code directly to your website. Having your appointments calendar in a visible, accessible place on your website makes it quick and easy for clients to book. This is especially true for new clients, who aren’t as likely to cold call your business to book an appointment.
Square Appointments is also optimized for mobile, meaning clients can book directly with you from their phone when they’re on the go. This is an important benefit—we’ve seen that the majority of clients book appointments this way.
Require customer prepayments in your scheduling software
Square Appointments’ Customer Prepayments feature gives you the ability to require people to prepay at the time they book online—which makes them a lot more likely to show up.
And beyond helping you cut down on no-shows, Customer Prepayments has two more key benefits. First, it helps with cash flow. If you need to purchase supplies or materials in advance of your service, requiring customers to pay upfront means you don’t have to fund those purchases out of pocket. Second, prepayment makes for a much more seamless customer experience. If customers have already paid, they can simply enjoy your services during their appointment.
Conclusion
There are so many great apps and software to use. Square Appointment was used here as a reference because it is good scheduling software. you can try other scheduling software. the major goal is on knowing how to use them and effectively using them for your business operations. Good luck!