9 Benefits of Using an Online Appointment System
January 17, 2023 | Read: 8 minutes
A dependable self-service online appointment system is the future of the trades, and it’s time you consider implementing one!
Online booking is powerful.
By automating appointments and managing availability in real-time, it reduces the chances of double bookings and prevents scheduling conflicts. This improvement not only saves time but also directly impacts your budget by minimizing administrative costs and optimizing resource allocation.
The better news is that these benefits are just the tip of the iceberg…
What Is an Online Appointment System?
Boiled down, an online appointment system is a self-service software that allows customers to schedule an appointment on your website. Then, the job automatically enters your calendar.
It seems simple on the surface, but the benefits of an online appointment system run deep! An easy scheduling process results in more job bookings. When customers help themselves, teams like yours benefit from organized workflows, more productive workdays, and happier customers.
With an efficient scheduling process working in the background, your office staff can spend time on more important tasks, and your field team can accomplish more each day.
1. Online Appointment Systems Improve Scheduling and Convert More Prospects
No one, whether it’s your customers or admins, wants their time wasted. The main benefit of online booking software is that it removes a majority of friction from your scheduling process!
After all, the last thing you want to do is make customers jump through hoops in order to book an appointment. Customers needing to step out of work to schedule an appointment or sit on hold are bad experiences. Inconveniences like these can result in your clientele going to the competition.
According to GetApp, nearly 70% of people would rather book their services online, while only about 20% prefer to book over the phone. Think about all the untapped business you could have access to with a self-service online booking portal!
Offering digital booking is valuable because customers can book anywhere they have internet, rather than depending on staff availability to set their appointment up. No one likes throwing dates back and forth over the phone.
Scheduling with your customers’ preferences in mind pays off; your team will see an increase in both jobs and cash flow!
Most trades businesses want to attract new customers. A simple and easy-to-use booking system converts more leads. Think of your online booking portal as a 24/7 lead-generating machine!
Online appointment software contributes to business growth because it’s easy for new customers to quickly fill out a form and get into your CRM. This makes it that much easier to gain new clients and have their data inputted without getting admin involved.
On top of that, you get a new job scheduled in mere moments!
2. Customers Can Schedule Services in a Familiar Space
It’s undeniable, the world is going digital; keeping up is a must. Customers value online experiences, especially when making purchases.
Taking your booking services online provides a competitive advantage for your business. In fact, 94% of respondents said they’d be more likely to choose a provider that uses online booking over one who doesn’t, according to GetApp.
Simply put, if your business isn’t offering self-service online booking, your prospects are likely going to competitors who do.
Your customers and prospects expect to you cater to them. In an age where people already use the internet for much of their day-to-day, an online booking form on your website perfectly aligns with their lifestyle.
An online appointment system pays off.
Think about your customers’ experiences navigating your website. People use your website to understand your services and make informed decisions. Providing a scheduling system is a logical next step that compels customers to purchase your services right away.
3. An Online Booking Appointment System Empowers Customers
The digital appointment solution you choose should be easy for your team to personalize. You should have the power to decide which services your customers can and can’t book online. It’s up to you, only the services you choose to list will appear on your online booking form.
Customization is important for your business, but it also helps customers.
Not only does a well-designed booking form menu look professional, it also allows customers to quickly choose the service they’re looking for. Even better, you can even include the service price so customers will know what they’ll owe.
Self-service empowers customers to control their appointments; top-notch booking forms provide a spot where they can select their date and time slot and give payment!
Online booking should make the scheduling process as painless as possible for customers while giving your team all the information they need. A revamped digital booking experience is a win-win for everyone involved.
Discover how Online Booking can improve customer happiness!
4. Customers Can Attach Files and Photos of Their Issue
It’s important to provide extra layers of customer service wherever you can.
Sometimes, an image is the best way to get a point across. Especially with service jobs, seeing a photo of your customer’s problem can help you see exactly what is going on.
There are many people who don’t want to type out a lengthy message describing their issue.
Allowing the option for them to upload a photo not only saves them time, but it can give your technicians the context they need to help prepare for the job.
5. New Appointments Go Directly Into Your Calendar
The best online appointment systems directly sync to your calendar. When appointments are automatically scheduled, you can dramatically cut down on tedious scheduling tasks.
Automation means you won’t have to worry about manually booking new jobs. Your office can focus on other areas of your business!
Leave voicemails, games of phone tag, and disorganized calendars in the past! Online booking can help your team secure an appointment faster, get the job done sooner, and ultimately get paid quicker.
6. Reduce Admin Time Spent Booking Jobs
Simply put, compared to manual processes, online booking systems are less exhausting to manage.
An online appointment system takes a lot of pressure off your service dispatchers. This can make your entire business more efficient; your team can devote more time to higher-priority tasks.
On top of that, this system ensures fewer scheduling errors and miscommunication.
Customers input their information directly into the form, so there’s no need to listen intently to details over the phone and write them down correctly.
7. Streamlined Communication Processes
Having an online appointment system provides a place for customers to get in contact with you when they need information about their upcoming jobs that they can’t find in the self-service portal.
Creating a designated hub for all of your customer communications keeps everything organized for your office administration and field technicians. Less miscommunication results in a more efficient business that keeps mistakes to a minimum.
8. Improved Customer Service and Reviews
A quick and easy way to improve customer service is with an online booking system.
When a potential customer hears from a current customer about how easy it was to set up an appointment and get the service they needed – they’ll be more inclined to work with your company.
When a potential client seeks a solution to their problem, they’ll most likely look at the reviews for your business before they even visit your website! With poor communication or customer service, you can easily lose opportunities to the competition.
9. Increased Revenue and Book of Business
All of the advantages provided by having an online appointment system will lead to increased overall revenue and a larger customer base.
Sounds great, right?
But with great growth comes great responsibility – you’ll need to have the right field service software and an online booking system that can properly prepare you to handle all the new clients.
Getting Started with an Online Appointment System!
In today’s world of technology, there aren’t many disadvantages to using an online appointment system. If you’re still manually scheduling and managing appointments, you could fall behind the competition.
Commusoft’s Online Booking software can do everything mentioned above and can remove 90% of your admin time. Our all-in-one work order management software is designed around powerful self-service tools. We help trades businesses make meaningful changes to organize and manage their business.
Read more and see how Commusoft can help you take your operations to the next level! We’re here to help.
