Online Scheduling Will Change Your Business

With so many forms of “social” media being used today, it’s somewhat surprising that less and less people want to experience real human interaction when scheduling appointments, booking a service or even ordering a pizza. In general, people want to put in the lowest amount of effort possible to receive the highest quality service available. With this distaste for social interaction, you may be wondering what the best method is for getting people to contact your business, and a great option for that is online scheduling.

Many industries have already adopted online form completion or appointment scheduling systems. So whether you own a residential cleaning service, a law firm or home remodeling business, the ability to book an appointment from your website can make a huge difference in appealing to potential clients.

Why are more people scheduling appointments online?

Digital marketing website eMarketer has found, through research , that more and more people are using mobile devices to access the Internet. But despite the fact that mobile Internet use is higher than desktop Internet use, mobile users are more likely to schedule an appointment through an online form, rather than calling from their phones.

That means that having a reliable online appointment scheduling system is crucial to the accessibility of your business. It gives users multiple options to choose from when working with your business, including scheduling by phone, email or online form.

Self-scheduling is growing in various fields

At Locallogy, we have tracked the source of website visitors for 18 of our clients who are part of the maid service industry. We found that in July of 2016, 50% of all website traffic came from visitors using mobile devices, while the other half of traffic came from a desktop computer. However, even with half of site visitors using a mobile phone, only 39% of all calls came from someone accessing these websites on a mobile device. That means 61% of calls came from desktop users.

On the other hand, 53% of all email leads came from mobile users, a much bigger percentage than the 39% of phone calls from mobile devices. So what does all this mean? It means that people accessing the maid services websites from their mobile devices were much more likely to communicate via an online form rather than calling to schedule an appointment.

Considering that 61% of users who didn’t call in were already on their mobile devices, that is a pretty significant percentage.

Clearly, there is a massive draw to this service, which only continues to grow with technology. But it’s not just the house cleaning industry that can take advantage of online communication. Other popular industries that are adopting online scheduling include:

• Healthcare industry
• Gyms, sports and personal trainers
• Spas and beauty salons
• Education and counseling
• Business coaches and consultants

How does it work in your business’s favor?

Giving people the option to book an appointment directly from your website makes them more comfortable working with you. The pressure is instantly taken off the client, and he or she will be more likely to schedule an appointment on the spot. Along with this painless process of making an appointment, online scheduling tools often work with the user’s personal calendar to ensure they never miss a beat.

Perhaps you, like many small businesses, don’t have a secretary to answer calls, respond to emails and talk to potential clients throughout the day. Integrating a self-scheduling module on your website allows you to focus on the services you provide customers rather than constantly answering the phone or calling people back after hours to schedule appointments.

Here’s a few features most online scheduling modules will include to make running your business easier:

• Calendar integration: Your calendar will automatically sync with your appointments so that you are never double-booked.
• Optimization for all devices: This tool can be adapted to work on various platforms, such as mobile devices, tablets and desktop computers.
• Time control settings: You have the option to set buffer times between meetings, set meeting times for 24, 48 or 72 hours out, or only allow clients to schedule appointments at certain times/days.
• Appointment notifications: Customizable emails will be sent out to clients confirming their appointment and reminding them about it later.
• Easy-to-use interface: Visitors are able to easily pick an available date and time for their appointment.

If you haven’t already adopted an online scheduling feature for your business’s website, we would highly recommend adding it to your inventory of helpful tools. By doing this, you will make scheduling easier for your clients, and your business will stay organized and hassle-free.