How an online booking solution is driving profits across every industry

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(Courtesy of Timify.)

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Appointment scheduling software has evolved to make the complex end-to-end process of service provision simple, while boosting customer experience, efficiency savings and revenue.

Appointment scheduling software has boosted revenue for some retail chains by 19 per cent, while basket size per customer has quadrupled.

Digital resource planning has reduced idle times by 30 per cent, with customer waiting times cut by 45 per cent.

Impressive returns for just implementing online booking for your clients and customers? That’s because receiving a booking is just the trigger for a complicated and costly series of processes across your business.

Modern booking software delivers solutions for every stage of the scheduling process, for any number of different services and locations.

It ensures customers receive a quality experience throughout the journey, while the back-office planning and admin is automated and error-free.

How online scheduling systems drive revenue and cut costs

Boost lead generation

Online booking opens a wide range of channels for new leads. 24-hour booking from any device, without needing to phone, is a crucial factor in securing conversions.

Direct booking of specific services from your Google Search or Maps results, social media or targeted campaigns, can reduce conversions of fresh leads to a single click.

Increase customer loyalty

Customers book directly with the service, department or even staff member they want and choose their most convenient time and location, with the option to amend or cancel online at any time. They submit documents, preferences and requirements in advance, ensuring the most personalised and efficient experience when they arrive.

Customers who feel in control, with ultimate convenience, become hugely valuable advocates for your business.

Innovative resource management at any scale

Effective resource management is complex and costly, particularly for large, multi-location enterprises. Digital scheduling of resources allows you to optimise planning and assign the right resources to your services, according to your business logic and in-store footfall.

Huge efficiency gains

Receiving and amending bookings, plus managing reminders, is all automated. As is resource management. One shared shared calendar across your business means organising internal meetings, managing shifts, and tweaking service set up across branches can be done in an instant.

Drop-in appointments, online payments, invoicing and even gathering customer feedback can all be automated.

Hybrid experiences

The pandemic has created a new type of consumer, moving freely and comfortably between physical and digital channels to suit their needs. Appointment booking can be integrated into every step of the purchase journey, allowing customers to book face-to-face interactions with your on-site experts or allow any type of digital interactions – be it booking a video conference or attending a virtual event.

Any language, any time zone

Integrate online booking easily across a worldwide network of services, branches and internal offices. It not only adapts to the location language, but knows local festivals and holidays, while offering bookings and meetings in the local time zone.

Who uses online booking solutions?

SMBs were early adopters of appointment scheduling software, but as the technology has evolved to deliver truly transformative revenue and efficiency gains, large corporations and third sector organisations are increasingly implementing.

• Retail sector: online booking used to offer personal shopping experiences, expert support and in-store events. Customers get a convenient and rewarding digital experience, which also drives people back to a reinvigorated in-store experience.
• Finance sector: clients book online for easy access to expert advisers, both in-person or using video conferencing technology. This significantly broadens the availability of crucial support and advice for consumers.
• Real estate: huge gains in efficiency and productivity through faultless automation of meetings and property viewings between clients, agents and sellers. Simple and effective online booking has boosted the popularity of virtual viewings.
• Government and third sector: an industry tainted by a reputation for poor appointment management is being transformed by highly efficient digital booking systems that offer a modern experience with freedom and convenience for clients.
• Healthcare: a faultless and highly efficient system offers a modern experience for patients, across drop-in and pre-booked appointments, video consultations, group sessions and more. All with the ability to gather crucial information and paperwork at the appointment booking stage.
• Logistics. Digital management of vehicles for loading and unloading is bringing spectacular efficiency gains and improved experiences for all staff involved

Beyond appointment booking

(Courtesy of Timify.)

Large enterprises are often hampered by using an array of different software systems, apps and databases which don’t work well together or convolute efficient processes.

TIMIFY, a modern and flexible enterprise scheduling ​software, has built the optimisation and automation of some of the most complex and costly back-office processes into one system.

• Statistical insights and management controlTIMIFY combines a CRM system, performance statistics, resource management and the controls to act upon insights in one single platform. Customise booking processes to gather the data you need to build a powerful database of customer profiles. Analyse performance of both online and offline services, as well as multi-channel campaigns. Act upon insights by changing settings across a network of any size from an online management dashboard.

• Internal collaboration: remove the headache of scheduling internal meetings across departments, locations and time zones. With every employee’s availability in the calendar, the system finds the slot that works for everyone in an instant. Create dedicated booking links for specific projects, teams or custom groups of staff.
• Multilocation management: no matter the size of your network, booking software gives central visibility and control of every service and resource – even from a mobile device or tablet.
• Integration with any existing infrastructure: Incorporate crucial business processes that use internally developed systems, or third-party software with easy-to-use integrations – from Google and Microsoft, to Zoom, Intercom, Hubspot, Zapier and hundreds more.

TIMIFY is an appointment scheduling software at the forefront of the revolution, developed intensively over the last decade to deliver profit and efficiency gains for large corporations.

Its features and functions have been tailored to the demands of big organisations and the complex management of multiple services across different locations which use an array of engagement channels for customers.

Visit the TIMIFY website to receive advice on how the system can transform your business.

Originally published on Business Reporter