6 Reasons Why Using a Appointment Booking Plugin Can Help You Increase Productivity.
Many business owners' days are ruined by answering phone calls and emails. Either the owner is tethered to the phone or they need to pay someone to help them with this. Taking appointments is, of course, necessary for any organization's success, but the time spent doing so reduces the amount of time available for expanding the business and enhancing service quality. Business owners can reclaim this time and put it to better use by using an appointment booking plugin.
The amount of time spent making phone calls and scheduling appointments is usually significant. The average small firm spends 120 working days on administrative activities, according to a research by Sage. And, as illustrated below, the true cost of keeping appointments is frequently overestimated since it ignores the effect of distraction. Most people can relate to having a "busy" day at work that leaves them feeling like they have done very little. This is a regular occurrence for those who spend a significant amount of time on the phone or responding to emails.
Fortunately, there are workarounds for this big productivity drain. Continue reading to see how adopting online reservation software can help you boost your productivity without losing the quality of service you deliver to your consumers.
1. Remove the need for a front desk staff.
Consider the alternative of not having a booking reservation system to see why it is so useful in terms of productivity. If there isn't an automated system in place to take reservations, you'll have to do it manually. The duty will invariably rest on the business owner or a front desk employee.
The amount of time it takes to take a phone call or respond to an email is considerable. Of course, there's the initial interaction with that customer. In the case of an email, this entails reading their first request, considering a response, and then drafting your response. Understanding the clients' needs and then walking them through their scheduling alternatives is what a call entails. This procedure typically necessitates multiple interactions. You'll need to enter a confirmed booking into whatever scheduling system you're using once it's been confirmed. All of this is handled by the client using an online booking reservation system. They can make their own reservations without the need for involvement with the owner or an employee. If they need to change that reservation, they can do so without contacting anyone. This is actually a more convenient method from the customer's perspective. They can make the reservation at any hour of the day and on any device. Appointments can only be made during business hours, even if you have a dedicated employee to receive calls or respond to emails.
2. Workflow will not be disrupted.
The majority of people grossly underestimate how long it takes to return to an activity after being interrupted. In a study conducted by academics at the University of Irvine, it was discovered that returning to a task after being interrupted took an average of 24 minutes and 10 seconds. When we analyze this figure, the true cost of responding to an email or phone call to schedule an appointment becomes astonishing. If you only respond to five or six emails or phone calls every day, you're wasting over two and a half hours of useful time just getting back to your initial activity. This doesn't even take into account the time spent making the reservation or making the phone call. Perhaps even more destructive to your company's long-term performance is the fact that frequent distraction decreases the potential for "deep work." Deep work is when we can devote ourselves completely to a meaningful task for an extended period of time. This type of in-depth effort is what can lead to genuine game-changing changes in your company. If you or your critical employees are constantly distracted by phone calls, this deep task will never be completed. If you own a company and answer the phones, the long-term expense will be significant. If you feel that you're always working "on" the business rather than "in" it, distraction could be one of the main causes.
3. Boost productivity and reduce stress
The University of Irvine study also discovered that interruptions during the workday linked to greater stress. "Interruptions have a cost: participants in interrupted situations had a larger burden, more stress, higher frustration, more time pressure, and effort," according to the study. Anyone who has been in charge of taking reservations over the phone would understand this conclusion. The continual interruptions can make you feel overwhelmed if you're trying to complete other crucial tasks. Employees who are in charge of accepting reservations are frequently frustrated since they don't have enough time to do other important jobs, which can lead to higher turnover. Stress is widely acknowledged as a substantial productivity detriment. More than half of employees who were deemed to be experiencing high levels of stress were disengaged from their jobs, according to a research of almost 22,347 employees in more than 12 countries. Only one out of every ten employees who encountered modest levels of stress stated they were disengaged. There is a well-established correlation between stress and low productivity and frequent absenteeism. The hassle of continually taking phone calls or responding to emails is eliminated with an online reservation. As a result, employees will be able to work more successfully on their other activities, resulting in a healthier work environment.
4. Streamline the payment process.
When a customer schedules an appointment, taking the booking is merely the first step. The customer will also have to pay for the reservation. This could be in the form of a down payment or complete payment for the service. Having an employee manually take those payments can take a long time. If payment has not been received, the consumer must be contacted. Payments can be incorporated into your procedure using a WordPress reservation system. This includes putting down a down payment to secure the appointment. You can reduce "no-shows" by automating the deposit process as part of the booking process. Allowing customers to pay during the booking process avoids the need to collect payment information and enter it into your system later. Payments can also be made at any time of the day. Customers may be satisfied that their booking has been made and paid for since you can provide them with access to their appointment details without giving them access to their personal information.
5. Getting rid of the requirement for manual alerts is a must.
Customers want to know how their appointment is progressing. Clients want to know that their appointment is scheduled and that they will be picked up on time, whether it's for a personal training session or an airport shuttle. Reminder alerts are also one of the most effective strategies to reduce no-shows and ensure that they have all of the necessary information to attend an appointment. While booking notifications are a vital part of any appointment-based business, personally delivering those messages takes time. These messages can be totally automated with an online reservations systems. Notifications can be scheduled to be delivered on a specific schedule by email or SMS using templates. You won't have to worry about crucial information not being provided to the customer if you use automatic notifications. During the booking process, notifications can be generated by certain events or time ranges. This may involve receiving a notification right after a new appointment is created or the day before the service is scheduled to be delivered. As a result, consumers are happier and more informed, and they are less inclined to call you to inquire about their reservation.
6. Allow clients to schedule their own appointments.
Contacting clients who have scheduled an appointment takes a lot of time. Many of the questions they have revolve around the specifics of their appointment. Although the answers to these questions are simple, delivering the information is time-consuming. Although email reminders with these details provided after the booking can be helpful, clients frequently lose track of this information. They must contact or email to cancel an appointment and have their request processed by a member of staff. Clients can access the information they need about their appointments and make modifications using online reservation software. You can provide clients with individual login details for your website using a WordPress reservation plugin. They will be able to view the specifics of their appointment using their unique login credentials. This can include information such as the sort of service, who will provide the appointment, how much it will cost, and when their appointment will take place. You can also allow clients to change or cancel their appointments. Cancellations can be manually or automatically handled and authorized. Appointments are the lifeblood of any service firm, yet accepting reservations can have a significant impact on productivity. Your customers will be able to manage their own reservations using an online booking reservation system. This allows your customers to make reservations and access all of their reservation information at any time of day. Giving you and your team more time to focus on providing exceptional service to your customers.
