I’m not alone.  Some studies show an average of 25% of appointments at medical clinics are no-shows.

It seems like for every missed appointment, there’s a different excuse. Here are some of mine:

• Keeping more than one calendar, and just being confused (Note: keeping only one calendar is a cardinal rule of Franklin Covey’s approach to time management)
• Forgetting to put appointments in any calendar
• Over-scheduling
• Booking appointments months in advance
• Last minute conflicts
• Not wanting to go in the first place.

Those are just some of my issues.  Other consumers probably have others. And regardless of our issue, the service provider loses out when we flake out.

Is there a solution?

I think so.  Like many people, most of my life is now managed online.  My BlackBerry is almost always by my side.  It’s my “other” brain.  It makes me wonder how many appointments I’d make – and not miss – if my service provider could email me appointment reminders.

It would be better than just sticking an appointment card in my back pocket.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine FAN2017758

For the past two years businesses have dug in, deepened the trenches, reduced staff and cut costs to the bone. Now, in 2010, economic progress reports suggest the time is coming to start building and growing again.

But you don’t need to hire new employees or add a lot of costly equipment to turn these resolutions into realities. Every one of them has been attained by real companies using web-based appointment scheduling software. Read their stories in our case study library, and then make some resolutions for your own business in 2010.

Rich Silverman
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Public domain Image by Ivan Akira courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Customers want convenience: a quick process to book an appointment that matches their schedule.

Service providers want bookings, as many as possible. But the busier you get, the harder it is to take time to take calls.

Self-service appointment scheduling software easily enhances customer service. The result? Happier customers and more efficient and effective customer service.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine PAA161000019

Here are some top benefits for personal service providers:

• Expanded hours for scheduling appointments. Most salons are open five days a week; three to four weekdays and one to two weekend days. Clients who call on a closed day to schedule an appointment will need to call back on a day when the business is open. Loyal customers will. New customers may just call another salon. With appointment scheduling software, clients can go online whenever convenient for them, and book their appointments.
• Fewer missed appointments. When clients miss appointments, businesses lose revenue. With scheduling software, the beauty salon can automatically set up appointment reminder emails.
• Greater efficiency = more clients serviced. Some personal services require a set block of time. For example, a massage is usually 60 or 90 minutes. Other services, such as hair coloring, can vary in time based on the client’s requirements, individual practitioner and number of concurrent appointments. With a scheduling software solution in place, the salon owner can get information on average times for appointments by various factors (day, stylist, etc.) and use that information to maximize the number of appointments per day.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine FAN2034838

• A national portrait studio chain offers online appointment scheduling.  Result: more than 20% of their business comes in while they’re closed. (That’s a 25% increase. What would you do to boost business 25%??)
• Sprint uses TimeTrade to let you self-schedule advanced support for your smartphone, 24/7. Imagine: no more queues – no lines, no waiting!
• Sonora Quest lets patients schedule quick appointments for blood tests etc. Result: 22,000 people a month self-schedule. They all get seen within five minutes – and think how much staff time would be needed to schedule those appointments manually.

24/7 online appointment scheduling provides dual benefits.

• Broaden your customer base by being accessible when you’re closed. Fill appointments and increase revenue without hiring additional staff or paying overtime.
• And customers can tackle their to-dos when it’s convenient, not just when the business is open. Great customer service!

Few brick-and-mortar businesses are open round the clock; online retailers are. This “digital divide” in service hours can be a competitive problem, but it’s possible to fight back, closing the deal when 9–5 businesses are closed.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine TT0600456

• Lifetouch Portrait Studios, which operates more than 700 Target and JCPenney photography studios, surveyed customers and found ease of online scheduling is the #1 guest “satisfier” for their business.
• Another international portrait studio chain, with 3,100 retail locations, used online scheduling to reduce costly call volumes by 23%.
• Ritz Camera has realized a significant drop in customer no-shows, which they attribute to online appointment scheduling with automated appointment confirmations.
• Petco, which offers pet grooming services in addition to products, offers customers online appointment scheduling, enabling the pet grooming specialists to focus on customer service, not administrative scheduling.
• David’s Bridal chose online scheduling software to smooth traffic at peak service times.
• Janovic, a subsidiary of Benjamin Moore, provides in-home custom window treatments.  With online scheduling software, Janovic has streamlined the scheduling process and allows the company to better track the locations of their installers.

These retailers demonstrate the significant benefits of online appointment scheduling software. And they’re all TimeTrade customers. For more information, see our customers page and our case studies.

The biggest benefit of all could be repeat business from happy, satisfied customers.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine AM11021008098

Let’s look at who’s using the software:

Retail
• Petco
• David’s Bridal
• Various photography and portrait studios

Government
• New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
• Homeland Security
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Health Care
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
• Berkeley Heart Lab
• Zix Corporation

This list demonstrates a few things:

1. Appointment scheduling software is used by businesses of all sizes, from national retailers such as Petco and David’s Bridal to regional health care service providers such as Berkeley Heart Lab.  Any business that has customer appointments to fill can benefit from appointment scheduling software.
2. Technology to improve customer care can also be used by organizations that do not traditionally have “customers.” Organizations such as New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, Homeland Security and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center may not have customers per se, but they do have significant needs for streamlining processes and minimizing the amount of time people wait for their services.
3. Appointment scheduling software is not just about minimizing waiting times for customers.  It can also be used for maximizing the efficiency of an organization’s employees. For example, Zix Corporation is a technology provider using appointment scheduling to book sales calls into physician’s offices.  This is truly a unique approach to improved customer care by using technology to adapt to how their customers (physicians) plan their day.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

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Google “busy lives” or “time management techniques” and you get endless tips to manage more in less time.  From Franklin Covey to the local organizing specialist, options abound to deal with lengthy to-do lists. What if service providers became part of the solution?

There’s an easy way to do this: let customers self-schedule appointments.  Not only does it give greater flexibility in matching your open appointments with customers’ calendars, it lets both you and the customer avoid multiple phone calls, waiting on hold, and other nuisances.

We think self-service scheduling will soon be an expected service.  Busy moms, business travelers, executive assistants, and night-owls all want to manage appointments on their own time, at their convenience.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine PE0063738

An estimated 2 million people flew in the U.S. on the day before Thanksgiving.  On this, the busiest travel day of the year, people are reminded of all the hassles, challenges and inefficiency of air travel.

One significant trend in the air travel industry is the adoption of appointment scheduling for internal and regulatory processes.  Both the FAA and Toronto rely on appointment scheduling software.

The FAA offers 24/7 self-service scheduling for new FAA staff to get the credentials required by U.S. Homeland Security.

The Greater Toronto Airport Authority also turned to appointment scheduling software to manage its security credentials process.

These efforts address internal efficiencies, but point to a larger awareness: the air travel industry understands people dislike waiting.

Most airlines already have self-service check-in kiosks that provide better customer service and are more efficient.  It’s only a matter of time before more internal efficiencies like those adopted by the FAA and Greater Toronto Airport Authority begin to alleviate the pains of air travel.

Kelley Kassa
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image Credit: InMagine JUICD035062

Fast forward to 2007: PG&E shares the top spot for customer satisfaction among gas utility companies in the western United States.  The ranking involves six factors, four of which (company image, communications, customer service, field service) can be impacted by online appointment scheduling.  Tom King, CEO and President, said in response to the ranking, “We know that it’s ultimately how we take care of our customers that determines our success.”

Making appointment scheduling available online can be a valuable component of a company’s strategy for improving customer relations.

David Hill
TimeTrade Blogging Team

Image credit: InMagine PE0066457