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Ideas, tips and techniques for new generation selling and customer support.
Monthly Archives: November 2009
2009
Customer Service and Efficiency in Air Travel
It may not be obvious to this year’s holiday travelers, but the air travel industry is changing: it is recognizing it needs to improve customer service and operational efficiencies.
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.
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Filed under: appointment scheduling software, customer service, online scheduling
Tagged: appointment scheduler improve customer service, appointment scheduling, appointment scheduling software, customer experience, customer satisfaction, customer service, efficiency, improve customer service, online scheduling
2009
PG&E’s Method for Improving Customer Care: Online Scheduling of Appointments
It’s not often that a utility company “gets it” when it comes to customer care. However, back in 2005 Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) launched a host of customer service improvements, one being the adoption of online appointment scheduling.
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.”
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2009
Five Unconventional Uses of Appointment Scheduling Software
Say ‘appointments’ and people think of doctors and salons. However, more and more industries are coming up with less conventional uses:
- Companies are using appointment scheduling as part of the sales process. For example, Merchant Payment Services (MPS) allows prospects and new visitors to its Web site to immediately schedule a time to learn more about MPS’ products and services.
- Universities are using appointment scheduling to better serve their “customers” – students who are “digital natives.” Students can self-schedule everything from activities at fitness centers to proctored exams.
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2009
City of Boston Improving Customer Care? There’s an app for that!
Government agencies are rarely considered synonymous with good customer service, but that’s changing. From appointment scheduling for DMVs (see our New Jersey case study) to counties and municipalities becoming more customer-oriented (the Cleveland area’s Cuyahoga County (case study) schedules 78,000 appointments a year with us), the way government agencies interact with citizens is changing.
One recent example is the City of Boston. In a leap towards efficiency, citizen empowerment, and harnessing technology for better customer service, Boston has launched an iPhone application for municipal complaints.
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2009
Enhancing Customer Experience with Online Scheduling
Sometimes it seems customer care improvement is at odds with streamlining operations. Financial Services Technology made the point beautifully with a script for an imaginary TV commercial about a surgeon who calls a helpline and gets put on hold: one humorous example of how some technologies make businesses choose between customer care and efficiency. Voice mail is another example of this; how many customers like reaching a voice mail tree?
But there are other technologies that deliver both improved customer care and operational efficiencies. Appointment scheduling software is one great example. Hard ROI numbers aside (and there are plenty of them), appointment scheduling software gives businesses the flexibility to work with customers when most convenient for the customer.
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Filed under: appointment scheduling, appointment scheduling software, customer service
Tagged: appointment scheduler improve customer service, appointment scheduling, appointment scheduling software, customer care, customer experience, customer satisfaction, customer service, efficiency, improve customer service, interactive features, online scheduling
2009
Meet leading Sales & Marketing authors at Dreamforce and get a free autographed book!
TimeTrade is an avid (award-winning!) user of Salesforce.com, the cloud-based CRM system that’s changed the world of sales and marketing.
This week at Dreamforce, the global Salesforce.com mega-conference, we’re showing a slick integration of TimeDriver with interactive video from Visible Gains. And to promote it, we’re bringing two hot authors to our booth, and they’re giving away autographed copies of their books – a limited number, so get there early.
Details:
6:00 Wednesday: Oracle sales legend Anneke Seley
Anneke Seley was the twelfth employee at Oracle and the designer of OracleDirect, the company’s revolutionary inside sales operation. Now, with co-author Brent Holloway, she’s written Sales 2.0: Improve Business Results Using Innovative Sales Practices and Technology.
The first 25 visitors Wednesday night will get a free autographed copy.
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1:00 Thursday: B2B Marketing Strategist Ardath Albee
Ardath Albee is a B2B Marketing Strategist. Her company Marketing Interactions helps companies with complex sales and with quantifying marketing effectiveness by using interactive e-marketing strategies driven by compelling content.
The first 25 visitors after 1:00 pm will get a free autographed copy of her new book, eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale. It’s a comprehensive guide that helps marketers drive decisions to buy in their favor.
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TimeDriver and Visible Gains — Booth 11
While you’re there, see how to kick up your response rate with Personalized Interactive Video from Visible Gains, with instant-action “Schedule Now” TimeDriver links built right in. See it work!
Filed under: online scheduling integration
Tagged: Anneke Seley, Ardath Albee, Dreamforce, Salesforce.com
2009
Appointment Scheduling Software + Personal Courtesy = Customer Satisfaction
Appointment scheduling software helps maintain customer loyalty through automation, so employees can focus on the personal courtesy side of good service.
An appointment is a reservation for service, both the service performed by the business and the personal attention received from employees. A satisfied customer needs to feel both aspects of customer care are handled well.
A Beagle Research White Paper, Improving Service Businesses with Appointment Scheduling, illustrates this. The CRM analyst firm found that “significant numbers of people believe that appointments should start exactly when or very near when they are scheduled — with virtually no waiting at all.”
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2009
Five Growing Markets For Appointment Scheduling Software
I like having an appointment, and I hate waiting. Both my doctor’s office and day spa get this and thus have appointment scheduling software to serve and satisfy customers like me.
However, such software is also being used in other markets on an increasing scale. Here’s a look at five vertical markets that are rapidly adopting appointment scheduling, and why appointment scheduling software makes sense for them:
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2009
Get a Customer Retention Boost – and Save Money – with Appointment Reminder Software
Customers can have a variety of reasons for missing an appointment. We’re busy, life happens, we’re disorganized. The impact of no shows can vary from an annoyance to monumental financial losses. For instance, a recent report from the UK revealed that patient no shows for hospital appointments alone cost the National Health Services (NHS) close to a billion dollars annually.
Money lost from no shows isn’t limited to health care. For years, airlines and hotels have charged no-show and change fees, but fees are increasing and the policies are becoming more widespread, at the cost of customer satisfaction. And satisfaction is the foundation of retention.
2009
Help!!! Our Customer Care Needs a Makeover
If you’re in a service industry such as a salon or spa that is heavily dependent on customer appointments, it may be time to seriously consider investing in appointment software that can provide customer reminders as part of customer care improvement.
The recent recession has hit the beauty industry hard, although recent signs indicate that the industry as a whole is improving: the Professional Beauty Association said in August that its new Salon/Spa Performance Index rose in the latest quarter. While things may be looking up, customers are more scrutinizing than ever and stretched thinner for time as they try to juggle all the demands in their lives.
Appointment reminders help customers be prompt, which contributes to their satisfaction with services as well as providing a calmer and more organized environment for everyone. In addition, it can help reduce the amount of cancellations and no-shows. A business that reaches out to help customers where they are shows them that you care about more than profits.
David Hill
TimeTrade Blogging Team
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jakecaptive/ / CC BY 2.0
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