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No Lines, No Waiting

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Tag Archives: appointment scheduling software

11/19
2009

Enhancing Customer Experience with Online Scheduling

frustratedphoneSometimes 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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11/17
2009

Appointment Scheduling Software + Personal Courtesy = Customer Satisfaction

waitingautoAppointment 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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11/16
2009

Five Growing Markets For Appointment Scheduling Software

NowServingI 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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11/12
2009

Get a Customer Retention Boost – and Save Money – with Appointment Reminder Software

ApptReminderCustomers 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.

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11/09
2009

Help!!! Our Customer Care Needs a Makeover

hair salonIf 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

11/02
2009

Personal Appointment Software May Just Save Your Job

firedguyIn the face of close to 10% U.S. unemployment, employees may be wondering what they can do to increase their value.  Online appointment software may just be the answer.   It is a tool to manage two resources that often are poorly handled: time and relationships.  With more companies watching what employees do, it may be time to seriously consider a change in how you go about your job.

Setting appointments with online appointment software allows you to be organized with your time and communicates to others (including your boss) that both your time and the time of others is something that you value.   Aren’t supervisors looking for employees who are focused, organized, efficient, and place a value on the company’s best interest?

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10/26
2009

Low Tolerance for Error When it Comes To Customer Retention

bangheadNineteenth century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Never complain, never explain.”  The sentiment may be hundreds of years old, but I witnessed a customer exercising that bit of wisdom just today.  I was sitting at a tire store, waiting with another customer to have winter tires put on my car.  The wait was ridiculous, and the other customer and I said as much to each other.  There was no communication from the company, no explanation as to why something they told us would take 20 minutes was now spilling into hour two.  After flipping through an outdated magazine for the third time, I watched as my silent companion walked to the desk, calmly asked for her keys, and left.

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10/06
2009

What Online Scheduling Software Communicates to Customers

ms_00003641_big_thumbA few years ago, most businesses seeking to provide better customer care would upgrade their appointment systems.  Surprisingly, they didn’t consider online scheduling software to be a necessity.

How things have changed!

According to CNNMoney.com, 79% of customers want online scheduling. They increasingly use the Internet to manage relationships, seek real-time feedback, and gravitate toward businesses offering interactive features.  Through interactive features, customers have a larger role in the products and services offered — online appointment scheduling is a valuable interactive application!

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