Appointment Scheduling Software: Must-Have Features
Studies have shown that in spring 2018, of the 3.5+ lakh appointments booked online, as many as customers made 47 percent via digital means. The remaining, before you ask, were made by the business’ employees for the customers. That statistic alone is a sufficient demonstration of a significant shift in how people schedule appointments; more and more people, including the business’ staff, are now becoming increasingly reliant on appointment scheduling software instead of doing it manually. And it’s not completely surprising, especially when you consider how prevalent mobile devices are and that everyone is connected to the internet.
But let’s focus on the most important ramification of this shift; how can businesses leverage their customers’ growing inclination to use such digital solutions? Well, use it to enhance their experience, of course. Online appointment scheduling software help companies empower the customers they serve by giving them the ability to schedule appointments at their convenience and also cancel them without a fuss if required. For businesses, such solutions provide access to all the appointments-related data in a unified platform, thus making it easier to use it to enable seamless internal processes, such as making a timetable for the staff, and more. However, none of this can happen if the software is missing certain features, such as the ones listed below.
1. Easy-breezy bookings: By now, most businesses understand the importance of giving customers the ability to make bookings without a fuss, be it for a dentist, interior designer, or a salon. And they can do just that with appointment scheduling software, which not only makes bookings extremely convenient, but also allows customers to reschedule, follow up, and so much more.
2. Automated scheduling: It’s quite simple how this feature works — anytime a customer requests an appointment, the cloud-based appointment solution can almost instantly confirm or reject the meeting based on the availability of the requested time slot. This real-time automation proves to be even more helpful for field agents, because when they add any appointment to the schedule, it is automatically updated and synced to the central system in the company’s premises, allowing all authorized personnel to access the updated information.
3. Reminders for scheduled appointments: The next feature that makes online appointment scheduling highly beneficial is their ability to not only confirm dates via a variety of channels of communication but also send reminders later on. Besides sending instant confirmation, such software can also give clients access to their personalized calendar, allowing them to make any changes online without necessarily calling the establishment. The changes, then, are not only updated in the primary system but also used to send notifications to customers that may have previously expressed interest in the time slot.
To conclude, every online appointment scheduling software comes with its unique set of abilities and benefits. But as long as they have the features listed above, you can rest assured that your business is in good hands. So, choose your Drupal-based appointment scheduling solution very wisely!
