Do small businesses need an appointment-setting service?
Small businesses operate under various pressures on a daily basis such as managing operations and staff to meeting customer standards. In today’s highly competitive environment, small businesses not only have to make sure their products/services meet customer expectations but also their levels of customer service. One simple, yet effective way for small business owners to deliver on these expectations is to use an appointment-setting service.
An appointment-setting service simplifies the process of booking an appointment for small business owners and potential customers. Businesses with an efficient online booking system can easily navigate and manage their appointments while prospects can schedule an appointment at the click of a button.
An appointment-setting service helps to alleviate costs and comes with several advantages for small business owners. In this article, we’ll break down the reasons why an appointment booking service could be a benefit to your business.
The top 6 advantages of using an appointment-setting service are;
- Free up time: You’ll experience greater time efficiency when using an appointment-setting service.
- Reduction of no-shows: It’s easier to keep track of and manage appointments to prevent your clients from not showing up.
- Reduce overall costs: Hiring a full-time receptionist can be a drain on your budget and your time. Partnering with an appointment-setting service comes at a fraction of the cost.
- Provide excellent customer service: You can satisfy your customer’s expectations by being available around the clock to answer their query.
- Provide a competitive advantage: You’ll get ahead of your competitors by having your customer service line open 24/7.
- Improve sales opportunities: An appointment-setting service can qualify your leads meaning you’ll spend more time on prospects who are interested in your business.
Let’s take a look in more detail at the advantages an appointment-setting service can offer your small business.
Free up time
Traditionally clients looking to schedule an appointment with your business would have to take time out of their day to contact you. This also means taking time out of your day to answer that call and arrange a time that suits both parties. However, an online appointment-setting service does all of this for you at the click of a button. Your clients can instantly see your availability and schedule at a time that suits them. Whatsmore, an automated confirmation email is sent with no need for employee involvement. After all, who wouldn’t want some extra time in their day?
Reduce your number of no shows
We all know the frustration when you arrange to meet a client and they don’t show up. Interestingly one of the most common reasons for a no-show comes down to the client forgetting about the appointment (Textline.com). One slip of the mind might not sound that serious, but no-shows could cost your business thousands in lost revenue each year (Textline.com). Luckily, an appointment-booking service provides your clients with automated reminders as well as the option to cancel or reschedule the appointment. While this won’t prevent all no-shows, it goes a long way to help you regain control over your appointments.
Reduce overall costs
Trying to handle your appointments in-house can often be a costly and potentially time-consuming method. Think about it, you’ll have to invest time and money into recruiting someone to handle the process and then pay them a salary on top of this. There’s also the time factor of training this person so that they can handle the process professionally. Luckily, an appointment booking service works out at a fraction of the cost of hiring in-house with a team of professionals ready to handle this process for you. What’s more, With the extra time and money saved you can devote more time and budget to revenue-generating activities.
Provide excellent customer service
Like yourself, your customers lead busy lives. When they look to schedule an appointment with your business, they expect this to be punctual and simple. If you can’t satisfy their expectations, you risk losing these potential clients to your competitors. Having an appointment-setting service allows you to be constantly available and respond quickly to your client’s inquiries. It lets your clients know that you care by attending to their needs. If your clients know you care, they will be more likely to provide repeat business and recommend you to others.
Provide a competitive advantage
We all know you work hard and pull long hours for your business, but as hard as you try you can’t be available 24 hours a day. Luckily an appointment-setting service works for you around the clock, readily available to handle your customer’s requests. This can provide your business with a huge competitive advantage as many customer service lines only remain open during business hours. In fact, did you know 81% of organizations that provide positive customer experiences outperform their competitors? An appointment-setting service can help to provide a positive overall experience for your clients. To put it simply, you’ll capture leads long before your competitors.
Improve sales opportunities
Partnering with a B2B appointment-setting service allows your inbound leads to be quickly and accurately turned into prospects. This means you’ll spend more time on prospects who are actually interested in your business which increases your overall selling opportunities. What’s more, with all the extra time saved, you can devote your time to nourishing your sales funnel with more leads.
Conclusion
Small business owners have a pile of responsibilities to handle whilst trying to maintain a high level of customer service. Your customers expect to schedule an appointment in a timely and simple manner, which can be difficult with a busy schedule. Luckily, all HelloSells packages come with appointment scheduling software to help run your business. We seamlessly integrate with your calendar to ensure all your appointments are set up and organized.
Could an appointment scheduling service help your business grow? HelloSells offers 24/7 appointment booking and includes calendar software in your monthly plan. Contact us (With link for contact details) to learn more.