Would online booking make your day easier?

It is a way to choose from the times you offer

“Are you free Tuesday?” “Only in the afternoon.” “What about next week?” If that exchange sounds familiar, arranging appointments may be taking more of your day than you would like.

Online booking gives customers a page where they can choose from the times you make available. It does not mean they get access to your whole diary or can book whenever they like. You choose the rules.

Google’s appointment schedule guide describes one example: a booking page displays availability and booked appointments are added to a calendar. Other tools have their own options, so check the one you already use first.

Which appointments are a good fit?

Start with a service that has a predictable length and a clear purpose. A first conversation, a lesson or a standard appointment can be easier to offer online than a job whose size you do not know yet.

Imagine a tutor in Orlando offering introductory calls. They could make a few set times available each week. Customers choose a time; the tutor does not have to exchange several messages for each call.

For a home repair business, a request for a call or site visit may be more appropriate than letting someone book the entire repair. Booking should match what you can confidently promise.

Make room for the work around the appointment

The appointment itself is not the only thing in your day. Leave time to prepare, tidy up, take a break or travel. A mobile business needs to consider where the next customer is, not just whether a time looks empty.

• How long should each appointment last?
• How much space do you need between appointments?
• How close to the start time can someone book?
• Who can change availability when plans change?

Check how your chosen booking tool handles these needs before offering times to customers. If travel varies too much, let people request a visit for you to approve.

Tell the customer what they have booked

A helpful confirmation says what the appointment is for, when it is, where it happens and how to ask for a change. If it is a phone call, say who calls whom. If it is a visit, include useful arrival details.

Make the difference between a request and a confirmed appointment obvious. Do not send a firm confirmation while someone still needs to check the job.

Keep a way to contact a person. Online booking should offer an easier route, not make customers who need help feel unwelcome.

Try one kind of appointment first

After a short trial, ask whether the process is easier for customers and whether you are spending less time arranging appointments. If it creates extra corrections, adjust the rules before expanding it.

Praxen helps set up booking and customer communication around the way a business works. For the earlier step in the conversation, read our missed-call guide.