The digitalization of your business is at the heart of your concerns, and you want to manage your schedule in the best possible way, keeping costs, time and efficiency under control? Discover the benefits of each online appointment scheduling tool in this article.

On average, it takes less than 2 minutes to book an appointment online, compared with 8 minutes in the traditional way.

Appointments by telephone

This is the most common way for customers to book an appointment, according to GetApp.
Making an appointment by phone offers the customer a human experience: it's the tool that enables personal interaction with the customer right from the first point of contact. This means greater precision and better service when it comes to detailing things to the customer. In fact, users are sometimes reassured by the telephone rather than by digital solutions. Finally, the telephone has been in every home for several decades, and is a tool mastered by the entire population.
However, the telephone has its limits. We can mention the limit of opening hours: the caller works office hours and is therefore not available at all times, so you have to rely on the company's opening hours.
What's more, making an appointment by telephone doesn't keep a written record of the exchange. We can easily imagine that the company's contact will make a note of it in his diary, but what about the customer?
By manually taking note of the customer's telephone appointment, misunderstandings can occur, damaging the customer's experience (scheduling a new call, for example). To ensure that both parties understand each other, a written confirmation by e-mail or SMS may be necessary, but will require additional time.

Make an appointment by e-mail

Despite the fact that exchanging information by e-mail means losing the human link that exists over the telephone, this type of online booking will ensure that all exchanges are traceable. In fact, the fact that things are written down in black and white brings transparency and reassures the customer about taking information related to the appointment.

With the ability to reply whenever they like, the customer experience is more comfortable. What's more,information such as forms or links to documents can beadded to these e-mails.

In addition to this, the delay in response linked to the exchange of e-mails is one of the negative points, with a customer sometimes remaining unanswered for several days.

When the number of appointments is too great, e-mail is not a credible alternative, as it takes up an enormous amount of time for the staff responsible for handling them.

72% of consumers will share a positive experience with 6 or more people.

 (ninetailed.io)

Online appointment booking

Online appointment booking combines telephone and mailing tools, adding speed and brand image. You no longer have to think about your appointments, but simply follow your calendar, which fills up automatically.

The first point is that an appointment scheduling solution automates the company's timetable (an appointment booked = an appointment instantly validated), unlike e-mail, which can give rise to discussions and see an appointment cancelled because of discussions about validation.
Its main advantage: 24-hour accessibility. Like e-mail, the customer can make a request at any time. But unlike e-mail, the customer will receive an answer when the business reopens. With an online appointment scheduling solution, availability is already updated, so there's no waiting time for customers to find out whether or not their appointment has been confirmed. This automatic update is a godsend for staff, whose workload is considerably reduced.
With this tool, you can set up automatic appointment reminders to remind your customers of their appointment date by e-mail or SMS, and thus ensure that they still have the information.
But an online appointment scheduling solution goes even further. The magic recipe? Online appointment scheduling combined with a CRM. This means that the data entered by customers, even when your establishments are closed, can be integrated into your CRM. What's in it for you? Create sales and marketing campaigns more easily.

Agendize, the solution that boosts your business

With Agendize, you can create your e-mail campaigns directly after booking an appointment online. With our solution, which can be customized and integrated into your environment, you have the ideal companion to enhance your customers' experience before, during and after the appointment.

Would you like to discuss your company's specific requirements for integrating an appointment scheduling solution? Please do not hesitate contact one of our consultants.