Although the internet has been there for decades now, the usage has significantly increased in recent years. People today use the internet for almost everything: from looking for service providers and buying products to booking appointments.
Recent research found that 67% of people would book an appointment online if various booking options are available (phone, text message, email, and in-person).
Besides, the younger generation is tech-savvy. And when 73% of Millennials are involved in buying decisions for their company, it becomes even more important for VoIP businesses to offer online appointment options.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Appointment Booking Software for VoIP Businesses
Most customers prefer a demo before investing in a VoIP tool. What’s the best way to schedule demos than an appointment booking software?
Here are some reasons to choose an appointment booking software:
1- Gives Prospects the Freedom to Choose a Time Slot
When booking an appointment, it is vital to give customers the freedom to choose a time slot that best suits them. An appointment scheduling tool on your website or app will display a calendar with all the available slots. The customer can then book a demo of your VoIP software when convenient.
It also helps you get more appointments. As when people are browsing through your website, they are more likely to book your services online than call you for the same.
2- Makes It Easy to Scale Your Business
Using a booking app saves a lot of time. You now don’t have to pick calls just to book appointments. Even if you use text messages or emails for this, you might find yourself communicating with prospects back and forth to settle on a time that works for both of you.
Online appointment booking software also sends reminders to prospects automatically, further saving your time. You can use this time to focus on other critical aspects of your business and grow it.
3- Round the Clock Availability
The primary issue with traditional appointment booking methods is the limited availability (i.e., only during business hours). This might be frustrating for busy professionals.
Did you know, 35% of customers prefer scheduling appointments during non-business hours?
Online appointment booking software eliminates this issue. It allows your prospects to book an appointment even outside your business hours. If they have a change in schedule due to personal or professional commitments, they can use the software to reschedule the appointment.
4- Highest Levels of Accuracy
Manual appointment booking is prone to errors. Besides, there are high chances of overlapping appointments, which is yet another big concern for brands. An appointment scheduling tool will ensure all your appointments are set up at different times. You can even choose the time gap between appointments to avoid overbooking.
5- Acts As a Centralized Information System
Appointment booking software provides complete information about your prospects, such as their name, company name, role at the company, and company’s website. You can use these insights to better prepare for the appointment and increase your chances of conversions.
This data will also enable you to better understand your target audience and create campaigns for them accordingly.
6- Better Marketing ROI
Usually, ad campaigns have a CTA that leads prospects into your website, social media, or other resources. With online appointment booking software, you can integrate your calendar right into your CTA to allow customers to book a demo directly from the ad. This will increase your ad engagement and ROI.
You can even add a “book appointment” CTA in your landing pages along with your business mobile number to convert customers browsing your website.
7- More Growth Potential
Businesses with appointment booking software see better growth than those without it. Here’s why:
- More bookings: Having an online scheduling system helps you win customers who are in a hurry or prefers to book their appointments over the internet.
- More completed appointments: Apart from helping you get more appointments, it sends automatic follow-ups and reminders to prospects, thereby increasing the number of completed bookings- meaning more business for you.
- Happy customers: Online bookings are convenient and take less time. They also allow prospects to choose a time that suits them best. All of which leads to happier customers.
How to Use Appointment Booking Software?
The first step is to create an account in appointment booking software like SuperSaaS. Since you’re a VoIP business, it is recommended to pick one on one scheduling feature.
Once you create your account, you can integrate the app into your website, mobile app, social media pages, and emails.
Depending on your business requirements, you can choose how prospects can book an appointment. For instance, SuperSaaS allows you to set:
- Flexible schedule types: Schedule with individual meeting slots or let multiple users book the same slot for group meetings.
- Minimum scheduling notice: Restrict prospects from booking an appointment immediately so that you can prepare for the meeting. You can set how long in advance users have to book on your schedule.
- Automatic time zone detection: VoIP businesses often offer services in different countries. Automatically detect the best time as per your prospects’ and your time zone.
- Buffer time between meetings: Give your sales representatives buffer time between appointments so they can prepare for the call, update your CRM or schedule the next steps.
Features to Look for In Appointment Booking Software
There are certain features that VoIP businesses should look for in an appointment booking solution. It includes:
1- Multi-Channel Integration
Online booking is all about convenience. Therefore, it is essential to allow prospects to schedule an appointment from a channel of their choice. Make sure your appointment booking software integrates with multiple digital channels (e.g., website, app, social media, emails, etc.). Also, ensure it is compatible with devices of all sizes.
2- Marketing
One of the best ways to maximize your bookings is by marketing your calendar. As mentioned above, you can integrate your calendar with ad campaigns to encourage people to book an appointment.
Your appointment booking software should allow you to:
- Share the booking link (or calendar)
- Book appointments via ads (social and Google)
- Schedule appointments via Google (organic)
3- Staff Management
As a VoIP business, you will likely have a team of salespeople. Your appointment scheduling app should support multiple users and allow them to view and manage their calendars. It should also enable them to communicate with clients if necessary.
Additionally, check if the software has a permission management feature. This will enable you to set different levels of access for each team member (depending on their role).
4- Rescheduling
Though it is a natural feature in appointment booking software, it is always better to double-check if yours offers it. Also, rescheduling should be seamless. Having a rescheduling option that requires users to fill tons of data (name, company name, email, etc.), could hurt the customer experience.
Wrapping Up
With millennials making up a seat at the decision-making table, it is essential to offer ways they are most comfortable with, starting with online appointment booking. Even for the VoIP business that primarily deals in the telephone system, having an appointment booking tool has become more important than ever.
Have you used appointment booking software yet? If no, what are your concerns? Let us know in the comments. We will be happy to address them!
[…] is inundated with innumerable models, the average consumer does not spend on any device without gaining adequate information. Since the very beginning, Indian consumers have been budget-conscious, while smartphones […]