The Benefits of Online Booking & Online Scheduling Systems

Given the broad versatility and applicability of online booking systems, for event scheduling and room bookings for clients, and also for internal applications, most enterprise and SME businesses will reap the benefits of online booking and scheduling software.

 

Benefits of online booking overview:

• Get your time back

• Expand and adapt

• Marry online and offline customer engagement

• Integrate with other digital tools

• Client support

• Profits

• Marketing data

• Business support

 

There are a few major options to go for here. The first is to build your own appointment booking software, exactly matching your business requirements, and maintained by yourself. If the tool you create is successful, there would be no subscription fees and the appointment scheduling product could even be sold onwards. This approach naturally also has considerable downsides – firstly there is a need for specialised booking service skills, and a lot of time committed to the project, while there is also the possibility that the software’s creator may move on to other projects, which could make troubleshooting a hassle.

There is also the possibility of going totally low-tech – completely forgoing the use of booking and scheduling software and instead of making only email-and-calendar bookings. This isn’t a bad idea for small businesses who may only require a simple scheduling tool but provided the business takes off, which is, of course, the best outcome, the solution may become rapidly untenable and will need to be replaced to accept payments, have a dedicated booking page, and accept appointments online etc.

The last option, and naturally the one we recommend the most, is to buy a ready to go real-time booking software solution. There are lots of mobile app and online scheduling solution options out there, which are applicable to a great range of circumstances, but the best is going to have a familiar range of benefits and great customer booking journey. In this blog, we’ve listed a few benefits that good-quality, cloud-based booking software will have for your business.

 

Great booking software will give you back the time spent learning it

 

When introducing a booking system to your business, there is always the need to spend some time learning how to get the most out of its features. However, the efficiency that the better software brings to your work should be a worthy trade. A good tool will function well by itself, keeping your business constantly open, sending out reminders on a pre-planned basis, and minimising sloppy mistakes.

 

It will grow as you grow

 

Good booking systems will nurture, rather than hinder, the innovative spirit that got your enterprise up and running the first place. It will be customisable to reflect new business directions, and it will align itself with new tech trends – the big one being the shift from PCs to tablets and mobiles as the preferred internet access tool. It will also make upselling easy, letting you add new features to products and services as you develop and introduce them.

 

It will marry online and offline customer engagement

 

There are those who instinctively understand tech, and those whose laptops only ‘miraculously’ start working properly when IT help finally swings by. A good booking system will support online customers who are comfortable making bookings, along with offline customers who prefer to make email or phone bookings, and those who make use of traditional marketing tools like vouchers and coupons.

 

Compatible with other digital tools

 

A good booking system will merge with the communication and engagement software your business already uses so that significant changes won’t need to be made after one new tool is brought onboard. It will also incorporate useful widgets, will be compatible with the social media tools your business chooses to utilise.

 

Offer good-quality client support

 

A good-quality system will provide clear customer service avenues for those using it, allowing the tool to generate the best possible outcomes. A fast system will maximise the number of customers who can access a system, and while simultaneously increasing its credibility and trustworthiness. If the installed software works well, and if there is minimal need for your customers to contact you for help, there is the real potential of creating a 24/7, internationally-accessible booking tool.

 

Maximise your profits

 

In more than one way, good booking software will help ensure businesses generate the greatest possible amount of profit. Minimising scheduling confusions and no-shows will reduce losses incurred from under-utilised rooms, while digital bookings will reduce pressure on secretarial staff and help make phone and email tag a thing of the past. And of course, better selling channels will increase customer retention and ultimately help grow your business!

 

Deliver great marketing data

 

Good booking software will store all data regarding your customers in one secure location, allowing you to gather and visualise information about your clientele, and giving you the ability to adjust your business strategies accordingly. A quality software company will give paramount importance to securely storing that information, alongside other sensitive content like financial data regarding customers.

 

Easily-accessible business support

 

In addition to establishing better access for potential customers, a good-quality booking system will come with easily-accessible technical support from its developers, along with training provided on-demand.

Naturally, the BookingLive software has sought to epitomise all the above in their software, creating a tool that is going to be accessible and useful for the greatest number of businesses.

 

BookingLive: Find out more

 

If you’re interested in finding out more about BookingLive’s online booking system and how we help businesses through the process of digital transformation, contact us at sales@bookinglive.com. We at BookingLive can work with you to reach your digital goals. Our 10+ of experience in servicing the public sector is invaluable. Have a chat with one of our solutions specialists on + 44 (0) 117 933 8632 or watch a live demo of our online scheduling system.