• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Shuriken Consulting

beyond the numbers

  • Pay your Bill
  • Tax Calculator
  • Contact Us
  • About
    • Privacy
  • Webinars
    • ATO Targets Cash Business
  • Services
    • Setup
    • Company Setup
    • Education
    • Finance
    • Insurance
    • Compliance
    • Bookkeeping
    • Tax and Accounting
    • Cloud Accounting
    • SMSF
    • Growth
    • Advice
    • Business Structure
    • Business Valuations
    • Wealth Team
  • Digital
  • International
  • Locations
    • Sydney CBD
    • Hornsby
    • Dural
    • Manly

Andrew Jeffers CEO / November 19, 2020

Staying On Top of an Appointment-based Business

Anyone who runs a business that takes client bookings knows how time-consuming this can be. Technology can increase your engagement with, and accessibility to, your clients while ensuring that you spend your time where it counts – on growing your business.

Dealing with changing customer booking habits

We all lead faster, busier lives than ever before. For many of us, knowing what we’re doing tomorrow, let alone a month from now, can be tough. So it’s easy for people to miss appointments. Sometimes circumstances change and a client just can’t make it, which has an impact on the schedule and costs money in lost income.

Consider the following options:

Ensuring you have an automated and friendly appointment reminder system. Bonus points if you choose one that will put the booking in their personal calendar.

Take an upfront deposit or implement a cancellation fee policy that would cover the essentials of your staff time in the event of a sudden cancellation or no-show. If that feels too much for you, consider a three strike policy or have exemptions for long term clients. Trialling this with new and unknown clients, taking the time to explain why it’s an important safeguard for the survival and health of your business may be the best way to start.

Have a process to fill available slots in the event of cancellations or slow periods. Using your website’s online booking system, Flossie is able to see your service list and then mirror each of your services in Flossie, selling available appointments to new prospective clients all while taking pre-paid appointments, guaranteeing payment for you.

Give clients the opportunity to book an appointment whenever they have a moment

Whilst taking appointments over the phone provides a personal, human touch to the experience, it often isn’t the most efficient customer service offering. These days, 24/7 booking systems are a great way to maximise client bookings, especially for those customers that are exceptionally busy during your working day.

Ensuring you have an online booking tool on your website or allowing people to leave a message via Facebook messenger is a great way to start. Timely is a good example and it intergrates with Xero. It’s still advisable to provide that excellent service on top by wrapping back around and confirming the appointment by phone whenever possible.

Automate staff scheduling and rostering

Don’t forget that changing appointments means changing staff rosters. An online rostering management tool like Deputy can reduce the hours you might spend every week drawing up roster plans, reconfiguring timetables to suit part-time staff and adding new employees. Talk to us about your business and stay on top of an appointment-based business.

 

contact-shuriken-today

Filed Under: Andrew Jeffers, Business, Business Planning Tagged With: Andrew Jeffers, Business, scheduling, shuriken, shurikenconsulting, smallbusiness

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • August 2021 Tax And Accounting News: All You Need To Know
  • Exclusive Probians Offer
  • Tax & Accounting Questions Answered Free for Probians
  • Government support for your business
  • Succession Planning for Small Businesses

B1G1

“Imagine if every time you made a step forward in your business, it had an unimaginable impact on the lives of others…”

Footer

Services

  • Company Setup
  • Education
  • Finance
  • Insurance
  • Bookkeeping
  • Tax and Accounting
  • Cloud Accounting
  • SMSF
  • Advice
  • Business Structure
  • Wealth Management
  • Business Valuations
  • Digital Marketing
  • Shuriken International
  • Events

About

Shuriken is at the forefront of accountancy, providing clients with a broad range of services, coaching and mentoring.

Contact Shuriken if you want to launch or grow a business or if you want to get a clear action plan on how to achieve your financial goals. We can help with benchmarking, cashflow forecasting, payroll and much more.

Learn More

NSW Business Chamber Member

Contact Us

Sydney CBD

T: 1300 886 066 or (02) 9114 8544

Hornsby

T: (02) 9485 3400

Dural

T: (02) 9651 2288

Endorsal

  • News
  • Events
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Disclaimer