To successfully recover and expand your business post-lockdown, you will need advanced tools that can assist you in efficiently handling your regular duties, scheduling, and collaborating with your clients and team.
Previously, this was merely a convenient method for managing business administration. Nevertheless, presently it is crucial to comply with health and safety rules and practice social distancing. If regulating the crowd in your store, workplace, or medical facility seems perplexing, then you have arrived at the correct location.
In order to efficiently recover after lockdown, it is imperative to utilize an online booking system, also known as an online booking calendar.
In our comprehensive guide, you will learn the seven easy steps to find and establish an efficient online booking system that can aid in the growth of your business. We have accumulated the best practices and all the solutions we have gathered throughout the years to assist you.
What is an online booking system?
Essentially, an interface known as an online booking system or online booking calendar allows customers to book appointments for your services.
Many businesses and professionals can take charge of their schedules and provide their clients with adaptable appointment scheduling options through an online booking system. Additionally, several systems allow for setting buffer time for workstation sanitization and configuring regular appointments, which reduces administrative work.
By utilizing advanced booking initiatives, you can establish a personalized and branded booking portal while also delivering automated SMS and email notifications. These resources not only enhance online visibility and customer engagement but also equip you with the means to share pertinent health and safety information.
How to create an online booking system?
After selecting the online reservation system you prefer, customizing it to suit your business is crucial.
1. Feed in your business details
Including comprehensive business details can help establish credibility. Along with the business name, it’s important to provide a description, contact information, and social media handles to increase your online presence and maintain communication with your clientele.
Ensure that you furnish accurate information, such as the address of your physical location, to prevent delayed arrivals of customers who avail your services.
2. Set up availability and services
Specify your work hours and mark off periods for scheduled breaks, such as lunch or cleaning interruptions. Certain software options may offer the ability to designate times that are exclusively available for your colleagues to book meetings and hours that are accessible to clients.
Ensure that the services you provide are accompanied by detailed descriptions, durations, and prices, where applicable. Additionally, indicate which staff members are qualified to offer these services and whether they are accessible to the public or restricted to certain members.
In case you need to sanitize your workspace between appointments or your services take longer than expected, you may include additional time buffers.
3. Create reminders
Implementing automated reminders can lead to a decline of up to 90% in no-shows, therefore it is wiser to invest 10 minutes in setting them up and assessing their efficiency instead of risking an escalation in the number of expensive appointment no-shows.
To ensure maximum response, consider sending text messages in addition to email notifications as they have a greater open rate.
To maximize effectiveness, it is important to create reminders that are specific to the service being offered and that may require a series of messages leading up to the appointment. The content of each message may also need to vary based on the particular service being provided.
4. Customize your booking page
In today’s world, having a strong online presence has become imperative. Your booking page on the internet acts as a virtual storefront and creates a distinct brand identity for your business. This sets you apart from rivals who are too indifferent to invest a few minutes in designing an impressive booking page that would impress their customers.
It is important that your logo is visible on your booking page and if possible, include a cover image or other graphics. Ensure that all images used are of high quality as low quality ones can give an impression of a questionable and untrustworthy booking page.
To eliminate the branding of all other companies from your booking page, you typically need to switch from a free online booking system to a paid plan.
5. Set up calendar sync and app integrations
Having to handle multiple calendars through platforms like Google, iCal, Outlook.com, Office 365, or Exchange can be made easier with the implementation of two-way calendar sync. This feature enables you to conveniently view all of your scheduled appointments in a single location and avoid double-booking conflicts.
Your tech stack likely includes several apps in addition to the online booking system, but the good news is that you can easily link it with other common apps that you use daily, such as those for email marketing, accounting, social media, and video conferencing.
Remember that integrating directly or using a native integration will give you a smoother experience and require less upkeep. Make sure to verify if your preferred online booking calendar solely offers Zapier integrations for your preferred tools or if they have also developed native integrations.
6. Test
Ensure that your brand new and impressive booking page is functioning correctly and offers customers the most satisfactory user experience before sharing it.
Here is an additional list for you to consider:
- Go to your online booking page and place a booking.
- Check-in your calendar system whether the appointment came through. If you have calendar sync set up, also check the appointment there.
- See if all the reminders came through correctly.
- Manage the booking: try to reschedule or cancel the appointment.
- If you are taking virtual appointments, check if the video meeting link is present.
7. Share your online booking system
Boost your online presence by promoting the online booking feature to both your present and future clients. Utilize various channels such as your website, emails, social media, and even your business card or email signature.
BONUS: How to Make a Booking Website in 2023
Get a Domain Name
Your booking website can be accessed by your customers through a domain name, which is intended to provide your potential customers with a memorable name associated with your company. The average cost of a domain name is approximately $10-20 per year.
Although registering a domain name is a simple task, selecting a name that hasn’t already been claimed can be challenging. Thus, it’s wise to generate various potential domain names and narrow down your choices before proceeding.
In order to find a domain name for your business, it is wise to do your research on relevant keywords and select appealing, concise options. When you’re ready, visit a domain name registration site like Domain.com or Namecheap.
Choose a Website Builder
A do-it-yourself website builder software is designed to assist you in creating your website without needing any coding or technical knowledge. Moreover, it offers numerous pre-designed templates that can be customized to suit your desired appearance for your website. Furthermore, the reasonable monthly fee is an added advantage for those with budget constraints.
There are many website builders on the market, but the two we most highly recommend are Wix and Squarespace.
Find a Template You Love
After registering with a website builder, the next step is to select a template. Opting for a pre-designed template for your reservation website can offer an initial design structure, along with a broad selection of handy functionalities, right from the start.
One advantage of using a template is that it eliminates the need to create from scratch. Instead, you will be starting with a pre-made design that can be customized to your liking.
From there, you can use the drag-and-drop editor and other settings provided by your website builder to modify your booking website. The elements you can change typically include layout, color schemes, fonts, pages, images, and more.
As previously mentioned, Wix and Squarespace offer a range of templates that allow you to customize your reservation website.
Add Your Website’s Content
Up to this point, we have extensively discussed the design aspect. However, the visual appeal of your reservation website is merely one component. The remaining imperative component is the content.
The significance of content lies in its ability to shape your message to the audience, dictate the tone of communication, and influence their decision to book an appointment. Fundamentally, the content displayed on your booking website will consist of:
- About Page: Provides information about your business, your team, what you do, and why. You can also mention your origin story.
- Contact Page: Enables quick, seamless communication between your customers and your team, typically via a contact form. Openly displaying your contact information also adds to your credibility.
- Privacy Policy: Essential to comply with laws regulating the use of websites. It conveys to your visitors what you intend to do with their information.
- Testimonials: Reviews from customers who have already benefited from their appointments with your business help provide social proof.
- Service Catalog: Shows a list of services that visitors can book from your website, along with other details such as time, location, pricing, availability, and so on.
Install a Booking App
After considering your design and content, the final task is to incorporate appointment functionality, in order to establish a website that accepts bookings.
As previously mentioned, Wix and Squarespace both have integrations available for implementing appointment booking features on their websites.
Get Your Website Seen
Congratulations on completing your booking website! However, your work is not finished as it’s time to showcase it to the world. Without promoting your booking website, it will be challenging to attract appointments. Here are some effective methods to advertise your website:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is an essential component of any promotion checklist as it plays a crucial role in generating organic traffic to websites. It encompasses a range of strategies aimed at enhancing your website’s position in the search engine results pages. Some of these strategies entail incorporating pertinent keywords into your content, utilizing captivating headlines, sharing your website’s sitemap with Google Search Console, among other things.
Email Marketing
Repeatedly, email marketing has demonstrated its effectiveness as a marketing strategy. Its mean ROI (Return on Investment) can even extend to 4400%. An email provides a means of direct communication between your company and intended recipients.
To eventually convert visitors into leads and customers, one must construct an email list and employ an email marketing service to maintain communication with subscribers.
Social Media Marketing
Using social media is an effective method to increase brand recognition. Depending on your business type and desired audience, you can choose a social platform or two to advertise your booking website. Regardless of whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, sharing engaging posts can assist you in developing a loyal following and broadening your scope.
Setting up a booking website can benefit your business greatly and has no downsides. Building an appointment reservation website quickly is achievable with the proper methods and resources. To summarize:
How to Make a Booking Website
- Get a Domain Name
- Choose a Website Builder
- Find a Template You Love
- Add Your Website’s Content
- Install a Booking App
- Get Your Website Seen
Giving customers the flexibility to schedule appointments at their convenience will give you a competitive advantage. Reducing the amount of time spent managing phone and email inquiries regarding bookings will allow you to accommodate more clients in your schedule. In essence, it’s a mutually beneficial solution for you and your customers. Therefore, don’t hesitate to create your appointment booking website now!
