What is an automated scheduling tool?
An automated scheduling tool enables organizations and professionals to manage appointments and bookings. It can be called by many other names such as appointment scheduling software, online scheduling system, meeting scheduler app, and such.
The whole point of an automated scheduling tool is that it makes calendar management seamless, efficient, and hassle-free for potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners – no matter where you must be.
What makes a great automated scheduling tool?
There are many available automated scheduling tools today so here are some key criteria to consider if you are planning to use one now or in the near future:
1. Ease of Use
In any competitive industry, organizations must understand the importance of providing easy-breezy booking capability for potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners. If an automated scheduling tool is awkward to use or it takes up considerable time to book an appointment, it defeats the purpose.
2. Mobile-Friendliness
Make sure the tool is not just appropriate for desktop or laptop viewing but also for tablet and mobile platforms. There are already 3.5 billion global smartphone users in 2020 (an almost 10% increase from 2019) which means that a mobile-friendly automated scheduling tool can definitely have a positive impact for business.
3. Intuitiveness
Not all people are tech-savvy or patient enough to figure out how to use a system. Users tend to skip an app that’s too complex or slow to respond – and they’ll soon move on to the next option until they find something that is simple, intuitive, and responsive all at the same time.
4. Manageability
Scheduling an appointment is one thing; managing all of them can be quite a tricky business. A great automated scheduling tool contains a variety of user options that set reminders or receive notifications, updates, and modifications about appointments or bookings made.
5. Different Payment Methods
As users go through the appointment scheduling process, there should also be an option to make payments for the services in advance. Potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners will appreciate the fact that they can do this from the comfort of their home or office or even while they are on the go.
6. Seamless App Integration
Depending on the needs or service offerings of an organization, an automated scheduling tool that can be easily integrated with other apps can streamline the whole process while giving users the ability to attend to other tasks without leaving the system.
7. Good Security
Cybersecurity threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities pose relentless risks to today’s enterprise. A great automated scheduling tool prioritizes data protection and has excellent security features to gain trust and confidence of potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners.
How can organizations benefit from an automated scheduling tool?
1. Convenience
By adding button options for bookings and appointments in all contact points, an organization can be open for business 24/7, 365 days a year – no waiting time, always readily available and easily accessible for potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners to use.
2. Efficiency
- Spend less time handling phone calls and explaining options to users
- Reduce no-show rates
- Enable flexible scheduling and fair workload division among staff and employees
- Remove the risk of double booking or overbooking
- Help potential leads, clients, services providers, and investment partners prep for every appointment by offering customized questions and/or reminders within the scheduling process
3. Valuable Business Insight
The detailed reporting available in an automated scheduling tool will provide valuable business insights for making better decisions. It helps in financial planning, client data management, and evaluation of performance indicators per team or department.
