What is appointment scheduling software?
Appointment scheduling allows your customers to schedule an appointment automatically, without talking to you or anyone else in your organization. Allow your customers to queue remotely using SMS, mobile apps, websites, voice calls, virtual kiosks, social media or any other channel of their choice, and arrive just in time for the appointment.
Reduce wait times with appointment scheduling software
Reducing perceived and actual waiting times instantly improves customer satisfaction and the overall experience. According to David Maister, author of "The Psychology of Waiting Lines," the amount of time you make your customers wait will pollute the overall judgment that they make about the quality of your service.
How does appointment scheduling work?
How does it work, and how does this digital scheduling of a meeting reduce waiting times? The features and benefits listed below will explain how it works.
1. Remote queuing.
Allow your customers to queue from anywhere, on any device or channel of their choice. Provide SMS updates on the status of their meeting, so that they can continue their work or stay at home until it’s time for their appointment.
2. Customer segmentation.
Virtual appointment scheduling lets you identify and segment customers before they arrive, and better prepare both the customer and your staff. Look for features such as automatic segmentation based on mobile numbers and mobile app login, support for credit card magstripes using readers such as MagTek, and chip and PIN devices that allow you to identify customers. Combine this card support feature with support for webhooks to query your CRM systems for segmentation data.
3. Multi-service queues.
Services mapped to specific staff roles ensure consistent allocation of the right staff for handling each type of customer query. This means your front-line staff and executives can monitor multiple service queues at the same time, and attend to customers who have different needs without having to switch counters. This is a very useful system during peak periods, when you are able to activate more counters dynamically without having to move your staff and customers around.
4. Pre-booking appointments.
Pre-booking appointments ensure that branch staff is ready with everything they need. It will help reduce the time required to complete the transaction and improve the effectiveness of service. Better informed branch staff and better-prepared customers make for a better customer experience.
5. Alternative branch recommendations.
Knowing the customer's location enables you to make intelligent recommendations that will further reduce wait times. For instance, the appointment scheduling software can intelligently recommend alternative branches with the least waiting time based on the customer’s location and the number of people ahead of you in the queue at each branch. You can just as well provide customers the luxury of automatic delay in tickets based on their location and estimated arrival time at their preferred branch.