Fred Lundin CPA - Insights #Virtual Workplace

5 Reasons To Use an Online Scheduling Tool

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 10:15:18 -0600

Whether you’re scheduling client bookings for a salon or scheduling a meeting with a colleague in a different time zone, manual appointment scheduling is time-consuming. It’s also a process that’s prone to human error. Double-bookings can be common, which can lead to a negative online review and impact search engine optimization (SEO) performance.

In this guide, we explore five reasons to use an automated booking software, allowing you to reduce the risk of scheduling errors while improving customer experience, employee productivity, and cash flow.

1. Generate bookings and leads 24/7 - Did you know 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday is the most popular time to book an appointment? With most staff typically working from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., responding to a backlog of appointment requests submitted over the weekend can take time and frustrate customers. A survey by GetApp found 94 percent of customers are more likely to choose a new service provider if that provider offered an online booking option.

Automated scheduling software provides the benefit of allowing customers to:

Book at a time convenient for them
Select a particular person they want to receive the service from, and view their real-time availability
Reschedule without needing to call

These features can help prevent you from being bombarded with back and forth messages or phone calls about booking an appointment. Plus, it can help prevent the loss of prospects who were keen to book outside work hours but lost interest because that business didn’t have online scheduling functionality.

This is supported by research from salon software as a service company Phorest, which shows nearly 50 percent of all bookings in the spa and beauty salon industry happen online when businesses are closed.

2. Impress New Clients - Informing new clients and prospects about what to expect ahead of their first appointment can create a good impression and help boost productivity.

You may send the standard “thank you for booking” confirmation email, but when additional information about a customer is required, smart scheduling software allows you to:

Add questions to meeting requests
Collect key attendee details
Process payments

This can help save you the headache and staffing time required for menial tasks like confirmation calls and chasing up invoices.

3. Deal with Fewer Phone Calls - Given the popularity of platforms like Airbnb, Uber, and OpenTable, customers are increasingly expecting frictionless and digitized booking experiences for services they wish to access.

Consider the following data points from various surveys:

59% of the general population are frustrated with waiting times and the inconvenient office hours related to scheduling appointments by phone (GetApp, 2021)
75% of Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) avoid phone calls because they are “too time-consuming” (BankMyCell, 2020)
81% of Millennials feel anxious before making a call (BankMyCell, 2020)

These statistics are a clear indication that local businesses should be evolving their tech stack and aligning their customer journey to evolving preferences. Even better, less time spent on the phone dealing with appointment queries is better for businesses as owners and employees can spend time undertaking more valuable tasks.

4. Save Costs and Reduce “no-show” Risk - Software consulting giant Accenture’s research found that the United States healthcare system would have saved $3.2 billion in 2019 alone if more people booked appointments online.

It takes under a minute to schedule medical appointments online, compared to 8.1 minutes on the phone, with staff transferring calls 63 percent of the time, resulting in more booking-related paperwork and less time on patient care. “Just as consumers use online tools to book restaurant reservations or request a cab, patients want the same experience in self-booking a doctor’s appointment,” Accenture’s report noted.

Furthermore, appointment reminder functionality typically built into scheduling software more than halves the risk of a no-show, according to a separate analysis of customer behavior by 10to8.com.

5. Increased Employee Productivity - In a Udemy 2018 report, 60 percent of employees said that poorly scheduled and unorganized meetings distract them from working efficiently and productively. That’s why meetings and how they are scheduled should not be taken for granted, especially for rapidly-growing SMBs with hybrid work environments and employees who reside across different states and countries.

Automated meeting scheduling can eliminate behaviors such as:

Employees asking each other “when are you free?” to initiate a meeting
The need to check calendars throughout the day
Attaching video conferencing links to meeting events manually
Manually working out time zone differences to hold meetings with colleagues across different jurisdictions

A suitable scheduling tool should handle most meeting-related logistics, including adding video conferencing links, finding a time to meet, and meeting preparation tasks. There are many different calendar scheduling tools available on the market, with different features for different business needs. If you would like to discuss the options that we have available, please click the link below to schedule a time.

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The Real Cost of Employees in Today's Virtual Environment

Sat, 29 Dec 2018 08:30:42 -0600

Virtual employees offer many benefits. They can be hired for any job, no matter what the location is. This can give a company a competitive edge by hiring people with skillsets that are not available locally. Virtual employees also have the ability to work from anywhere and at any time, which means they are always on call and will never miss a deadline due to time zone differences or traffic.

How to Get the Best Virtual Employee for Your Business?

Hiring a virtual employee can be a great way to free up your time and increase your productivity. But how do you find the best remote worker for your business?

The first thing that you need to do is to define what kind of skillset you are looking for. Once you have an idea of what type of person you want, it is time to start looking for candidates. You can use websites like Upwork or LinkedIn to find people who have the skill set that you are looking for. If these websites don’t provide enough options, try using social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter.

How much does it cost to hire an Employee vs. a Virtual Employee?

The cost to hire a virtual employee is much lower than hiring an on-site employee. This is because they don't need to pay for the cost of an office space and all the other expenses that come with it. Virtual employees are the future of work. They are usually less expensive, more efficient and provide a higher level of customer service. Companies like Uber, GE and IBM have already started to hire remote employees because they can get the same level of skill for a lower price, which is why we should expect to see more companies shift towards this trend in the near future.

There are lots of websites that offer remote workers, but how do you know which one to choose? You need to take into account several factors before making a decision. The first factor is whether the website offers workers in your field. If they don't, then it's not worth looking at them any further. The second factor is whether or not the website offers international workers as well as local ones. What if you need a virtual assistant for a project in another country? It's important to have this option available for you so that you can hire the best person for the job without having to go through all of this hassle.

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Why Small to Mid Sized Businesses Need Enterprise Level Technology

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 09:19:36 -0600

What is Enterprise Technology?

Enterprise technology is the term used to describe the technology that is used in a large company, organization or enterprise. It includes all the hardware, software and services that are needed to run a business. Enterprise technology is expensive and complex. There are many different types of enterprise technology and they vary depending on the size of the business. Some examples of this type of technology include cloud computing, mobile devices, virtualization, data analytics and security solutions.

Why SMBs Need Enterprise Level Technology To Attain Success

It is not easy for small and medium-sized businesses to attain success. They need to invest a lot of time, money, and resources into their business. But it is worth the effort.

There are three main reasons why SMBs need enterprise level technology to attain success:

Automation: Enterprise level technology can help SMBs automate their processes and make sure that they have a higher ROI.
Scalability: Enterprise level technology can help SMB's scale up their operations in order to compete with bigger companies in the industry.
Innovation: Enterprise level technology can help SMBs innovate by providing them with new ideas that they might not have thought of before.

When Should SMBs Begin Considering an Enterprise Solution?

It is not always the case that a SMB needs to consider an enterprise solution. A company can be successful with a small-medium business solution as well. However, there are some factors that could lead to the need for an enterprise solution:

The company has grown significantly and needs more resources
The company has a high demand for its products or services and needs more resources to keep up with it
The company has a higher level of risk
The company wants to be at the forefront of technology

Choosing the Right Enterprise Technology For Your Needs And Budget

The world of enterprise technology is a vast one, and one that can be difficult to navigate. However, if you have the right information, it can be quite simple to find the best enterprise technology for your needs and budget. There are two main factors that you need to take into consideration when choosing your enterprise technology: what you need it for, and how much money you want to spend on it.

For instance, if you’re looking for a new software system for managing your inventory, then your needs will depend on how many products you sell, how many staff members are involved in the process of ordering and receiving stock, and so on.

Conclusion: The Best Enterprise Solutions That Will Grow Your Business into a Major Success!

In conclusion, the best enterprise solutions that will grow your small-medium business into a major success are those that can be used to solve problems and make life easier. It's a common perception that small-medium businesses are not as successful as large enterprises. However, this is not always true. Enterprises need to focus on their strengths and not be afraid of going after opportunities in new markets. They need to stay agile and be willing to adapt to changes in the marketplace.