How does an online booking system work?
Businesses that provide services to their customers used to use archaic, paper-based methods to manage bookings. Naturally, with the evolution of technology, it’s now possible to streamline the booking process by using an online booking system.
The purpose of an online booking system is to offer customers the convenience of booking your services online at will. Meanwhile, businesses get instant access to their bookings and so much more. Ultimately, an online booking system is divided into two parts: the client-facing side and the business-facing side.
Each part communicates with the other to create a seamless experience for both parties. If you are ready to find out more, keep reading below.
For Customers (Front-end booking)
The client-facing or front-end of a booking system consists of several parameters that the client interacts with. Because it is such an essential part of retaining and attracting customers, you need a high quality booking interface. However, your online booking system should also be able to offer time slot selections and confirmations and reminders. Let’s take a look at each of these aspects in more detail below.
Booking interface
The booking interface is what your customers see when they click on your call-to-action (CTA) button. This is where they enter a few details about themselves such as their names, contact details and address. You need to be able to offer a payment option online. Ideally, this should mean that the payment is carried out on the same page as your website and not take your customers to a separate page. This feels less safe for many, who do not complete the booking process. As such, your payments should be integrated with your online booking system.
Selecting a slot
Continuing on from the booking interface, your customers should also be able to click on a button or a drop-down menu to select the specific service they want to book from your business. In addition, there should be a section where they choose the time slot for the service that is suitable for them.
Confirmation and reminders
Once the slot and service have been selected and the customer has added their details to your online booking form and made payment, it is good practice to send a confirmation of the booking through an automated email. Luckily, with the right online booking system, this is now possible. You can also send your customers reminders just before their service is due, as this is a great way to ensure that you reduce no-shows or cancellations.
For Businesses (Back-end management)
Regarding the back-end management side of your online booking system, this is essentially what you and your team see about every service booked and every payment made. You also get insights into which customers you are serving, offering you the chance to present repeat customers with discounts, rewarding them for their support. Below, we cover a few aspects of your back-end online booking system you should be aware of.
Setting up availability
While your online booking system may operate 24/7, your business generally operates during standard business hours. This means you need to set up your availability and free or open slots so that your customers can select a time that is convenient for them and which matches your team’s availability.
Management interface
In addition to setting up your schedule of availability, you will also be able to view the management interface. This means you will gain insights into which customers are booking from you, how much they are spending, when your busiest times are and so much more through a convenient dashboard. Having access to real-time data is a highly valuable aspect of making incremental improvements to your business.
Customisation
Some online booking systems allow for customisation of your dashboards and other areas. For example, if you want to send an automated invoice via email once your customer has booked a service with you, you can prepare an invoice template that contains your business logo for a more professional look. However, there are many other ways to customise your management interface, depending on your unique business needs.
Why your business should use an online booking system?
Using an online booking system in today’s age is an absolute must. It’s a way of ensuring you catch every sale, even if your business isn’t open. Here are a few benefits worth considering when you look into implementing an online booking system.
Your business is always open
Gone are the days of waiting for a team to come to work and take bookings over the phone. With an online booking system, it means your customers have 24/7 access to your business so that you never miss a sale. In addition, it creates more convenience for your customers as they can book at a time that suits them.
Improve customer communication
When you send automated emails to confirm a service or send a reminder, or even if you’d like to send an invoice or communicate with the customer, you can get all the information about communicating with your customer in one place. This makes it much easier to track all customer communication and see where improvements can be made. It’s also a great way to resolve any complaints quickly and with efficiency.
Online booking means faster payments
Once your customer has made their booking on your system, and they have paid you through a payment method that is convenient for them, your business gets paid faster, too. This automation means less time spent chasing unpaid invoices and a lot of resources wasted on following up on payments. It’s also possible to integrate your online booking system seamlessly with your accounting software so that you’re always able to get an immediate view into your business’ cash flow.
Create upselling opportunities
Through an online booking system, you can also offer your customers to purchase and book additional services through creating cross-selling and upselling opportunities. Ultimately, this is a solid strategy to make your other services look attractive, and can result in an increase in sales and ultimately give your bottom line a boost.
Saves you time and money
When you implement an online booking system, you are going to save a lot of time and money in the process. The set up of an online booking system is generally quite simple and quick. Once installation is complete, you and your team can start using it right away. This means your business can take advantage of immediate bookings that will be managed in a seamless way. No more wasted hours following up or chasing customers to change a time slot. It’s all conveniently automated for you.
No more human errors
Finally, using an online booking system reduces the chance of human error creeping in. A member of your team can be distracted for any reason and easily type in the wrong letter or number for a booking, creating havoc for all parties involved. Especially as the error can have important financial consequences. With an online booking system, this challenge is completely solved.
For a deeper dive into the numerous benefits that online booking systems can offer your business, check out our blog post on the Top 10 Advantages of Online Booking Systems.
Final thoughts
When it comes to choosing the right online booking software for your service business, you need to look at affordability, convenience, ease of use, integrations and a few other factors holistically. And when it comes to choosing a powerful online booking system that offers each of these factors all rolled in one, ServiceOS absolutely shines. It doesn’t matter what type of service business you run.
The ServiceOS solution is one of the most affordable and easiest cloud-based systems to use. With fast implementation, automated functionalities and the ability to run your business like a well-oiled machine, it’s an almost negligible investment that can take your business further than you imagined.