How to Implement Instant Scheduling to Improve Workflow Efficiency

Instant scheduling can make a huge difference to your business. It can be the line between killing it and being killed. If that sounds dramatic, it’s meant to. In a cutthroat business environment, you need to leverage every advantage you can in order to stay afloat and thrive. Instant scheduling is one of those advantages. It may be among the most significant advantages you can get your hands on. 

We’ll look at what it actually is, what it can deliver to your business and why you should be using it already. Once we’ve set the stage for why instant scheduling needs to be in your toolbox, we’ll get onto how you go about implementing it into your business. 

What is instant scheduling?

You know when you’re trying to arrange a meeting and it takes forever to book something in? Why is this? Firstly, everyone has a busy life, and trying to find a time that works for everyone is a mammoth task. Secondly, people often don’t even get back to you to let you know what time is good for them. The result? Workflow grinds to a halt. 

Instant scheduling software syncs up the schedules of all parties involved in a meeting or event, taking into account everyone’s availability to organize a date that suits everyone. The software then automatically notifies everyone and schedules the event in their diary. Job done.  

Now let’s shift our focus from internal meetings to a customer appointment. What if a customer could line up a meeting with an advisor using instant scheduling tools that tell the customer which slots are available, book in the customer’s chosen time, and then automatically schedule that into the diaries of everyone concerned? Then you have a fantastically useful tool that cuts out manual tasks, reduces delays, and propels prospects down the sales funnel. 

Opening up your business to direct customer access like this, while keeping your sensitive information confidential in order to retain SOX compliance etc, is the direction smart businesses are taking. Join them. 

What can instant scheduling do for your business?

There’s a reason why so many businesses rely on instant scheduling software to handle their appointments. Here’s why. 

1.   Increased agility

Businesses can be vulnerable to a range of threats. No operation can afford to ignore this. This is why every business should take stock of the full range of dangers out there through a risk assessment matrix. 

One of the most disastrous risk factors is largely self-inflicted – the inability to respond to customers and events with agility. Customers expect rapid response times from businesses they approach. This is because a good number of businesses are shaping up in this area. One study found that 17.2% of B2B companies responded in under two minutes to a contact. That’s pretty impressive.  

Being able to act swiftly is the name of this game. And acting swiftly is just what instant scheduling delivers. No more missed commercial chances, no more disgruntled customers wondering how long it’s going to take to hear back. 

2.   Reduce the number of no-shows

It can be beyond frustrating to have a meeting with a customer lined up and nobody shows up. It’s annoying for the employee who may have spent time preparing for the encounter and probably turned down other business to keep that slot free, and it’s annoying for the business which might miss out on revenue. 

Instant scheduling manages this by communicating meeting dates and times to customers and putting it straight in their calendars. Reminders and alerts, either by SMS or email, help keep the appointment at the forefront of their minds too. Crucially, instant scheduling tools do so while respecting customers’ preferences related to privacy protocols.  

Instant scheduling has another trick up its sleeve. Because customers can reschedule themselves, it’s more likely they will reschedule rather than cancel altogether. Certainly much more likely than if they had to contact a receptionist and make the arrangements with them, which can be a lengthy and inconvenient process. 

3.   Improved insights

Instant scheduling lets you know immediately which parts of the day and which days of the week are the busiest. You don’t need to go from one team member to another to gather this information. It’s all there, right in front of you, ready to be analyzed and utilized.  

This kind of information is crucial for effective staffing and service provision. If Friday evenings are consistently busy, you’d better up your staffing levels – either in the office or virtually, via remote work tools. If Sunday morning is like a ghost town, there’s no point in having all those staff sitting around waiting for a customer to appear. 

Implementing instant scheduling for efficiency

Now you can see how instant scheduling improves the way you do business, let’s look at how to implement it successfully.  

Settle on the right instant scheduler tool for your business

There are some instant schedulers that are better for particular business or service environments. Do your research to see which scheduler offers the features you need, and make sure you select the right solution for you. 

If your business covers a range of services, from retail to healthcare to real estate for example, you’ll need an instant scheduler that can manage a range of applications.

Study the parameters

When you’ve decided on a solution, you’ll need to look closely at exactly what your business can handle. What is your capacity? It’s no good setting up your scheduler to take appointments if your team can’t deal with them. 

One issue that you need to factor in is transition times. You shouldn’t have one meeting ending at 2.59 and the next starting at 3.00. Yes, it’s possible that a staff member sitting at the same spot can go straight from one meeting to another, but it’s not ideal. There has to be a short period of intermission time built into the process, or performance can suffer. This time is for:

• Doing any admin necessary to move the previous customer down the sales funnel
• Preparing for the next customer
• Just having a moment to oneself and - hey! - maybe even using the restroom.

Build in reminders

If your instant scheduler allows for reminders to be sent to customers (and it most certainly should), make the most of this function. We’re all busy, and with the best will in the world we can sometimes fail to remember where we’re supposed to be and when. So, reminders are important aids, and customers tend to like them as it makes their lives a little easier. Make life a little easier for yourself too and automate the process.  

Do the training

Instant scheduling is terrific for all sorts of reasons. One of them is that it takes the pressure off staff to remember various elements and complete various tasks. However, as much as it lifts responsibilities from staff, staff still need to be trained in its use. So, you need to factor in the time involved in ensuring that your team is up to speed on the effective use of instant scheduling.  

Of course, using other automated technology like a virtual receptionist to cut all that phone monitoring is one way to give your team some extra time for training and higher-value tasks.

Roll it out effectively

Your whole team has to be on board with instant scheduling or it’s not going to work. If one member of staff prefers to stick with a pen and paper diary, you’re going to have an impasse right there.  

You’ll find that the overwhelming majority will leap straight into it. It’s a benefit to all and saves so much trouble and friction that it’s a no-brainer. But, inevitably, some like to stick to what they know. These individuals need careful handling. Show them how it’ll make their lives easier as well as contributing to improvements in customer experienceand business success and they should get with it. If not, you may have to think about alternatives.  

It’s important to get across to any staff who are struggling to incorporate instant scheduling that, for individuals as much as for businesses, agility means survival. With the right training, it should be possible to get everyone adept with the techniques required. Failing this, there might be other roles within the company that don’t require the employee to be able to deal with instant scheduling. 

Improvements in an instant

Instant scheduling is one of those rare business enhancements that delivers immediate benefits. Get the right package for your business, build in your preferences, show staff how to use it, and away you go. No more wasting time waiting for responses and uncertainties over meeting times – implement instant scheduling software and the business advantages will roll in thick and fast.