How online booking saves you time and keeps clients happy

Time is precious, especially at the pace most practices run at. As a practice owner you want efficiency and happy clients at the same time. Online booking is a straightforward way to save time on both counts.

With an online booking system your clients can make an appointment at any hour, without calling or e-mailing. They pick the date and time that suits them from a simple screen. That saves valuable time for your practice and for them — no more ringing back and forth to land on a slot that works.

Online booking also helps your client satisfaction. Clients can be sent reminders for their appointments, which cuts down on no-shows. And it gives them a sense of control, because they choose the moment themselves.

Why efficient scheduling matters

Managing appointments eats time in any practice. Booking by phone or trading e-mails is slow and easy to get wrong, and all of it happens during hours you would rather spend on animals.

Where the traditional way falls short

Booking the old way brings its own problems. Clients have to call or write to get an appointment, which invites miscommunication, delay, and sometimes the loss of a client who could not be bothered. Scheduling by hand also invites human error: double bookings, confusion, and time spent untangling both.

How online booking works

An online booking system gives clients an easy way to make an appointment without calling or e-mailing. You probably use one yourself already — at the hairdresser, or booking your car in for a service. The screen is simple: the client picks the date and time that works for them. No more back and forth by phone or message.

What you get out of it

Booking online has plenty of advantages for both sides. Clients can book at any hour, whatever your opening times, which means they can do it when it suits them. And a booking system can send reminders before the appointment, which reduces no-shows — better for your client, and better for your day.

What to look for in a booking system

A few things matter when you choose one. The screen should be easy to navigate, for you and for your clients. The system should be flexible about availability, multiple calendars and appointment types. It should work together with the tools you already use — your calendar, your website, a shared inbox. And look closely at how it handles client data: some website plugins and e-mail forms are dated or poorly maintained, and sending or storing client data insecurely is exactly what you want to avoid.

How online booking improves client satisfaction

Booking online gives clients a sense of control, because they choose a time that fits their day. It takes away the hassle of calling and comparing diaries. And because they can be reminded before the appointment, fewer of them forget. That helps your practice run smoothly and makes for a better experience on their side.

It works in every kind of practice

Plenty of businesses have moved to online booking and seen the benefit. A dental practice that watched its no-shows drop after the switch. A salon where clients came back more often because booking had become easy. For veterinarians and other animal professionals it is no different.

Tips for introducing it in your practice

If you are thinking about online booking, a few things help. Start by setting your availability carefully. It can help to open just one appointment type to begin with — your standard consultations, for instance. And tell your clients the option exists and how to use it, through your website, your social media or a newsletter.

Choosing the software

There are plenty of booking systems that could suit your practice, offering automatic reminders, integrations and reporting. Think about which features actually matter to you. To save our clients the trouble, we built our own into Vetocare.

Why we built it in

Most booking software is designed around a single appointment between two people, not an appointment for one or several animals. A lot of it is also built outside the Netherlands or the EU, which raises questions about where client data is stored. Rather than have our clients take out a second subscription and wire two systems together, we built online booking straight into Vetocare. What makes our appointment requests different is that they are tied to your own appointment types and can be offered per species, and that they follow the availability of you and your colleagues. So there is no separate list of online requests to keep in step with your real calendar — and no second subscription to pay.

In short

Convenience and speed are high on most clients’ lists, and online booking delivers both while saving you time. It helps your practice run more efficiently, keeps clients happier, and puts you a step ahead. In Vetocare you can set up a booking link for your own website in a few steps. Try it and see for yourself. This article shows you how it works.