Why ‘Appointments’ is the new buzzword in business

Life after lockdown

Appointedd has been in conversation with businesses across multiple sectors throughout the coronavirus crisis, and when talk turns to how businesses will handle the transition back to normality, the same word comes up again and again – appointments. Appointments for safety. Appointments for efficiency. Appointments for time management. Appointments for customer engagement. 

It appears that appointments will be an integral part of life after lockdown, with consumers having to book services and purchase goods ahead of time. 

Welcome to the world of ‘by appointment only’. 

“Across the retail industry right now, the safest way of serving the customer is with appointments. We know that we’re going to need tighter scheduling to maximise both the value and safety that each appointment delivers. We’re confident that Appointedd gives us all the tools we need to do this effectively.”

Ian Shaw, Retail Director, Moss Bros

I’m sure you can appreciate how exciting that is for Appointedd – it’s in the name, really. We live and breathe appointment booking. 

But why is it that appointments will be so crucial in the future? A future that none of us expected we’d be living in quite so soon?

The simple answer is structure. Appointments allow businesses to offer their products and services in a managed way, and control their interactions with the public as we navigate the long road to recovery post-lockdown.

There are numerous ways appointments can help you navigate life post-lockdown:

– Avoiding customers bumping into one another and allowing them to shop safely when visiting your business

– Ensuring you have built-in time to sanitize between customer visits

– Maximizing the profitably of every in-person interaction without compromising on customer wellbeing

What all of the above have in common is they help businesses to focus on safety, while driving efficiencies at the same time.

Appointments for safety

For any type of business used to dealing with people face to face, there is going to be a huge duty of care to employees and customers.

Businesses have to be able to offer a segway back to safe in-person activities. That’s where appointment booking comes in.

Appointments help reduce the number of people waiting in line at stores and other business premises, so businesses know exactly who to expect and when to expect them, and there’s less risk of contamination between customers.

Appointedd also helped customers add buffer zones between appointments as social distancing came into effect. These buffer zones give staff time to sanitize workspaces before and after customer visits, ensuring the area is safe for every new customer.

Given social distancing is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, these buffers allow businesses to prepare for life after lockdown. With this built-in Appointedd feature, you’ll be ready to go.

Appointments for efficiency

Have a look at your customer journey. Are there parts of it that could be delivered virtually?

What about customer questions at the time of booking? Or automated follow-up communications by email? Maybe even a pre-appointment virtual consultation?

Virtual appointments are huge right now. That’s not going away. Having the ability to offer customers 24/7 online appointment booking on your site or social media pages, allows you to free yourself up for more meaningful business activities.

By plugging in Appointedd’s appointment scheduling software to your business, you can streamline and automate your entire customer journey.

Efficiency comes when businesses automate as much of the communications as possible before meeting customers in-person. This ensures staff members can focus on being prepared to tend to their specific needs during the appointment.

What is the customer looking to achieve at the appointment? Are there any upsell opportunities that could be employed? What else might the customer need or want?

Perhaps the most exciting part of this huge shift in in-person experiences is how much the customer will benefit. By gathering as much information as possible during appointment booking, you ensure the appointment itself is a far more personalized experience.</span