Today, a large proportion of organisations and businesses use some kind of booking or appointment system as part of their service. In Healthcare, Sports and Fitness, Leisure, and many other industries, there are instances where customers need to specify a particular time and place to use the service on offer. This could be anything from a simple check-up at a doctors surgery, to a day’s sky diving in the middle of the country, but each business behind such services shares the same need for a well organised bookings system. Imagine being able to send an automatic reminder to all students booked onto a yoga class so that everyone remembers to turn up. This kind of automation, and many other sophisticated SMS integrations can be easily achieved using an SMS API.
Perhaps surprisingly to some, more and more businesses have started using bulk SMS messaging as part of the bookings systems, and here’s why…
Reduce no shows
For most businesses, having customers miss their appointments usually means a reduction in the overall number of bookings and ultimately a reduction in income. Good Bulk SMS services can be integrated with websites easily, allowing automatic reminders to be sent to customers at a specified time prior to their booking. This can drastically reduce the number of people who fail to turn up, bringing in more business, and making life easier for both staff and customers.
Free up time for Administrative staff
A large proportion of businesses rank freeing up time for customer facing staff as a main priority. If receptionists and other administrative staff are spending too much time managing bookings and appointments, bulk SMS delivery could be used to drastically improve business operations. Setting up an automated system is easier than it sounds, and it leaves staff members to carry on with other tasks, instead of managing bookings on a case by case basis.
Increase reputation and customer satisfaction
It can’t be denied that sometimes it’s the small things that make the biggest impression for customers. Sending appointment reminders and updates might seem like an insignificant aid, but doing so can give the impression of a business that has it’s processes refined and really looks after its customers. Using SMS to keep customers in the loop in this way can positively affect brand perception and improve customer loyalty.
If you aren’t focussing on automation and efficiency when it comes to customer bookings and appointments, bulk SMS messaging could be the next improvement you make to your business.