Benefits of an Online Booking System for Businesses
Online booking software can be extremely beneficial for businesses in a variety of ways, some of which are:
Businesses Can Collect Booking Data to Improve
A good online booking platform allows you to get access to data and know more about your customer’s behavior.
Do a lot of them not go through with the booking process? Maybe some aspects are confusing to customers. Collecting data and improving is the most important thing for the ultimate customer experience.
By using data and increasing your conversion rate, you’re able to get more bookings and conversions without spending more resources on advertising!
Reduced Workload & Administrative Resources
One of the more obvious benefits of an online booking system is the reduced workloads and administrative resources that need to be invested in the booking process.
If you’re running a hotel with a few hundred rooms, it’s going to be a logistical nightmare to manage each room manually. Couple that with special requests and guest requirements, it’s not easy.
The proper booking software takes care of that, automating everything, including guest requirements.
This allows you to learn more about each guest in better detail so that you’ll be able to improve the guest experience and prepare what they expect before they arrive.
Unique QR Code to Validate Appointments
Some industries like the accommodation, dentistry, or spa industry might require authentication to proceed with the appointment booking and service.
For online booking systems, businesses can require the submission of proper documentation such as ID cards, passports, or previous medical records in the system.
This allows businesses to verify certain information before the appointment timeslot. As for validation, businesses can also verify and validate appointments through unique QR codes.
Customers will typically get an email after setting the appointment, which the business can then scan to validate the authenticity of the appointment. This prevents bad actors from impersonating customers.
Better Conversions from Marketing Campaigns
Based on the data we’ve gathered from our clientele, the conversion rate for an online reservation system is almost double that of a phone booking.
This is from our experiences with numerous clients, showing a higher likelihood of increasing leads without any extra advertising cost.
However, the actual outcome really depends on specific sectors and the geographical location of your customers.
Predominantly, our clients include restaurants and hotels situated in Asia. Your results may be slightly different based on your location and customer behavior!
More Bookings Outside of Working Hours
Very rarely do businesses open 24/7. This means that if you don’t have an online reservation system in place, you’ll be losing out on booking outside of working hours.
For example, there might be a considerable amount of people looking to book dentist appointments during the night, probably after they’ve experienced some kind of pain after brushing their teeth.
In this scenario, calling won’t help as no one will be available to answer. Having the appropriate systems in place will organically improve your bookings and appointments considerably!
Reduce No-Shows Considerably
No-shows have been the bane of restaurants, probably since the invention of restaurants.
As studies have shown, no-shows cost restaurants almost $195 per person, which is a lot considering the average spend per customer is a lot lower in the industry.
Having a booking system prompting reminders through a variety of channels like SMS, email, and even Facebook Messenger through a chatbot will help significantly.
On top of that, a robust online booking system like the one we’ve got in KlikNRoll lets you charge a deposit to take this even further.
Not everyone has to make a deposit, but it’s incredibly helpful for restaurants with large parties or maybe hotel guests during the peak season.
In any case, we designed our online booking system to reduce no-shows as much as possible while optimizing for conversion, so that’s one aspect taken care of for you!
Manage & Adjust Real-Time Bookings
Another overlooked aspect of the booking process is the ability to manage and adjust real-time bookings.
This means that instead of the whole process of:
- Finding out that you need to change something.
- Calling the customer and informing them.
- Trying to find a suitable solution that satisfies both parties.
- Manually log the solution and inform the customer.
This process takes up a lot of time and leaves a lot of room for communication errors.
Instead, a better solution would be to prompt an email on the system, inform customers of the needed change, and then give them the option to rebook seamlessly.
This not only makes it easy for you to make changes in real-time but also provides a better customer experience!
Online Booking Systems Shine When You Scale
As businesses scale, it’ll be almost impossible to keep track of managing everything by hand, while making sure that no mistakes are being made.
Automation, especially through a booking system, reduces the need to hire more staff just to keep track of everything.
For a fraction of the cost, businesses can have a system that is versatile enough to adapt to different industries and have the capabilities to scale alongside the business.
Not to mention, you’ll save on training costs for new staff, as well as being able to upskill existing administrative employees to do other work.
This is especially useful for small businesses looking to expand and scale.
Online Booking Platforms Can be Adapted as Industries Change
In many industries, change is inevitable. For clinics, for example, there might be new regulations for patient information privacy.
In such cases, a good booking platform (much like the ones that we provide here at KlikNRoll), will be able to accommodate such changes.
Our backend system is incredibly user-friendly, so you can even opt to modify it yourself, based on your very own requirements and preferences!
Benefits of an Online Booking System for Customers
Booking platforms aren’t just great for businesses, customers appreciate them as well! Here are some of the benefits that online booking systems can bring for customers:
Customers Can Book Appointments Anytime & Anywhere
As we’ve mentioned before, allowing customers to book anytime and anywhere massively increases customer experience.
Without one, customers cannot book an appointment during off-working hours and might have to wait for the next working day to do so.
Not only would the customer experience be bad, but they’ll ultimately go to a competitor because of the lack of options.
Our booking system is web-based, meaning there’s no need to download any app or go through unnecessary hurdles to make a booking.
This allows customers to book using any device, on any operating system!
Great for Customers With Callphobia
According to some studies, Gen Zs (born between 1997 and 2012) are plagued with callphobia. Essentially, this means that they have an innate fear of being on the phone, and would much rather communicate via text or email.
Being born and raised in a technology-first environment could be the reason. This is why having an extra option for them will make it less daunting.
Gen Z’s spending power and personal wealth are also increasing, as more of them start to enter the workforce. This serves as another reason why providing more options is becoming more important.
Customers Can Put in Special Requests Effortlessly
As mentioned, special requests are the cornerstone of some industries like restaurants and hotels, and having a booking system can streamline the process significantly.
While booking online, customers can put in any special requests that they might have, which will be conveyed to the business.
This allows the business to keep track of special requests in their CRM system, which the operations team can then take care of.
Going about it the old-fashioned way might cause some errors, as there are many channels to go through before the information is relayed to the operations team.
So an online booking system integrated with a centralized CRM system is the way to go!
Reschedules or Booking Changes Can be Done Easily
Similar to the point about businesses being able to change bookings in real-time, customers can also do the same from their end conveniently.
Whether they need to cancel, reschedule, or even edit special requests – an online reservation system is the first point of contact.
This gives them the flexibility to change their appointment without the awkwardness of doing so on the phone.
No Waiting on Hold on the Phone
Typically, a business might only have one phone line active at any one time, this means that they cannot attend to more than 1 person at any given time.
This deteriorates the customer experience as they might not be able to make a phone call. This bottlenecks the booking process and can cause customers to give up before they can even book an appointment.
An online booking system fixes that bottleneck, allowing multiple customers to book at any one time, which can be beneficial for peak seasons in some industries.
Customers Can Book With Privacy
Certain industries may encounter unique situations where clients have confidential needs that are challenging to discuss on the phone.
Let’s take healthcare facilities, for example. Patients have the convenience of entering their medical records into the reservation system. This allows healthcare professionals to review these details in advance.
As a result, this approach eliminates the awkwardness of potentially sensitive discussions and allows for a more efficient processing of information.
Customers Can Submit Feedback Seamlessly
Another great perk about a good online booking system is the ability for customers to submit feedback after their appointment or booking is over.
In KlikNRoll, you have the option to prompt a feedback email to the customer after the appointment.
In this email, customers can click a link that directs them to a feedback form, where they can submit honest feedback so that businesses will know what to improve on.
To take it a step further, you can also have it directly to your Google Business Profile, where they can leave reviews. This will help your business gain visibility on Google, which is a good place to get even more leads.
Conclusion
There you have it, all the reasons that an online booking system that is great for you and your customers.
If you’re keen on an online booking solution that is both comprehensive and has your best interest in mind, why not check out Click2Book, our flagship booking system!
We aim to tailor everything to your business’s needs, and give you the best chance to boost your appointments and bookings.
Hey there! I’m Jeffrey Hau, and my journey in the digital world started after I wrapped up my psychology degree at UCLA. Imagine coming back to the bustling streets of Hong Kong from the tech haven of Silicon Valley – it was a whirlwind of inspiration! Seeing how social media platforms were evolving at breakneck speed and realizing the limitations of traditional advertising in this digital age, I decided to dive in.
In 2012, I laid the foundation of Prizm Group. From our humble beginnings, we’ve now blossomed into a global powerhouse with a team of over 200 passionate professionals. Our HQ is right here in Hong Kong, and we’ve spread our wings to SG, AU, NZ, JP, and China.
As a digital problem solver, our team found that several industries are in need of reservation systems, especially for F&B, Hotels, Beauty, and Medical sectors. Our digital magicians started crafting reservation systems tailored to cater to these specific needs. We extended our expertise to e-commerce, voucher management systems, and campaign management systems, combining them into KlikNRoll – an all-in-one solution. We deep dive into various industries, understanding their unique challenges and developing innovative solutions.
We’re not just a company; we’re your dedicated partners in transforming how you navigate the digital landscape. Our passion lies in providing businesses with intuitive and tailored solutions using KlikNRoll’s powerful capabilities.
Ready to embark on this exciting digital adventure with us? Let’s make your brand stand out in the digital jungle!
