Transform Client Relations With Business Appointment Reminders

Whether you're starting a small business or managing hundreds of employees, you know that client relations dictate success. Keep customers happy, and you're on your way to a thriving enterprise. One straightforward way to manage client communications is automated appointment reminders. These messages are easy to send, but they can be the difference between a happy and a dissatisfied customer. Below, learn more about the ways that appointment reminder software can benefit small businesses and large alike.

How Appointment Reminders Boost Client Relations

Convenient Communication

It's a problem we've all faced--you need to reschedule an appointment or ask a question about your scheduled service. Now, you're stuck on a seemingly endless hold or caught playing phone tag with the office staff. When clients aren't sure how to reach their point of contact, or it seems like no one is answering their calls, it's easy for them to get frustrated. If it's a persistent problem, they might even seek another service provider.

Appointment reminders don't just help clients keep their scheduled appointment--they can also offer vital info, like directions, the service provider's name, and a direct contact line. When customers know who they can contact and how, they'll be more satisfied. Your automated appointment reminders can also offer a quick way for clients to confirm their appointmentsstreamlining communication. They'll appreciate it when they don't have to pick up the phone.

Direct Feedback

As a business owner, you're always looking for ways to improve your service and leave clients feeling satisfied. Honest feedback from customers is one of the best ways to assess your strengths and weaknesses. However, it can be hard to gather this information without making clients feel pressured.

Using appointment reminder software, you can also send follow ups after a scheduled service. This message can include a brief satisfaction survey. It's a quick way to find out what your customers love, and what they think could be improved. With this info in hand, you can target areas for improvement--without changing what's already working.

These surveys can also help you drive organic business growth. Clients that are satisfied can be encouraged to leave a review on your social media pages. Those who had a subpar experience can be offered discounted services or special offers to encourage them to return in the future. This customer-centered thinking goes a long way in attracting new clients and keeping your calendar full.

Fewer No Shows

Sometimes a work or life emergency comes calling, and customers have no choice but to miss their scheduled appointment or make last minute cancellations. However, many no shows come from situations that could have been avoided--either the client double-booked their calendar, or they just forgot their upcoming appointment. Avoidable no-shows are a lose-lose. You'll be stuck eating the cost or charging a missed appointment fee to offset the lost income, while the client has to deal with the hassle of rescheduling and a fee they don't want to pay.

This process can be stressful enough that clients might seek services elsewhere, leading to more lost income in the long run. The most proactive step toward cutting down on no shows is utilizing phone calls, text messages, and email appointment reminders. These gentle notifications help clients keep track of their appointment time, and they can reduce no shows dramatically.

A Personalized Touch

Every day, people are bombarded with sms, phone, and email messages that are computer generated. Whether it's a spam message promising love and riches or a special offer from the sandwich shop down the street, these transmissions add up to a flood of digital noise. Studies estimate that over 50% of all emails sent are spam messages. If you want to cut through the noise, you'll want custom appointment reminders.

With tailored appointment reminders, you can send content that stands out. If your messages open with a simple greeting or include the client's name, you're going to pop out of a recipient's inbox or sms message app. Not only will clients be more likely to attend their appointments--they'll also appreciate the effort you put into personalizing your email and text reminders.

What Industries Should Send Appointment Reminders?

Beauty Salons

Many people schedule hair and nail appointments on a recurring schedule, or in advance. Unfortunately customers frequently forget when they have an upcoming appointment, leading to lost income and schedule slots that can't be filled. And since many hair and nail salons are small businesses, the revenue lost from these no shows can be very impactful on day-to-day operations. Sending text reminders before an appointment is a vital way for your small business to reduce no shows and keep your roster full of happy clients.

Tattoo Artists

When clients are getting large pieces like sleeves or back tattoos and they have multiple sessions, they can easily forget their appointment. And with a busy schedule, it's hard to get them back in for a rescheduled appointment. Remind your customers with a sms or automated email, and they'll show up excited for their tattoo appointment. You can also remind them of appointment details, like what they should and shouldn't do before their session.

Massage Parlors

Massages are a great way for customers to relax and escape their busy schedule. However, their crammed calendar can lead them to forget about their relaxing getaway altogether. An appointment reminder before their scheduled massage can remind them that it's time to escape the chaos of the day-to-day and treat themselves. You can also use sms reminders to send special offers to clients, encouraging them to book appointments with you again.

Healthcare Providers

In the busy healthcare field, it's not uncommon to schedule appointments many months in advance. Even with an appointment reminder card, it's not uncommon for clients to forget that they need to leave space in their calendar for their check up. With automatic appointment reminders, clients are marked to receive confirmation requests once their appointment is in your scheduling system. Even if months go by, you can be sure the client will be notified when their appointment approaches.

Reminderly Makes It Easy

Even if your industry isn't listed above, phone, email, and sms appointment reminders can benefit you if your business deals with client scheduling. Reminderly is a one-stop hub for email, phone, and text reminders. Its intuitive interface is easy to integrate into your existing workflow, and it meshes with popular calendar apps and scheduling software.

It doesn't just do reminders--you can also use it to send short surveys via sms, and even has a waitlist functionality to help you fill appointments when they open up. Try it today, and see how appointment reminders can keep your customers happy and make staff management easier.

To get started sending reminder messages, try a free trial for 14 days, no credit card required. You'll find that you can save time, cut down on missed appointments, and manage your calendar more effectively with appointment reminders.