When it comes to introducing an online appointment booking system, practitioners will always have concerns for their business. However, these concerns and considerations are valid. At the end of the day this is your business, and you want what’s best. So, let’s talk about some misconceptions when it comes to online booking and find the real truth.
Misconception 1: “If a patients wants to book an appointment with me, they’ll ring or drop me a message on social media.”
In today’s busy society it is all about delivering convenience to your patients. Most patients are visiting your website out of your normal working hours (before or after the normal 9-5). That means they are likely to reach your voicemail, or their message could possibly be sat there for hours waiting for you to reply.
Then once answered, you start the never-ending game of appointment tag trying to find a date and time that suits both your schedules. By introducing an online booking software to your website, you’re able to keep the momentum with your patients.
When a patient is interested, they want easy access to book an appointment. If they have to wait for a response to their message or voicemail they may choose to look elsewhere. Offering an online booking platform maximises your potential for new bookings.
Misconception 2: “I will lose the personal touch with my patients by having everything digital”
Offering a digital way to book, is actually what your patients want, and it gives you the ability to introduce well timed, personalised communications. With the right system in place, you can send patients an instant confirmation email for their appointment, along with a series of personalised reminders before and after the appointment.
Taking another time-consuming task for each appointment away from your daily to-do list, can actually increase the personal touches with your business. Setting up reminders for next appointment due can quickly lead to an increase in bookings too.
Misconception 3: “I run a small business and this investment doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to me”
As a smaller clinic, you’re competing against larger established aesthetic clinics that may have the latest tools and technologies at their fingertips. Smaller clinics can sometimes look like they are ‘behind the times’ by not delivering the most up to date patient experience.
If your clinic is still manually booking appointments or using paper or dated enquiry forms, patients may begin to think that this reflects the experience they will receive with you as an aesthetic practitioner. By investing in technology that makes your patients’ lives easier, it will create an up-to-date image for your clinic which in turn attracts new patients.
Misconception 4: “I am going to have less control over my schedule”
Software solutions like
Aesthetic Nurse Software gives you complete flexibility when it comes to your aesthetic hours. You may work around a full time NHS job which has irregular shift patterns, no problem you can customise the days and hours you work on a weekly basis. The appointments that are then available on your platform are those within your available working hours. If an appointment is taken, this time is removed from the platform preventing the worry of double bookings being created.
Misconception 5: “It’s too expensive”
By converting just a couple of new appointments and patients via your online booking system, you will cover the costs of the software instantly. By introducing a more convenient way for patients’ to book, their satisfaction and loyalty to your clinic increases, creating a higher level of retention for your clinic. Software can cost as little as
80p a day, by making a small investment in your business, you’ll quickly realise the benefits to your business through saving time and increasing bookings, as well as having a happy life/work balance!
