Online booking systems aren’t anything new but there are many small businesses that still believe having an online solution puts customer service in jeopardy. That simply isn’t the case anymore.
There are a number of booking system providers, like Beyonk, who have analysed customer buying habits and worked closely with experience providers to build a system that not only helps the company but aids with customer satisfaction and retention.
Keep reading to hear how online booking can actually help forge better customer relationships.
Compare options
Depending on the type of experience you offer, there are likely to be multiple similar businesses within driving distance. Online booking allows customers to easily compare your experience with another brand in terms of price, availability and customer reviews. This also gives them the ability to make impulse purchases at any time of the day without ever needing to bother you.
All of this ensures customer satisfaction as they will be able to find the information they need easily before making a purchase.
Stores customer data securely
An online booking system stores customer data securely and allows you to access that information at a glance. It will also forward a copy of all booking details to customers automatically so they can rest assured they have all the details they’ll need in their email inbox from the moment a purchase is made.
Within seconds you’ll have a detailed list of who is visiting, what time they’ll be arriving and what experience package they’ve purchased so you can ensure a customer’s perception of you is friendly and efficient from the moment they arrive.
Minimises your effort & provide a better first impression
By utilising the tools at your disposal with an online booking system, you can ensure customers hear from you on a regular basis without needing to send individual emails or pick up the phone.
So many experience providers are small businesses with less than five employees. There’s only so much you are able to do and only so many people you’re able to deal with in a working day. This limits your ability to provide stellar customer service with every single customer.
Having an online solution allows you to focus on those more urgent and time consuming tasks, with the knowledge your customers are able to make simple bookings themselves and receive email communications automatically. That brings us onto our next point…
Email communications
Your booking software will likely allow you to customise email communications to your customers, therefore you can ensure emails feel personalised.
Address every email with a customer’s first name so immediately customers feel like somebody has taken the time to type out an email specifically to them even though this will be an automated feature for every customer.
Emails are also an excellent way to engage with your customers more. Encourage them to sign up to your company newsletter or leave you a review in booking confirmation and thank you emails.
Automation provides convenience
You may think automating the booking process makes it impersonal and whilst there are customers who prefer to speak to a human being over the phone, more than 82% of users prefer to make online bookings without any human interaction.
That’s because online booking is fast, seamless and allows users to make decisions in their own time, rather than feeling pressured to make decisions quickly because they’re speaking to you over the phone. Often consumers find calling to make a purchase inconvenient and time consuming, when online booking can allow them to make a purchase in less than a minute providing convenience and instant gratification.
This shows how important it is to have an automated booking system available, otherwise you’re likely missing out on potential new customers simply by not having this option.
An example of this is that 65% of bookings are made outside of office hours. By having an online booking solution you’re actually forging better customer relationships by recognising customer buying habits are not always during your office hours and providing an easy solution.
Would you like to hear more about how to build better customer relationships with the help of the Beyonk booking system? Book a free online consultation with us to learn more.
