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Self-scheduling systems can transform the way your services operate. Allowing clients to manage their own appointments is one of the best ways to free up administrative time on your end and helps you consistently serve your clients at the highest level.
However, setting up your self-scheduling system is only beneficial if your clients know to use it. Client training plays a key role in how smooth your daily business operations run. You can level up your process in just five steps.
What is client training?
Client training helps your clients understand exactly what to expect from you — and vice versa. Once they know how you work best, you’ll be able to work even better together.
This initial training of clients increases their overall satisfaction with your services, ultimately improving client retention long term. After all, it’s always better for business when clients respect your boundaries and follow your processes.
Benefits of self-scheduling
Self-scheduling is a way to empower your clients while taking tasks off your to-do list.
Depending on the settings you choose, clients will be able to book their own appointments, cancel sessions, or reschedule their bookings. Essentially, setting up self-scheduling can feel similar to onboarding an administrative assistant — the end result is reliable availability and communication for your clients, and less of an administrative task load for you.
1. Enable self-scheduling in your Acuity Scheduling dashboard
When you want your clients to book an appointment, class, or workshop with you online, it’s essential that you’ve enabled the right settings in Acuity Scheduling.
In your Acuity account, click Availability. Find the calendar or appointment group you want and click Edit Availability/Limits, then click Client Scheduling Limits.
Look for the Appointments per Time Slot setting. This setting defaults to 1, which means that one person at a time can have an appointment with you. If you set this to 0, all client scheduling is prevented. If you change it to 4, four appointments can happen at once.
Here’s more information on updating your self-scheduling settings.
2. Embed your scheduler online
Posting the link to your scheduling page in multiple places reminds clients that online scheduling is an option, and makes it easier for them to find you, book you, and pay you.
Embedding your scheduler directly on your website is a great starting point, but don’t forget about the other channels where people can discover and book your services. Integrating your scheduler on your social media profiles is another easy way to eliminate booking hurdles.
If you have an office or studio, consider a physical sign that tells clients they can book online, and include a reminder in your phone’s voicemail greeting. Opt for something simple, like: “Hey, you’ve reached [your name] . If you’d like to schedule an appointment, head to [insert your scheduler link]!”
The easier it is for clients to schedule with you online, the more likely they are to do it.
3. Be clear about your preferred booking methods
If you want them to book online — and only online — let your clients know. Once you post and test your scheduling link across your online presence, it’s time to tell your audience directly.
Send a brief email updating your clients about your preferences for online scheduling and share the link to your scheduling page. After you send your announcement email, consider updating your email signature with the same link to your scheduler.
4. Let clients know how online scheduling benefits them
Online scheduling saves everyone time, but old scheduling habits can be hard to break for some people. Make the switch to online scheduling a natural transition for them by directly laying out how it saves them time and hassle:
They’re able to book with you at your scheduling link, even outside of your normal business hours.
They can see your full availability at a glance, instead of listening to a list of times.
They can cancel and reschedule when life events occur, without needing to play phone tag.
It puts them in control of the ways they want to work with you.
Learn what clients experience when they self-schedule online through your link.
5. Set up coupon codes for online scheduling
Whenever you create a new customizable coupon code, you’re generating a discount that can only be redeemed online. You’re in full control of the discount details, from when the codes expire to how many times they can be used.
For example, you might want to offer $10 off their next session to the first 10 people who email you. By setting your code’s limit to 10, the code will be invalid after the 10 winners have redeemed their discount.
It’s a great way to encourage people to schedule with you online, because you can deliver the coupon code with a note: “Enter this code when you book online to save X% off your next session.” This personalized approach is a strong incentive to help your clients transition to your new preferred way of scheduling.