Ditch the Phone: How to Take Control of Your Schedule and Elevate Your Client Experience
Tired of your phone ringing off the hook, interrupting your workflow and leaving you feeling constantly reactive? You're not alone. Many business owners struggle with the constant demands of client calls, leading to a chaotic schedule and a feeling of being overwhelmed.
Imagine this - when you are at the doctor’s office, the doctor’s phone is not ringing whilst you are having your appointment. They have admin staff to answer the phones. If the doctors would do that too, they would not have enough time to treat their patients.
Whilst an extra staff member or an extra set of hands isn’t always financially possible to have with new or small businesses. But there's a better way. It's time to take control of your time and your business by implementing a system that works for you, not against you.
The Problem with Constant Calls
Imagine this scenario: You're finally in the zone, working on a crucial project. Suddenly, your phone rings. It's a client wanting to book an appointment. You're happy to help, but it throws your entire workflow off track. This scenario plays out for countless entrepreneurs. We're so focused on being available for our clients that we lose sight of our own needs and productivity. This constant juggling act leads to:
Burnout: The constant demands of phone calls can be draining, leaving you feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
Loss of Focus: Phone calls disrupt your workflow, making it challenging to focus on important tasks. Being able to focus on your work without interruptions, allows you to deliver better results for your clients.
ScheduleChaos: You find yourself constantly rearranging your schedule to accommodate client calls, leading to a lack of control over your time.
Missed Opportunities: You miss out on valuable time for personal development, self-care, and strategic planning.
The Solution: Empower Yourself with a Booking Scheduler
The key to reclaiming control is embracing a scheduling solution like Acuity, Calendly, or even Google Calendar. By giving your clients access to a booking system, you:
Take Back Control of Your Schedule: Instead of reacting to calls, you set the terms of when and how clients can schedule appointments.
Establish Boundaries: Clearly communicate your availability and preferred communication methods, allowing clients to respect your time and boundaries. By establishing boundaries and maintaining a consistent workflow, you project a stronger image of professionalism and efficiency.
Streamline Communication: Clients can easily book appointments without having to call, freeing you to focus on your work. Clients appreciate clear communication and the ability to book appointments when they need.
Reduce Last-Minute Cancellations: Cancelation policies can be set within your booking system, minimising the frustration of missed appointments.
Popular booking schedulers:
How to Implement a No-Call Policy
It's important to communicate this new system effectively with clients. Here's how:
Integrate it into your Contract and Onboarding: Make it clear from the start that you prefer booking through your chosen system.
Highlight it in Your Services Guide: Clearly outline your communication preferences and booking process.
Include it in Your FAQs: Address common questions about booking procedures and your communication policies.
Discuss it on Your Kick-Off Call: Reinforce the booking process and ensure clients understand your preference for online scheduling.
Mention it in Your Auto-Email Responses: When clients use your contact form, the automated email can reiterate your booking preferences.
Potential Issues & Solutions
I’ve had some pushback from clients when suggesting implementing a booking scheduler, here are the common questions:
I want to still have control of my schedule
Before implementing a booking scheduler, its important to understand your work needs and to create boundaries around your time so you are able to get your work done as well as have enough time to talk to clients.
Start with when you don’t want calls. Then set parameters when you do want calls, then input these timeframes into your scheduler.
I like to fit people in where I can
This can be a double-edge sword as to why you might not have enough time in your day and why you need a booking scheduler in the first place. You need to cultivate the discipline of enforcing your boundaries and not flexing them to the point of stressing your schedule to fit every single client in.
Imagine if you had a client ring up and want to book an appointment for a certain time but you have personal engagements around then - you go ahead and rearrange your plans to fit them in and then the client is now booked in. The client may not know that you have done this (and really, they don’t need to, it’s not their business unless it’s a rush or last-minute arrangement). While your client will appreciate that they can book in with you, there is still the change that even though you have done all of this schedule shuffling, they could still cancel or reschedule the appointment - cue frustration. This is where having stronger boundaries and the discipline to enforce them is vital for maintaining a balance in your schedule.
What if a client cancels?
Client cancellations or no-shows are a factor of service-based business but it doesn’t mean you have to just ‘put up with it’.
Having cancellation policies and enforce them. Clients cancelling last minute is a loss of income and its important to have structures in place such as a clear and fair cancellation policy to define things like your right to charge a cancellation
Remember, clear communication is key. Implementing any new system only works if you make it work for you. Be upfront about your communication style and your preference for online scheduling and this way your clients will understand your boundaries and appreciate the efficiency of the new system.
Ready to take control and reclaim your time? Book your strategy session and let's work together to create a bizops system that works for you.