Staff planning: How to increase the number of customer visits

Imagine a scenario where your ability to receive appointments is continuously optimized. In this article, I'll explain why and how an advanced appointment scheduling system can help you better plan your staff and increase profitability.

Often when visitors schedule a service appointment, they can choose between a few timeslots. In some cases, the time suggestions might be a couple of weeks - worst-case months ahead. Most often, the reason is that you do not have the right basis for planning resources efficiently. 

The lack of the right information and tools ultimately limits your number of visitors while generating friction in the visitor's journey. 

How to find the right balance between demand and supply

Staff planning has always been a complex matter for service providers. If you have more staff working than you have visitors, you'll end up with unsustainable costs. On the other hand, if you have more visitors than staff, you'll have long queues and a poor experience for visitors.

Offering visitors to schedule an appointment ahead is a good tool for finding the balance between supply and demand. It gives you a good overview of your expected workload, and you can plan your staff accordingly to ensure a controlled economy.

Yet, enabling appointment is one thing, but if you do not have the right tools, you will face several challenges, such as:

Managing reminders and reschedules

If all visitors show up at the agreed time, there are no issues. But as soon as one visitor does not show up, your staff needs to follow up, reschedule the time and send reminders so that the delay doesn’t re-occur. Managing reminders and reschedules is manageable when there are a few cases. But as soon as you have a large number of no-shows, the administration work becomes overwhelming.

Individual control among staff 

Historically, most booking systems haven't been integrated with the staff's individual calendar. The system simply suggests the time slots you enter. But what if your employee has an internal meeting or other conflicts? Not being able to individually control their availability constrains their work environment.

Improving staff planning and increasing the number of visits

Some service providers have recently discovered the benefits of a smart appointment scheduling system, such as Qmatic Cloud Appointments. 

A smart appointment scheduling system helps you improve your entire customer journey. Below are some of the features which are designed to continuously optimize your ability to receive appointments:

• Easy and role-based staff interaction
• Improved customer check-in for a better arrival experience
• Let your staff manage and block their own calendars

Using an advanced appointment scheduling system helps you increase profitability while improving the visitor's experience and the staff’s working environment.  

Do you want to know more about how Qmatic Cloud Appointments can help you increase the number of visits? Click the button below to talk to an expert.