How to Get Customers to Book Online Instead of Calling - The Ultimate Playbook

Scheduling Options for the Modern Business

Before we delve into strategic tips, let's look at the scheduling solutions out there and how they can serve your company.

Scheduling Over the Phone

Booking over the phone allows for direct interaction and immediate clarification of any questions or concerns. It helps you get to know your clientele on a more personal level while scheduling. It also enables you to address their needs and assess their urgency on the spot.

On the other hand, scheduling related phone calls take time and energy, they often require hiring an office assistant to answer, screen, book, and direct calls. Phone bookings are also more likely to lead to errors and misunderstandings. Another problem is the waiting time and the limitations of your business hours. A study published by GetApp in 2021 reported that 59% of participants were frustrated with phone scheduling due to the time wasted waiting on hold and the inconvenient office hours.

Scheduling Via Email

Unlike phone booking, email booking provides a written record of the appointment details and the preceding correspondence, which can reduce misunderstandings and help you prepare for the meeting. They also allow clients to book without getting stuck on hold or waiting for office hours.

On the other hand, since the communication isn't instant, booking an appointment can take a long time. This method may also lack the personal touch that some people prefer, and it requires manual handling of each booking request. It's also easy to lose track of email correspondences, which could lead to people feeling ignored or neglected.

Scheduling Online

Their are many advantages to scheduling appointments online both for you and for your audience. It enables you to provide 24/7 access, reduces the likelihood of errors, frees up staff time for other tasks, and improves business efficiency.

Less no-shows is another strong advantage of online scheduling. When asked how they prefer to cancel and reschedule meetings, 61% of customers answered - online, 27% preferred phoning, and only 7% chose email as their preference. Just think how many no-shows could be avoided if you had online scheduling capabilities, and how much time this could save. (GetApp Report, 2021)

On the downside, some may find online systems challenging to navigate. So, when considering online scheduling, take your audience demographic into account, and make sure you choose a system that's people-friendly, intuitive, and accessible.

Online Scheduling lets you provide 24/7 access, reduces the likelihood of errors and no-shows, frees up staff time for other tasks, and improves business efficiency. 

Ten Reasons to Switch to Online Scheduling

While keeping up with advances in one's industry and changing work processes is always challenging, it's important to stay relevant. The same goes for scheduling; we must keep up with our audience's expectations and preferred communication channels. And these days, one of those expectations is to be able to self-book anytime and anywhere.

According to VMR's Appointment Scheduling Software Market Valuation – 2024-2031, 68% of North American customers actively prefer businesses that offer online appointment scheduling.

Let's take a closer and deeper look at the advantages of online scheduling to understand why:

1. 24/7 availability: Online scheduling allows your audience to self-book at their convenience, at any time, and from any device.

2. No waiting time: With an online scheduling system, no one gets stuck on hold. Your clients don't need to wait for you to answer, and you don't have to wait for them to check their calendar.

3. Less no-shows and cancelations: A booking experience that includes automated email confirmation, multi-channel reminders, and rescheduling options, you can increase commitment and avoid last-minute cancelations.

4. Zero human error: An online scheduling system minimizes the risk of scheduling mistakes, ensuring accurate scheduling and customer satisfaction.

5. Automated screening: Some online appointment scheduling tools allow you to add screening questions before sharing your availabilities, ensuring that you don't schedule unnecessary meetings.

6. Built-in data collection: Good scheduling software offers built-in analytics features that let you identify booking trends, monitor your team's meeting load, collect client data, and keep track of your meeting funnels.

7. Brand positioning: A seamless and well designed booking process reflects positively on your brand, instilling confidence in potential customers.

8. Better conversion: By making it easier to schedule with you, you're showing that you are service-focused, increasing trust, and boosting engagement - all vital for conversion.

9. Additional marketing assets: Every online scheduling page can serve as an online asset you use to reach your audience and interact with them. It's a great way to increase visibility and attract more clients to your services.

10. Better meetings: By using a booking form, you can collect information during the booking process so that you reach every meeting prepared to answer customer needs effectively.

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How to Set Up Your Very Own Online Booking Page

In the previous sections, we established that letting your audience schedule online can save time and contribute to your business without disrupting your ability to offer personalized service. Now, it's time to take a closer look at the different approaches you can choose from and the infrastructure you need to get started.

Step 1: Find the Online Scheduling Method That's Right for Your Business

Different businesses have different scheduling needs. It's essential to choose the approach that works best for you. There are two general approaches you can choose from or combine:

Plain and Simple Appointment Scheduling Software

The most basic approach to scheduling is a simple booking portal that lets you externalize parts of your work calendar to let people self-book with you when you're available. Some tools will also allow you to include a booking form asking visitors to add their contact information and meeting goals. This functionality lets you prepare for the meeting and get in touch if you need to reschedule.

Such an approach can do the job if you have a small business, a relatively low number of meetings, and few meeting types. However, if your calendar is regularly packed with overlapping meetings, consider the next option.

With AI-driven scheduling you can screen, route, and schedule as part of a natural language conversation. Your AI assistant can answer questions that don't require a meeting and perform the full scheduling process in a friendly and efficient way.

Smart and Adaptable Appointment Scheduling Software

More advanced scheduling systems let you break your day down into different types of calendars according to your availability and the types of meetings you wish to offer. Then, with routing forms you can assess the needs of each visitor and direct them to the correct calendar automatically. You can also use these functionalities to screen irrelevant quarries and reduce time wasted on unnecessary meetings.

AI-driven scheduling allows you to screen, route, and schedule as part of a natural language conversation. Your AI assistant can answer questions that don't require a meeting and perform the full scheduling process in a friendly and efficient way.

If you have multiple departments and outfacing meeting types - for example, onboarding meetings, sales calls, and support calls - an advanced scheduling platform is the best choice. It can help you save time without hiring an office assistant to screen calls manually.

Once you refine your scheduling goals and needs, selecting the right approach is much easier.

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Step 2: Map Out Your Scheduling Needs and Booking Availabilities

Your booking page is the heart of your online scheduling system and must be functional and appealing. Let's look at the main steps you should take to make booking an online appointment extremely easy for your audience.

Plan Your Meeting Offering

As usual, we start with a goal. Decide what services or appointment types you want to offer and design your page and booking process accordingly. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you get there:

• What types of meetings and calls are you offering? For example, sales calls, regular check-ins, and onboarding sessions.

• Who will be hosting them? Will it be you? Or someone else from your team?

• How long will each type of session last?

• Where will the meetings take place? In your office or online? Via video or only voice calls?

• What information do you need from your guests before meeting them?

Set Up Your Availability

Once you've mapped out everything you know about the types of meetings you wish to offer, move on to defining your availability. This one can be tricky because we're often less available than we think.

See this stage as an opportunity to be honest about your time and how you wish to spend it. Be realistic, and don't forget to factor in breaks, other commitments, and your preferred working hours.

Figure out when you're free to take virtual meetings, voice calls, and/or in-person meetings and add your availabilities to your scheduling platform. This could be a good time to ensure the platform is connected and synced with your work calendar to avoid overlapping meetings.

97.8% of internet users worldwide go online from their mobile phones, which means it's important to make sure your booking page is responsive. Check your page on different screens and devices to ensure that it is optimized for mobile.

Step 3: Create and Optimize Your Booking Page

Now, it's time to start building your booking page. This is where you'll bring together your offering, availability, and brand. Here are a few tips to keep in mind throughout the process:

• Make your page inviting and professional: Choose a design that reflects your brand, add your logo or a profile pic, select a color theme, and add a background image.

• Craft clear and welcoming messaging: Tell people what you're offering and why they should book with you. Use clear and concise language to guide users through the booking process, making it as straightforward as possible.

• Consider adding forms: What do you need to know about your guests before meeting them? Create a booking form that prompts them to give you this information during the scheduling process. Rule of thumb - fewer questions get more answers.

  Is the information you ask for intended to help you direct visitors to the correct calendar or meeting type? If so, create a routing form. It's an interactive and dynamic series of questions that automatically send visitors to the right place based on their answers.

• Configure alerts and reminders: Remind customers to join the meeting. Set up email and/or SMS reminders to be sent to guests automatically after scheduling with you. Customize the messages, define the name and contact info of the sender, add cancelation and rescheduling options, and decide when the reminders will be sent. You can experiment with different reminder flows until you find the one that works best for you.

• Connect integrations: Make sure your booking page is connected to your work calendar so that all meetings sync up automatically. Do you use other tools to manage your schedule or customer information? If so, connect them to help automate things and keep everything organized.

• Make sure it's mobile friendly: 97.8% of internet users worldwide go online from their mobile phones (Digital 2025: Global Overview Report), which means it's important to make sure that your booking page is responsive, as many customers will book appointments online using their smartphones. Check your page on different screens and devices to ensure that it is optimized for mobile.

• Test before publishing: Before launching your booking page, make a few test bookings to see if everything works smoothly. Ask a few co-workers to book with you as well to identify any technical issues or confusing messaging.

• Share Your Booking Page: Once your booking page is ready, it's time to share it with the world! You can share a link directly, embed it on your website, or even add it to your social profiles. Make it easy for potential clients or customers to find and use.

• Refine on the go: Your booking page is a living tool that can be improved over time. Utilize analytics to track customer behavior and identify areas for improvement. This data can help you optimize the page for better conversion rates.

How to Get Customers to Book Online Instead of Calling?

Congratulations! Your booking page is ready. This brings us to the big question - how do you get your audience to notice and use it?

Make It Welcoming

Think of your booking page as the front door to your place of business. When visitors come knocking, you want to show them you're happy to see them and encourage them to come in. How do you do that online?  With great visuals and friendly messaging.

• Consider adding a profile picture, preferably one where you're smiling; it will give people a feeling that you're looking forward to meeting them.

• Add an engaging background image that reflects how you want your guests to feel when they meet you. For example, if you're offering business success, you could show a bustling office, or if you're offering wellness and peace of mind, you could show a beautiful field.

• Choose simple and friendly messaging. Focus on your potential guest's experience - what will they get by meeting with you? What value will you give them? You may also mention that you look forward to meeting and add an emoji if appropriate.

• Make the whole process as easy as possible. The booking funnel should be super intuitive both on desktop and on mobile. The call to action should stand out in size, shape, and color.

• End the process with a thank you and a warm meeting confirmation email. The confirmation email is also a good place to add essential information or links and contact info for further questions.

Your booking link is like a virtual door to your business. When visitors come knocking, welcome them in by designing a beautiful booking page that reflects your brand and encourages people to engage.

Build a Trustworthy Booking Page

People need to trust you to book an appointment online. Going back to the front door analogy, you don't just go knocking on random doors and entering unknown spaces, you need assurances, as do your guests. This is especially relevant if you encourage them to book with you for the first time.

So, how can you show them you're trustworthy? Here are a few suggestions:

• Make sure your scheduling page reflects your brand in voice, tone, and design so that it feels familiar to your audience.

• Be as communicative and transparent as you can about yourself, your business, and your meeting offering.

• Add social proof to your scheduling page. It could be logos of prominent clients of yours, customer quotes, links to testimonials, or user reviews.

• Show that you're real by adding a link to your website, LinkedIn page, or any other asset that can teach them about you.

• Depending on your industry, consider adding relevant compliance and security badges to make them feel safe.

Spread the Word About Your Online Booking Options

Your audience needs to know this option exists in order to use it. Here are ten ideas to help them notice this new, exciting, and convenient way to book with you:

1. Notify clients that they can book appointments online:
   Mention the online booking option in your regular communication channels like emails, text messages, voice calls, voice messages, and even fliers (by adding a QR code). You could say something like: Instead of waiting for us to take your call, follow this link to book an appointment online quickly and easily.

2. Highlight the benefits of scheduling online:
   Inviting your audience to book online is not only good for you, it upgrades their customer experience as well. When introducing this option, make sure you highlight the benefits from their perspective. You could mention ease of use, efficiency, 24/7 access, and speediness to encourage them to make the switch.

3. Leverage social media channels:
   Share posts about your new online appointment scheduling capabilities on your social media channels. Encourage clients and prospects to use this option by focusing on the advantages from their perspective. If you anticipate any push-back or friction, address it in advance with clear, simple, and reassuring answers. You could also share your scheduling link in your social channels' about sections or as a pinned post to increase access and visibility.

4. Add a scheduling link to your email signature:
   Make your new online scheduling option visible to anyone corresponding with you by adding a link to your email signature. Afterall, people who are already corresponding with you are likely to benefit from a meeting, especially when it's so easy to schedule.

5. Embed your online booking link on your website:
   Add your booking page to your website by embedding it in relevant places. It's a great way to increase visibility and get more online bookings with minimal effort. You could embed it on your contact page, pricing page, product pages, or homepage - wherever you encourage people to communicate with you. Added bonus: Since embedded booking pages increase website clicks, interactions, and time on site, they can also contribute to your site's strength and authority.

6. Add an eye catching call to action:
   Encourage your site visitors to engage with you online booking link by adding a big bright "book now" buttons in prominent places on your site. It could be in the top menu, hero section, or anywhere above the fold.

7. Implement AI-driven scheduling:
   Add scheduling capabilities to your existing chatbot or place an AI scheduling chatbot on your site. If you're not a technical person, this may sound complicated, but it's actually quite simple and very effective. With AI driven scheduling you can answer incoming queries on the spot, or guide visitors to relevant scheduling options if the AI isn't equipped to answer the query without a meeting.

8. Offer exclusive perks:
   Encourage clients to self-book by giving them special benefits. You could offer them increased availability, better time slots, special giveaways, or exclusive discounts for online bookings.

9. Create an online marketing campaign:
   Build a marketing campaign around your booking page or add it to existing campaigns to encourage customers to book with you. You could use sponsored posts, Google ads, native advertising, and more. In addition to drawing attention to your new scheduling capabilities, your booking link could boost campaign conversion significantly.

10. Raise awareness offline:
    Don't limit yourself to your online assets. Add QR codes that lead to your scheduling platform on any relevant merch, presentations, or hard copy business material, even your business cards. Your audience will be able to scan the code with their mobile device and schedule with you instantly.

Encourage your site visitors to engage with you online booking link by adding a big bright "book now" buttons in prominent places on your site.

A Few More Tips to Power Up Your Scheduling Game

Now that we've covered the ins and outs of online scheduling, here are a few recommendations that will help you offer an even better scheduling experience:

Choose the Right Platform

If you haven't yet selected your scheduling software, make sure you choose one that answers your needs and is easy to use. The top five capabilities to look for:

1. A WYSIWYG (i.e. what you see is what you get) booking page design tool that let's you customize the look and feel to match your brand and engage your audience.

2. Essential integrations that allow you to streamline and sync the scheduling process by connecting your booking page to your calendar, email, video conferencing tools, and CRM.

3. Security and compliance measures that align with your standards and protect your data as well as your customers' contact information.

4. Routing forms that enable you to collect information, screen irrelevant requests, and guide people to the right meeting automatically. You won't believe how much time this saves.

5. Automated and customizable email/SMS meeting reminders that include easy rescheduling and cancelation options. These functionalities can dramatically reduce no-shows.

   

Create Booking Links for Different Use Cases

If you want to offer a variety of meeting types based on your customers' needs, you could create different booking links for different use cases. This will enable you to direct visitors to the right calendar using a dynamic routing form or AI chat. You'll also be able to create more targeted marketing materials around every booking link to enhance online appointment scheduling.

Build a Booking Hub

A booking hub lets you present multiple calendars on one booking page, allowing visitors to select the calendar they want. So, for example, you could have a booking hub that lets people choose a calendar based on the length of the meeting, the area of expertise they wish to discuss, or the person they want to meet with.

Create a Fall-Back Booking Page

If you chose to embed your booking page on your website, consider preparing an additional version of the page that's external to your website. This will enable you to automatically redirect customers to it if, for any reason, your website goes offline to avoid losing new bookings and existing clients. 

Redirect After Booking

Since you've already got your booking page visitor's attention, why not continue building that relationship after the booking? All you need to do is set up a redirect that sends visitors to a different page at the end of the scheduling process. You could redirect them to a strategic page on your website, a business listing you want them to see, or even your Facebook page.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The use of online scheduling systems is on the rise, as are customers' expectations to be able to book on line.

At least 62% of small to medium businesses in Asia Pacific use digital scheduling solutions, and the numbers in the US market are climbing as well (Verified Market Research Report).

According to an analysis and forecasting report published by Allied Market Research in 2019, the global appointment scheduling software market size is expected to reach $546.31 million by 2026, growing at an annual rate of 13.1% from 2019.

The popularity of online booking isn't surprising since it's so convenient and efficient for hosts and guests alike. But, like all changes, the transition can require some effort. In this article we covered strategies and tactics that can help you switch to online scheduling smoothly with minimal effort and maximal impact.

While it's very easy when you have the right tool, the transition doesn't have to happen overnight. You can start by promoting your new online booking system to your existing customers, encouraging them to try it. Or you could run a pilot program to test the system and iron out any technical issues before a full rollout.

After launching your page, monitor customer feedback closely and be prepared to adjust the system as needed. Don't be surprised if people simply love it. What's not to love? It's fast, easy, welcoming, and always-on.

By creating an effective booking page, and implementing some of the tips above, your business can increase online bookings, reduce no-shows, save time, and improve customer loyalty.