Websites with online booking systems

When starting a service business, we usually plan to gather everything essential for running it. The more far-sighted also think about security and their online image. It is increasingly rare for a new service business to open without a website, but in practice spending is limited to the bare essentials at the start. Many people simply want to test whether the business can survive and grow, so they turn a blind eye to work organisation and quality of service. Then the business takes off: more and more clients, less and less time, more and more on your plate. How do you organise the flow of information and streamline work and customer service so that you always know what is happening in your business? Without unnecessary paperwork and yellow sticky notes on the monitor? How do you keep on top of appointments and your relationships with clients and staff?

It pays to be open to solutions that bring order and efficiency to your work.

In one of our recent projects, we offered a client integration of a website built on Quick.Cms.Ext with Halo 24 – salon and clinic management software. After a few months of using the system, and despite initial doubts, the client gave us very positive feedback. That is why we recommend it as a solution worth implementing even at the very start of a business offering, for example, beauty, hairdressing or medical services in practices, clinics and salons. It brings order to client/patient service, takes pressure off reception, improves appointment scheduling and gives clients online access at any time. It offers many features that support faster growth, which in turn boosts revenue and how the business is perceived in the market.

How does the online booking system work?

Examples of features visible on the practice's website after our integration:

• availability of services and specialists
• booking an appointment with a specific specialist
• prices shown in service and treatment descriptions with a "book now" option
• a list of services and prices in the form of a price list
  
  

Examples of client notification features:

• Booking confirmation by SMS/e-mail
• Appointment reminder by SMS/e-mail
• Thank-you message after the appointment by SMS/e-mail
• Information about promotions
• Individual SMS notifications
  
  

Examples of features available to practice staff

• an admin panel for editing data, managing resources and configuring services. Reports - financial summaries (salon revenue, cash expenses, balance, detailed staff reports including commission and hours worked). Reminders of clients' birthdays and name days
• staff database – add staff and assign them services, resources and products, and generate rotas. Staff have access only to the parts of the application selected by the owner (e.g. only the calendar)
• resource database – equipment and locations assigned to staff and services
• service database – where scopes and prices are defined
• product database – products can be assigned to services. Always up-to-date stock levels, detailed reports on product sales and usage, as well as internal operations. Formulas assigned to services.
• calendar – where appointments booked online are saved automatically. Calendars for any number of specialists. Unlimited number of calendars.
• client database – where you can configure additional options for service promotion, correspondence and loyalty programmes; contact details, history of appointments, purchases and messages sent; space for comments; file uploads, including photos taken with a tablet or phone
  
  
  
  

What are the benefits for the owner of a practice/salon?

 

• SMS appointment reminders effectively minimise the number of missed appointments
• Comprehensive reports make it easy to settle staff pay and keep track of product and voucher sales
• Easy access to appointment history, so you are always prepared to serve each client professionally
• The appointment copying feature makes work much faster and more convenient.
• Remote access to the application lets you book clients even when the receptionist is away from the practice
• With online booking, clients can book a treatment anytime, anywhere – at work, while travelling or when browsing the web in the evening.
• SMS marketing is the most effective way to reach clients. Messages showing the salon's name instead of a standard phone number make a very good impression.

 

What does implementation involve?

We implement the system individually for each website we design, so its appearance matches the character and look of the site. As part of integrating it with Quick.Cms.Ext, we consult the practice owner's requirements with the service provider to avoid misunderstandings arising from a lack of technical knowledge. Finally, we organise training for the staff who will operate the system at the practice.
The service is provided under a contract and paid monthly. Our clients sign the contract directly with Halo 24 and agree the number of SMS messages per month needed for day-to-day operation. The cost of the Quick.Cms.Ext integration itself is included in our implementation work and defined when we quote for the website.

 

Is it worth adopting such a tool right at the start of your business?

Absolutely. In our view, a business that offers these features on its website and in its practice gains a better image. Clients planning a visit are more willing to book online, without wasting time on the phone or waiting for the right moment for someone to answer. Appointment confirmations and reminders help minimise so-called "forgotten appointments". There are many more advantages than a short article can cover. The downside, for those it affects, seems to be the implementation process itself, which requires transferring notes, schedules and client lists from handwritten cards or notebooks into the admin panel database. It takes work and means giving up old habits. But once the system is in place, the benefits of such well-organised document flow and client communication quickly deliver results. So if you are looking for the right tool, want us to build your website, and your needs suggest that Halo 24 would be a good fit, we will certainly recommend this solution.