Running a business has taught me that something as simple as scheduling an appointment can somehow become ridiculously complicated.
The appointment is Tuesday.
Unless somebody thought it was Thursday.
It’s at 10:00.
Unless somebody wrote down 10:30.
The customer says the appointment was canceled. The receptionist says it was rescheduled. The calendar says it still exists. Somewhere in the middle of all this, somebody is staring at a phone wondering what in the world happened.
This is one of those business problems technology can actually make simpler.
Automated confirmation systems aren’t particularly glamorous. Nobody is going to throw a parade because a text message successfully confirmed a dental appointment.
But they solve a very real problem.
People forget stuff.
The Appointment Was Made Three Weeks Ago
Think about what happens when somebody schedules an appointment several weeks in advance.
At that moment, the appointment seems important.
Then life happens.
There are meetings, kids, work, traffic, groceries, bills, football games, doctor appointments and seventeen text messages nobody remembers reading.
Three weeks later, that appointment made perfect sense to somebody’s former self.
Current self has absolutely no idea what’s going on.
That’s where automated confirmations and reminders become useful.
A simple message immediately after scheduling establishes the date and time. Another reminder closer to the appointment brings that information back to the surface.
Nothing complicated.
Just a digital tap on the shoulder saying, “Hey, remember this?”
Confirmation Should Actually Mean Confirmation
There’s another issue I see all the time.
Somebody fills out an online appointment form and assumes the appointment exists.
The business receives the request and assumes somebody else responded.
Congratulations. Everybody assumed something, and nobody has an appointment.
An automated confirmation creates a defined step in the process.
- Appointment scheduled.
- Confirmation sent.
- Now there’s a record.
That confirmation can include the date, time, location and whatever basic information is necessary.
Suddenly, everyone involved is working from the same information.
That alone can eliminate a surprising amount of confusion.
People Reschedule Things
This is where scheduling gets fun.
An appointment starts at Monday at 2:00.
Then it moves to Tuesday at 11:00.
Then somebody asks whether Wednesday afternoon is available.
Then Tuesday works after all.
By the end of the conversation, the calendar looks like somebody planning troop movements during World War II.
Automated scheduling systems can send updated confirmations when appointments change.
That matters because the most recent information becomes documented.
Tuesday at 11:00.
Done.
Nobody has to remember which phone conversation contained the final decision.
Reminders Aren’t Nagging
Nobody wants a business texting every six minutes.
There’s a difference between helpful automation and becoming the digital equivalent of a toddler repeatedly asking whether it’s time to leave yet.
Good automation has a purpose.
- The confirmation confirms.
- The reminder reminds.
- The rescheduling message explains the new schedule.
- The cancellation message confirms the cancellation.
That’s it.
Not every appointment requires seven emails, four texts, a voicemail and a carrier pigeon.
The objective is clarity, not harassment.
Automation Can Answer the Next Question Too
A useful appointment message can do more than provide a time.
Consider what customers typically ask after scheduling.
- Where should someone park?
- What documents are needed?
- How early should someone arrive?
- Does someone need to be home when the technician arrives?
- What entrance should be used?
- What happens if the appointment needs to be changed?
Those are predictable questions.
If the information is predictable, automation can often provide it before somebody has to ask.
That saves time for everybody involved.
The Staff Probably Has Better Things to Do
Manual confirmation calls can consume an incredible amount of time.
Imagine a business with 30 appointments tomorrow.
- Someone starts calling.
- No answer.
Voicemail.
- Next person.
- No answer.
Another voicemail.
Third person answers but needs to reschedule.
Fourth person forgot the appointment existed.
Fifth person wants to know where to park.
Two hours later, an employee has basically become a professional appointment detective.
Automated reminders can handle much of the repetitive communication while staff members deal with situations that actually require human attention.
That’s an important distinction.
Automation should handle repetitive tasks.
People should handle conversations requiring judgment.
Automation Still Needs Adult Supervision
There is one little catch.
Automation does exactly what it’s told.
Unfortunately, that includes doing the wrong thing with remarkable efficiency.
Put the wrong address into an automated confirmation and the system won’t stop and think, “That seems suspicious.”
It will happily send the wrong address to everybody.
Technology has no shame.
That means automated systems still need to be reviewed.
Appointment times, addresses, instructions, triggers and message sequences should occasionally be checked to make sure everything still makes sense.
Automation isn’t “set it and forget it forever.”
It’s more like hiring a very fast employee who follows instructions literally and never asks questions.
The Goal Is Less Confusion
At Rhino Precision Marketing, I spend a lot of time thinking about where automation actually belongs in a business.
Scheduling is one of those places where it makes sense because so much of the communication is predictable.
- Appointment made.
- Confirmation sent.
- Reminder sent.
- Appointment changed.
- Updated confirmation sent.
Simple.
And simple is valuable.
Technology doesn’t need to reinvent the business world every Tuesday morning.
Sometimes it just needs to make sure everybody knows the appointment is Tuesday morning.
That’s a pretty good start.
— Brett Thomas
Owner, Rhino Precision Marketing
New Orleans, Louisiana
How Rhino Can Help
Automated confirmations and reminders are built into Lead Rescue, Rhino’s lead response system, along with booking, follow-up and pipeline tracking. Want to see where your scheduling is leaking? Request a free marketing assessment.