Client Self-Scheduling: 5 Reasons why it will grow your practice

easy scheduling is a convenient and very helpful tool https //www joinhopscotch com/ has launched that is designed to promote efficiency, streamline communication, and get that first appointment scheduled simply and easily – for both you and your clients! and since easy scheduling features customizable calendars, providers can conveniently set their client session availability for predetermined timeframes 5 reasons why enabling client self scheduling will gain you more clients 1 easy scheduling helps you work smarter not harder by allowing prospective clients to book quickly and easily without having to call or e mail you, easy scheduling eliminates phone tag and the time consuming back and forth that typically occurs before that first appointment is booked from the moment you enable easy scheduling, prospective clients seeking help “right now” are one simple click away from scheduling their first appointment 2\ easy scheduling is what your clients want the modern caregivers of today are swamped, and they crave convenience in this digital age, your future clients expect fast, easy, online options… for everything whether they are ordering dinner, purchasing school supplies, or booking an appointment, caregivers expect to be able to quickly and conveniently do what they need to do online why? because thinking about prioritizing time for a phone call or an e mail during normal business hours the next business day is one more (unnecessary) thing to add to their “to do” list hence why that call/e mail typically gets forgotten or postponed and if they do remember to call, schedules often don’t sync up on the first try, and the game of phone tag ensues especially since online booking is now a standard practice for modern clinicians, caregivers have simply come to expect options for bypassing the conflict of schedule coordinating 3 easy scheduling helps you meet prospective clients exactly where they are one of the core rules of marketing is to be where your clients are , and the reality is that prospective clients aren’t typically browsing for therapists during standard business hours they’re searching for therapists in bed before they go to sleep, while waiting in line at the checkout on their way home for work, or over the weekend when their children are exhibiting distressing symptoms by providing caregivers with a straightforward option for connecting with you, you are being accessible and meeting them exactly where they are on their phone, seeking help, and with nothing preventing them from instantly requesting a session 4\ it can increase your income there are a handful of barriers standing between you and prospective clients who are ready to convert, and if your website requests caregivers call to book appointments, then finding a good time to call is one more barrier keeping them from converting (aka booking) by optimizing booking efficiency, you are eliminating that pivotal barrier and increasing the likelihood that prospective clients will convert to a long term client – which adds to your book of business, grows your practice, and increases your income 5\ easy scheduling allows you to control your schedule there is a common phrase that goes if you don’t control your schedule, your schedule will control you not only does easy scheduling save you administrative time by reducing organizational labor, but it also protects your calendar and helps you establish a routine for when you’ll be in “therapist mode” and when you’ll be free to focus on other priorities but what about…? we totally get it changing an operational process can be a bit intimidating at first we’re here to answer all your frequently asked questions so you can begin using easy scheduling with confidence q1 doesn’t allowing my clients to self schedule mean i lose control over my schedule? not at all easy scheduling’s parameters give you control if you don’t want your clients to book out your calendar 2+ months in advance, no problem! you can set parameters that only allow booking for up to a set number of weeks in advance you can also set booking window limits for what days and what timeframes clients can schedule regardless of the parameters, it’s just a booking “request ” if you need to decline the request and propose a new time, you absolutely can q2 but what if a client who is not an ideal match for my services books up my calendar? choosing a niche for your practice , making it crystal clear about who your ideal client is, and marketing yourself accurately and appropriately should help reduce this concern significantly that said, there is always a chance that someone beyond your niche will attempt to book with you if that happens, remember, it’s just a scheduling request enabling the 15 minute scheduling option on your profile gives you an opportunity to screen for best fit if you need to refer them to a more appropriate provider and decline or cancel the booking request, you can certainly do that however, keep in mind it sometimes takes that first session to determine client patient fit see article “identifying and developing your niche” q3 i’m used to the process of scheduling over the phone or via email how does this new process work? the easy scheduling process is as easy as 1 2 3 decide your availability for when you want to accept bookings and set up your scheduling parameters accordingly (reference instructions below ) next, inform your pre existent clients about this new feature you offer, and provide them with a link to your easy scheduling calendar so that they can begin booking future appointment requests using easy scheduling after you receive a booking request from a pre existing or new client, you can simply accept or decline it if the request is from a new client, you can always message, e mail or call before accepting the booking to confirm you are the appropriate provider to best serve their needs if not, you can refer them back to hopscotch (or another service), and decline the request q4 where do i find the easy scheduling feature? to access easy scheduling, log into your p rofile , navigate to your profile click on the scheduling settings tab, and then click on the calendar import to sync your google calendar click on profile scheduling options to enable the 15 minute consultation call , the 1 hour therapy session, and consultation request for client scheduling q5 is easy scheduling already enabled for my profile, or do i need to enable it? easy scheduling is live and available for you to begin using, but you must enable easy scheduling yourself through your profile to begin using this feature q6 how do i enable easy scheduling? under your profile scheduling options , select which type of appointment you want to enable easy scheduling for the 15 minute intro call, the 60 minute appointment , or both q7 how do i set my availability parameters? to set your availability and/or change your scheduling parameters, navigate to profile scheduling settings , click on profile scheduling options next, click on the settings icon within the window of the session type you want to set parameters for a pop up will appear with options and instructions for adjusting your availability q8 does the easy scheduling calendar sync with my google calendar? yes! if you choose to, you can import and sync your google calendar availability with hopscotch’s easy scheduling platform q9 where can i learn more about easy scheduling? hopscotch help documentation is always available in the resource center \<insert photo>