When your clients self-book appointments online, it saves time and adds convenience for you and your clients. Odds are that most of your clients want to book online, so you simply need to tell them it’s available…and keep reminding them since old habits (like picking up the phone to make an appointment) can be hard to break. We asked some of our customers how they encourage their clients to book appointments online and heard some great ideas. Many of our customers are seeing two-thirds or more of their appointments booked by clients online. By using some or all of the following tactics, maybe you can too:

Email Invitation. Of course, a quick way to tell all your clients at once is to send them an email. You can either use the built-in invitation email template on the Clients tab or use your standard email program (just be sure to put your clients’ email addresses in the ‘bcc’ field so they don’t see all your clients’ email addresses!). Be sure to include a ‘booking button’ or link to your Full Slate landing page.

During an Appointment. There’s no better way to tell your clients than face-to-face. You’ll probably have their full attention and you can explain all the great benefits (they can see all the times that are available, they won’t play phone tag, they can book an appointment in the middle of the night).

Voicemail Greeting. Put it right on your voicemail greeting! Your client is probably calling to book an appointment anyway, so it’s a great time to redirect them online. Your clients will get their appointment booked and you won’t have to listen through as many voicemail messages.

Email Signature. Add an invitation, along with a link, to your email signature so your clients see it every time they get an email from you.

Business Cards. Of course, put it on your business cards, flyers and any other marketing collaterals you have.

Front Door. Put it on your front door, at the front desk, or wherever you think clients are likely to see it.

When Clients Call. Some of our customers have even told us they sometimes point clients to the online schedule when the client calls to book an appointment. This may work best when you are not near a computer, but your client is. Regardless, you’ll want to use your judgment regarding when this is appropriate and when it is not, so as not to cause your clients to feel unnecessarily burdened. In any event, you can always take the appointment by phone and suggest your online schedule as an option for next time.