Allowing customers to make appointments online can be a great way to boost your business to the next level. Whether you want people to book appointments for your services or reserve a room at a hotel, the following tips will help you run a successful bookings-based website:
Credit: Epic Hotel
Be Upfront about Pricing
Many business owners are hesitant about listing their prices online, largely due to the fact that competitors might undercut them. Not doing so could potentially drive away a large portion of customers.
When booking an appointment or hotel room online, customers want to know exactly how much they’re going to be charged. If they can’t find your prices, they’ll likely head somewhere else.
Let Customers Complete the Process
Customers want to complete their booking in as little time as possible with a minimal amount of effort. This means they shouldn’t have to call you to get your availability or for help.
A seamless online accommodation booking system that requires little to no effort for both parties is ideal, because it allows you to maximize your time while minimizing the customer’s time dealing with the process.
Use Feedback and Reviews to Your Advantage
Feedback and reviews are great ways to encourage customers to book an appointment or room. Even if your company doesn’t have all 5 star reviews, prospective clients will appreciate the transparency.
To maximize the amount of reviews you receive, send follow-up emails to clients after the appointment is complete or personally ask for one before you say goodbye.
Credit: Accommodation in Melbourne
Promote your Site with a Blog Post
Content has always been the king of online marketing. Every successful bookings-based website promotes itself using a well written blog.
If you have an accommodations based website, you can create a blog post about the nightlife and party venues located around within major destination cities. Readers might also enjoy a blog post about local attractions and activities that you recommend near each hotel.
Regardless of the subject matter of your content, always keep your blog fresh and up to date.
Don’t Overbook Your Schedule
Business owners always strive to pack their days as much as possible. When setting up a bookings-based website, never allow potential customers to create an appointment when no appointment is available. You’ll end up with an overflowing office or hotel with no rooms available, and a lot of angry customers.
If you have additional staff members and you want to allow double booking, everyone should have access to the same schedule to avoid any headaches with clients.
The best booking websites will have specific dates already blocked out, or will give customers a simple error message if the date is already taken.
Beside the service you provide, customers are looking for two things: Ease of use and pricing transparency. They want to trust the company or individual that they’re paying, and a quality bookings-based website should reflect that. Make sure your prices are clearly stated on the website and that clients won’t have to jump through any extra hoops to reserve time or accommodation.
