All businesses want their prospects to become new customers, followed by repeat customers, loyal customers and brand advocates. Your online booking system should offer the tools to help your clients along this journey.
Loyal, happy customers are not only willing to spend their money with you time after time, but they will invariably also be happy to actually increase the amount they spend with you.
This is especially true for those organisations who take bookings, be it for appointments, courses or facilities such as meeting rooms. So, once you have a customer ‘on board’ and booked for that first time (in itself a success), how do you then convince them to start putting more of their hard-earned cash into your coffers?
Effective Customer Marketing
You’ve probably heard before of how it is more cost-effective to sell to existing customers versus trying to win new business.
It’s an oft-quoted statement for a good reason: it’s true.
And yet, in so many businesses, the marketing budget has a tendency to be focused upon new business, with only a fraction spent on the existing base.
Think of it this way. When you’re marketing to a prospect audience for new business, there may be an element of guess work at play; targeting your efforts at customer needs that you perceive the market to have.
With existing clients, you can be a whole lot more granular.
After all, you know them have an existing relationship with them in one kind of another. And you know, or you should know their requirements, habits, and preferred lines of communication and engagement.
When you are taking bookings, this is where your booking system should play its part. The data you can glean from a booking process can help you develop full insight into your customer, and to provide the ammunition needed to deliver the personalised service that addresses needs, and makes the customer feel valued enough to be happy to spend with you rather than elsewhere.
Even if you’re not offering the cheapest service in town.
The Upsell Opportunities
You bought this, so maybe you want this as well?
We’ve all seen it and been exposed to it online, and, in fact, such is the ‘Amazon effect’ of our online purchasing experiences, we’ve probably come to expect it.
Your online booking system provides a way to upsell to clients in a way that’s non-intrusive and without the feeling that you are being manipulated to spend more.
If, for instance, you are booking a meeting room, then the chances are that there will be extras required, such as catering, refreshments or a piece of equipment that you need in the meeting. This is not intrusive selling, but providing an easy and user-friendly means to acquire essential items for your customer, while ensuring that the sale goes to you and not another third-party provider.
Easy Booking Journey Discourages Shopping Around
Nobody likes hassle when it comes to getting what they want. We’ve spoken before about the expectation we all have when it comes to easy access to the good and services we are looking to buy or book.
The simplicity of the way you let customers make bookings, and the ease with which you allow returning customers to re-book, can go a long way towards them opting to use you as an ongoing basis.
Because why risk an alternative process that’s more convoluted, just to save a few pounds?
When you invest in an online booking system, it shouldn’t be seen as a token gesture, paying lip service to the fact that you just ought to have something in place.
Correctly implemented, with the correct functionality and usability for customers and staff alike, your booking system should be the integral platform upon which your booking revenue is built, providing exceptional service and experience for your customers, creating a convenience that breeds loyalty, repeat business and clients who are willing to spend their money with you, rather than your competitors.
At thinkBooker, we specialise in online booking systems for training courses, classes, activities and events – optimised for efficiency, growth and ongoing client satisfaction.
Browse the site to learn more about course booking systems, sports booking systems, event booking systems and more, or get in touch directly to find out how we can help you.
