How I stopped picking up the phone thanks to my website
Canchas Paraíso has one of the best booking indexes per day of all soccer fields in Venezuela. How have they achieved such a feat? Quite simply, their owners have given themselves the task of getting their customers used to book online.
Changing habits
It was not easy to create the habit in customers to book from a website when it was much easier for them to call, provide their contact info and “save” the field (without paying a nickel). Although “it sounds” as something easy and convenient for owners and customers, this process involves a risk to the owner. When the reservation is made by phone with no pay upfront, the user it’s not forced to go, leaving open the possibility of a “no show”. This translates into a missed opportunity of turning those hours into money. With a booking system in place, these unfortunate cases won’t happen. When properly implemented, an online reservation platform guarantees that the owner will get its field “pre-paid” whether a customer shows to play or not. That’s why, for these type of businesses, the opportunity to grow and save tons of headaches is few clicks away.
When “Canchas Paraíso” implemented our system, those clients who used to call to book, were taught that reservations were to be made exclusively through the website. It was a process that lasted for weeks (and even months), but finally they achieved what they hoped for: bookings were mainly made online. This automatically translated into less calls, less “no shows” and more productivity and efficiency.
Why using an online booking system?
Letting your customers book online is not only a way to improve your business and increase your customer reach. It also allows you, as manager, to take actions into other important aspects of your life and business:
- Checking the merchandise and refreshments that are sold in your complex.
- Speaking with suppliers that help you maintain or improve the conditions of your fields.
- Receive reservations 24 hours a day without problems (we’ve seen reservations at 2 a.m).
- You will have more time for you, your family and other activities.
- You’ll get sales done without you picking up the phone every 5 minutes, no matter if your in the bank, at the beach or on a plane.
A user-friendly and efficient reservation system guarantees a satisfied customer. In this way, human intervention and the risk of complaints and miscommunications are limited. When talking over the phone, people may be susceptible to tones of voice or having a bad day. Whether we wanted or not, unfortunately, bad days happen. Leaving the door open for human miscommunication may lose us a sale or worst, lose us a customer. If there is a way to sell without worrying about these type of situations, why not use it? Digital services are more popular than ever and its the way the market is going. Don’t fall behind.
From calls to online booking
Large companies like Amazon trust and rely on digital services, where the user does it all by himself. The world is pointing digital and no one should stay behind.
If your customers range between 18 and 40 years old, it’s likely that the digital era has already wrapped them and they are used to doing Internet operations all the time. From making a bank transfer, to sending Candy Crush lives. That’s why you should provide them an appropriate, user-friendly and intuitive system, easy-to-use for them and for you. Do you want to sell more in a more productive way? Show them your web page, set up a booking system and let them take care of the reservations. Time is gold. Use it more efficiently on tasks that are as important as selling.
Don’t fall behind, technology is here to make your life easier. Give it a shot a you’ll see!
