Eleven booking leaks
Each one takes about two minutes to check. Nine of the eleven need nobody but you. Tick what you already have, and the gaps are your to-do list.
The basics
Quick to confirm. You likely have these already
- 1. Your Google hours are current. Including holiday closures and the afternoon you close early.
- 2. The phone gets answered during posted hours. And the line does not simply ring out when the desk steps away.
- 3. Your address and phone match everywhere. Website, Google, and the directories that listed you years ago.
- 4. People can tell whether you take new patients. Without having to call and ask.
Beyond the basics
Not every business has these. Each is free to set up yourself
- 5. Your voicemail offers a way out. Swap “leave a message” for “text this same number, or book at [your link].”5 min
- 6. Your Google listing has a booking link and messaging on. Both are free, and both are switched off by default.20 min
- 7. Insurance, emergencies and new patients are answered on your site. In those exact words: people search the way they speak.an afternoon
- 8. You keep a list of who asked and didn’t show. A notebook works: their name, what they wanted, when. Three days later, one friendly message brings some of them back.a notebook
- 9. You reply to reviews, including the bad ones. A calm, specific reply is read by everyone who checks you out afterwards. The angry review is not the problem. The unanswered one is.30 min
Modern-Day Solutions
Where people are at now: time, a hire, or something built
- 10. Patients book you during their hours. Evenings, Sundays, the lunch hour: that is when people decide, and the appointment goes to the first clinic that confirms.needs a hand
- 11. Bookings land in your schedule, and the review gets asked for after. Nobody retypes a name between screens, and the thank-you goes out on its own. Reviews are what move you up the map over months.needs a hand
Your three options
| Someone on shift | A phone answering service | A receptionist that runs itself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls answered | Only the hours you pay for | Yes | Yes, day and night |
| Texts and chats | When hands are free | Usually calls only | Yes |
| Calendar booking | Yes | You get a message instead | Yes, on the spot |
| Knows your prices | Yes | Works from a script | Your best employee, no mistakes |
| Google reviews | Usually asked for verbally | No | Asked after booked visits |
| Cost | Wages, quiet hours included | Per call or per minute | One setup, then a monthly fee |
I build the third kind, and at Répond Allo that means the whole list on page one: all eleven, set up within 56 hours. The first two routes are real options all the same, and one of them may suit you better; if so, take it.
Before spending
Whichever route looks tempting, count first. One week of unreturned calls, times what one is worth to you. If the number is small, stop there: the free fixes above are plenty. If it is bigger than you expected, you now know what solving it is worth: to you, not to whoever is selling.
Where to count: your recent-calls list, your voicemail, and your Facebook and Instagram message requests. Count only the ones nobody returned.
Nine of the eleven need nobody but you, and if you only ever do those, this sheet did its job. If you would rather not do any of them, that is what I am for, but the list is yours either way.