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 the summer schedule and the days you are closed.
- 2. The phone gets answered while you are open. Which is genuinely hard when you are in a room with a client.
- 3. Your treatment list matches what you actually offer. Not the machine you replaced two years ago.
- 4. Someone can find a starting price without asking. Even a range. Even one line.
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. Instagram auto-replies are on. Meta Business Suite does it free, in your inbox settings. It answers the 9 p.m. question at 9 p.m.15 min
- 7. The three unasked questions are answered publicly. What it costs, whether it hurts, how many sessions. Silence does not read as premium.an afternoon
- 8. You ask for the review the same day, by text. With the direct link, while she still feels good about it.10 min
- 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. Clients book you during their hours. Evenings and Sundays are when people browse treatments, and the booking goes to the first clinic that confirms.needs a hand
- 11. Real availability shown, booked, and the review asked for after. A request form answered tomorrow loses to a clinic that confirms tonight. The review that follows is what brings the next stranger.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, your voicemail, and your Instagram and Facebook message requests, the requests folder especially, since those never ring.
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.