Small businesses drive our nation’s economy. They employ tens of millions. They are important neighbors in our cities, towns and communities. And they provide the services we trust.

However, economic conditions in recent years have had a negative impact on the operations of many of these owners. Results of the 2009 edition of The Economics of Small Business: A Report for the Presidentcompiled by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy, it paints a troubling picture of our nation’s economic woes:

• More than half of the 763,000 job losses in the first two quarters of 2008 were in small businesses, while unincorporated self-employment fell from an average of 10.4 million in 2007 to an average of 10.1 million in 2008-9.6 million in November and December.

• Small businesses continue to face challenges in the current climate: accessing capital amid financial instability, the cost and availability of health insurance, attracting a quality workforce, dealing with global competition and perennial concerns about regulation, taxes and public procurement opportunities. .

• Surveys show that owners are less willing than in previous years to expand their small businesses, hire additional workers, invest in new plant and equipment, and borrow money.

Given the current economic conditions, small business operators are looking to do more with less and at lower cost. One feature that many are looking at is how they schedule appointments for their patients, clients, clients, and students.

ONLINE SCHEDULING IDEAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Online appointment scheduling is what is commonly known as a Software as a Service (SaaS) program, where a company provides an application to clients to use as an on-demand service. Like most SaaS programs, online scheduling services are typically hosted online on a secure server, eliminating the need for the small business owner to purchase expensive hardware components for their network. In addition, some programming services also offer the benefits of online accessibility, which does not require the business operator to install the program on your computer.

Online appointment scheduling software offers many beneficial features for small businesses, including:

• Self-scheduling for customers, clients and students. People simply access the company’s appointment registry, usually through its website, select a date, time and location, and book their appointment.

• Internal programming. Some companies prefer that their staff schedule appointments for their patients and clients. The software makes this task much easier and more efficient than electronic calendars and the traditional pen and appointment book approach.

• Email and text reminders. Many online scheduling software programs feature these reminders, which eliminate the need for staff to make reminder phone calls and send reminder emails, which have been shown to reduce “no-shows” by 50 percent .

• Online payments. Collect utility payments from customers online and automatically process their credit card transactions.

• Reports. Companies generally rely on accurate reports to get a snapshot of their operations and to judge the effectiveness of their service and their trainers, instructors, and other professionals. Online scheduling software providers often offer accurate reporting functionality.

• Registry mantenance. Businesses can securely acquire, maintain, and store customer contact information.

• Marketing resources. Use the reporting functionality, if available, to create a list of clients, students, and patients, along with their contact information, to send out special offers and newsletters.

WHAT SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ONLINE SCHEDULING

Recent surveys by Appointment-Plus, an online appointment scheduling software provider, show the real need small business operators have for an alternative to their appointment scheduling procedures.

• Before using appointment software, more than 72 percent of small business owners and their receptionists manually took appointments over the phone.

• Business owners chose to use an online appointment scheduling system for two main reasons: to expand their customers’ ability to schedule appointments over the Internet (56.5 percent), and the amount of time they and their staff spent scheduling appointments (53.2 percent) .

• Appointment software has helped business owners reduce their no-show rate by nearly 50 percent.

• Fifty-six percent of companies have seen their business grow since they started using online appointment scheduling software.

Appointment-Plus also collected survey results from businesses that do not currently use an online scheduling service.

It found that more than 30 percent still use an appointment book (scheduler), while more than 20 percent rely on Microsoft Outlook programs and more than 10 percent use Google Calendar. Those looking for an online alternative cited a need for a more efficient process (33.3 percent), followed by their desire for clients to schedule their own appointments online (29.3 percent) and the ability to send reminders by email and text messages of upcoming appointments.

The survey results clearly show the positive impact an online scheduling system can have on small business operations. With economic conditions not seen in more than seven decades, these entities must optimize their operations and reduce costs at every opportunity to stay afloat. Scheduling software can free up employees, reduce the number of “no-shows,” provide an easy way to schedule appointments, and give you, the small business operator, peace of mind knowing your appointment scheduling needs are met. efficiently. cost-effective and automated way.