Our new Online Booking Platform is live

The technology industry is unlike any other industry in the world as it changes and evolves so quickly. As a technology business opportunity, our software is very much at the heart of what we do here at iOB Business.

Looking at the technology landscape a few years ago, we identified a need to develop platforms that were simple to use but could deliver substantial value to our partners and their clients. Fast forward and we developed 3 core platforms to complement our Add-on services.

However, our team is always looking for new and exciting ways to incorporate new solutions into our eco-system. The recent global pandemic has really highlighted the need for businesses to evaluate how they position themselves online and crucially, how they connect with their customers.

With all of us, individuals and companies, adjusting to the ‘new normal’, there is a real commercial need to develop solutions that still allows customers to interact with their favourite brands in a frictionless way.

The social distancing guidelines are evident not only here in the UK, but globally, which has a direct impact on many traditional bricks and mortar stores. More and more businesses are trying to limit the number of customers in their premises at any given time to comply with the new guidelines.

One of the most effective ways to control numbers is through a dedicated online booking system that helps businesses manage customers and gives customers the piece of mind to know their visit is confirmed.

We are proud to announce that our Online Booking Platform is now live and adds a further revenue stream to our partners Digital Agencies. This week we wanted to highlight some of the big benefits of our Online Booking Platform and why we are excited about our newest release.

Why are online bookings needed?
As mentioned earlier in this week's blog post, online bookings are gaining popularity amongst all types of businesses as they help comply with social distancing guidelines. However, that is not the only benefit of giving customers the option of making a booking in advance.

For lots of businesses, taking appointments or bookings can help with efficiency, not only of space but also of employees. For example, think about a typical hair salon that has 3 members of staff. Sure, they could rely on customers walking into the salon and requesting a haircut. But it makes it far easier to manage and plan each stylist's schedule if they had customers booked in for haircuts at various points of the working day.

Another example is a professional services firm such as an accountant or law firm. These types of businesses often have a consultation to understand their potential clients' situation before they start work. Having an online booking system can help accountants and law firms understand the amount of new business they are taking on.

Furthermore, an online booking system removes the human error element of double bookings or appointments not being added into the diary. With more and more businesses looking to embrace technology, having a digital booking system finally makes the physical diary system redundant.

It also removes the need for employees to waste valuable time calling customers to confirm bookings or to chase non-attendance. An online booking system has built in reminder emails that can be sent to customers automatically and therefore dramatically increasing attendance.

So far, we have looked at online bookings from the perspective of the business. But it is just as important to consider the viewpoint of the end customer. Having the ability to schedule in advance can make it more convenient for customers to interact with different businesses and removes the need to call to make a booking. This saves customers valuable time and that is something everyone can appreciate.

Our Online Booking Platform
Developed from the ground up, our Online Booking Platform builds on the existing ecosystem of our bespoke dashboard. Similar to our other core technology platforms, the Online Booking Platform is fully responsive and can be added to any existing website effortlessly.

Away from the ease of access, it is also packed with features that are sure to delight our partners, their customers and ultimately the end users. For example, we have the ability to set individual ‘seats’ for users which means each employee in an organisation can have their own calendar that can be accessed by customers. This is particularly useful for businesses that have multiple employees that provided services to their own group of customers.

The ability to accept advance payments is another major benefit of our Online Booking Platform. This ensures that businesses can ask customers to pay a deposit for instance, to secure their booking to ensure maximum attendance. We have integrated a number of payment gateways to give businesses and their customers the flexibility to pay in the method that suits them most.

As mentioned earlier, we also have reminder emails that can be triggered automatically to prompt users of upcoming appointments. In addition, there are a wide variety of events that can be set up such as consultations, one off events, recurring events etc, that can be set up in minutes.

Our Online Booking Platform also allows our partners to customise the system so it meets the brand identity of their clients. This is important, especially if a business is deploying their booking system on their website as they can display a consistent style across their site.

Finally, every client can access their own dashboard which enables them to view all upcoming bookings and analyse a range of stats that can help them measure the effectiveness of their online booking system.

There are additional features built into our Online Booking Platform that you can find out more about by clicking here.

What is planned for the future?
Our commitment to developing and improving our core technology does not end with our Online Booking platform. Rather, this is just an addition to the overall catalogue of solutions we plan to release moving forward.

This kind of takes us back to the start of our journey and why we decided to create our own technology platforms rather than whitelabel or rent a third party system. As a company, we feel it is crucial that we own our technology as it gives us the ability to respond to feedback from our partners and their clients.

It also gives our network a competitive edge in the sense that they are offering solutions to their clients that are unique in the marketplace. Without giving too much away in this blog post with regard to upcoming developments, we have some exciting plans for new platforms and solutions that can further boost the revenue potential for our partners.

Summary
As we have highlighted in this week's blog post, our Online Booking Platform is now live and builds upon the product portfolio of every partner's Digital Agency. With more and more businesses looking for technology solutions, we feel our latest platform provides another way for our network to help their clients engage with their customers.

To find out more about our technology platforms and the wider commercial infrastructure we provide to every partner that launches a Digital Agency with us, please contact a member of our team.

Until next time, take care.