10to8 Supports the Challenges Faced by Small Businesses

No one ever said that running a small business would be easy. In fact, there are a number of challenges that you will face along the way. But don’t worry, 10to8 is here to help! We provide appointment scheduling software that makes it easy for you to connect with your customers and keep your business running smoothly. 

Let’s take a look at some of the challenges faced by small businesses, and how 10to8 can help you overcome them! We’ve worked with thousands of small businesses to help them transform successfully and grow. 

Cash is king when it comes to running a small business

Appointment scheduling software like 10to8 can help small businesses to avoid the pressure of no-show’s and the associated loss of revenue. The business might charge $100 for a photo-shoot, or $50 for a weight-loss coaching session. For some of these businesses, if they are operating at a 10% profit margin, having a 20% no-show rate can have a huge negative impact. Being able to identify and track those customers who are a little tardy in paying, is vitally important.

When appointments are made, businesses can ask for payment as a booking fee or for the full service amount.  This helps to ensure that appointments are kept and that businesses are not losing out on potential income.

In addition, businesses can use 10to8 to send automatic reminders to clients before their appointments, helping to reduce the number of no-shows. By using appointment scheduling software, small businesses can improve their bottom line by reducing the number of appointments that are missed.

“It took me two years to find my niche and the right platform to support it. I’m in a competitive industry, but 10to8 helps me stay ahead of the curve and to bring in new business” Counselling and Coaching Client

Excellent customer service is no longer a luxury

In today’s competitive market, businesses need to be able to accommodate their clients’ needs if they want to stay ahead of the competition. 

In the past, appointments were typically scheduled during regular business hours. However, as our lives have become increasingly busier, expectations have shifted. Now, if a client wants to make a booking at 10pm at night, they will shop around to find someone who can offer that. 

This is especially true for 10to8 clients who are highly entrepreneurial and operate in highly competitive industries. They are very responsive to shifts in consumer behaviour and don’t want to miss out on any potential opportunities. As a result, appointment scheduling outside of regular business hours is increasing. So, if you want to stay ahead of the competition, it’s important to be able to accommodate your clients’ schedules.

Appointment scheduling can be a time-consuming process, but fortunately 10to8 offers world-class online booking functionality, enabling clients to book appointments at their leisure, directly into your calendar. Our small business owners devote significant time to their online booking page, its branding, the descriptions of the services offered, and setting their availability to meet their customer’s needs. This way, when they receive a booking they know that they can take it.

By using appointment scheduling software, businesses can provide their clients with an excellent customer experience, ensuring appointments are kept (and not double-booked).

Time is money! Use 10to8 to automate your business and save time.

Small Business Owners are expert multitaskers and work very long hours. We have clients who run sophisticated PPC ad-campaigns, who maintain mailing lists of hundreds of repeat clients, and who run complex automated Zapier workflows that link two-dozen third party tools together in a way that requires a PhD to understand.

I recently spoke to a beauty salon owner who woke up an hour earlier every day just to send SMS messages to customers, and who would work late into the evening to answer emails and take bookings. With 10to8, all this work was automated.

For small businesses, 10to8 appointment scheduling can be a lifesaver. By automating the booking process, sending appointments and reminders via SMS and emails to clients, it saves small business owners a considerable amount of time and stress.

"10to8 has literally changed how I think about time. I'm on a free plan, and your system saves me 4 hours in admin every week." Private Tutor Client.

In conclusion – From the desk of the MD

At 10to8, we pride ourselves on our appointment scheduling software. We built it to be the most user-friendly, scalable and customizable solution on the market. It’s a huge hit with small business owners.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is hearing how our customers are using 10to8 to streamline their businesses. I’ve had conversations with owners who use 10to8 to manage appointments for a variety of businesses –  from dog grooming to medical appointments. They’ve told me about the ways 10to8 has saved them time and money, and how it’s helped them better serve their customers. These conversations help influence our product and innovation road map, whether its new feature ideas, new integrations, and just ways of making 10to8 easier to use.

For new users – try us out. You’ll be amazed at how flexible and versatile the 10to8 platform is for businesses of all sizes.

For existing users – there are always new ways to put 10to8 to use. In my most recent conversation with a Nursery based in the UK, we explored how they could organise parent’s evenings, open days and visits for prospective parents. 

“Every time you guys add a new feature, I work out how I can use it to grow my business…” 10to8 Health and Beauty Client.

We look forward to seeing the other amazing ways 10to8 is used and what comes up next!