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Tag: Appointments

  • Square Gives Businesses New Appointments App

    Square Gives Businesses New Appointments App

    Square announced the launch of an appointments app for businesses, aptly called Square Appointments.

    The company first launched its appointment management tool a little over a year ago.

    “Difficulties with juggling schedules is a pain point we hear a lot from salons, barber shops, health and wellness providers, and other service professionals,” Square says. “That’s why we designed Square Appointments, an online booking system that accepts appointments 24 hours a day — making it convenient for you and your clients as well. Already, millions of appointments have been scheduled online through Square.”

    The app gives businesses a dedicated experience to manage them. You can use it to set up and edit appointments on the go, access and edit client profiles, accept or decline appointments from your phone notifications screen, and check clients out on the phone.

    Screen Shot 2015-08-27 at 1.12.04 PM

    The app is now available for iOS. The Android version is in the works, and you can sign up to be notified when it becomes available.

    This is just the latest standalone app Square has launched in recent months. In July, it released a new Dashboard app aimed at making it easier for businesses to make decisions from their mobile devices based on data.

    In June, Square launched a new payroll service.

    Images via Square

  • Groupon Launches New Appointment Option

    Groupon announced that it is giving local businesses a new time-based deals option that enables them to accept reservations or take appointments so they have more control over when customers actually show up.

    The complaint about a lack of control is almost as old as Groupon itself. If too many people take advantage of a good deal at the same time, it can make for a chaotic period for a business ill prepared to handle the influx.

    A Groupon spokesperson tells WebProNews, “Many business tell us that they’re interested in running a deal, but they don’t need us to bring them customers at certain times. This is why we’re launching a new time-based deals option for all local businesses that accept reservations or take appointments––enabling them to control exactly when customers come into their business.

    Groupon’s Time-Based Deals for All Local Businesses from Groupon on Vimeo.

    “In addition to providing our merchants with predictability and certainty by bringing them customers exactly when they want them, we’re streamlining the experience for our customers by letting them know when they can use a deal before they buy it,” the spokesperson adds.

    “Groupon is making it easier for people to buy and book what they want, when they want it and also providing local businesses with an important yield management tool that drives additional revenue,” said Julie Szudarek, senior vice president, Local Deals for Groupon. “Our new booking technology provides merchants even greater control over their deals to match the needs of their business and offers a tremendous customer experience. And as more and more businesses list their reservation and appointment inventory with us, it gives our customers another reason to always check Groupon first.”

    Customers can make a reservation or appointment from the Groupon mobile app or Groupon.com when they purchase the deal or afterwards. With the appointment or reservation booked ahead of time, they won’t have to present a voucher when they show up to the business.

    The feature is starting in the restaurant category, but will be expanded to others, including spas, classes, and activities, soon.

    Image via BusinessWire

  • Square Adds New Appointment Management Tool

    Square announced the launch of Square Appointments, a new offering for its register service that lets businesses manage their appointments and avoid missing out on sales.

    The product has been in pilot mode for a while. Square acquired appointment-booking software maker BookFresh in February, though it remains as its own separate product.

    “Service businesses lose sales to no-shows, waste time trying to book customers on the phone, and miss out on potential new customers who prefer the ease of booking online,” said Square. “With Square Appointments, sellers can easily manage appointments, ensure they never miss a sale, and offer their customers a seamless booking experience.”

    “Businesses using the Square Appointments pilot — from math tutors to beauty salons — saw immediate value from the online scheduling system,” the company added. “Out of 200 business owners surveyed, 144 sellers said the system helped generate additional revenue, 124 sellers saved more than 30 minutes per day, and 108 sellers said that now they get 10 percent more appointments per week.”

    The product is available to all business owners, and comes with a 30-day free trial. After that, it’s $30 a month for individual sellers, $50 a month for businesses with two to five employees, and $90 a month for others.

    Square Appointments is available to any business, even if they’re not using Square Register.

    Image via Square

  • Square Acquires Appointment-Booking Software Maker BookFresh

    Square announced on Wednesday that it has acquired BookFresh, makers of appointment booking software.

    “Sellers use Square for far more than accepting payments: They manage their point of sale with Square Register, run loyalty programs and promotions for customers, and access important analytics that help them make better business decisions,” writes Suare product engineering lead Gokul Rajaram. “Sellers of all sizes want to grow their business, which is why we’re constantly working to provide them with simple, accessible, affordable tools that help them do so.”

    “Just like Square, BookFresh is designed to give time back to sellers so they can focus on their business,” he says. “To BookFresh customers: It’s business as usual. The team remains dedicated to maintaining and improving the product and supporting you.”

    BookFresh’s Evan Ginsburg writes on the BookFresh blog:

    Willem [CTO Avé}, the team, and I are dedicated to building seamless appointment booking tools that connect sellers and their customers in a simple, yet magical way — which is why it was an extremely easy decision for us to join Square. Square’s mission to make commerce easy resonates deeply with us. Together, we can bring simple tools to local sellers everywhere and help them grow their business.

    To our customers: You are the reason we come to work everyday and we are honored to be part of your business. We thank you, and we want you to know that not much will change for you. We will continue to provide the same great product and customer service that you have come to expect from us — but now you can expect even more. By joining Square, we have many great opportunities to make our product even better. – Evan

    Square and BookFresh will remain separate products for the time being.

    There’s a lot of Square news happening. The company is also testing a new app to let users order things from stores for pickup, and is reportedly testing a service in which it gives money to businesses to help them grow.

    Images via BookFresh