Just because you work hard to offer the best to your clients, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t accept help when it could be necessary. By now, there are so many online tools and software solutions that can make things easier on you. While you are busy running your small business, these helpful tools can give you peace of mind.

If you run a salon, HR department, consulting firm, pet care service, or any other type of business that requires booking appointments and service scheduling, you’ve probably looked into the available appointment booking software online.

Booking these appointments is only the first step in making online tools work for you. What really helps you maximize your time is by connecting your appointment booking site to your favorite billing and finance software like QuickBooks or InvoiceNinja.

It may not seem obvious at first, but here are four ways that connecting your calendar can put you ahead of your competitors:

Invoice Authority

While email can be a decent way to communicate to your customers when it comes to giving them valuable information about your service, it just does not have the same power when it comes to billing.

In fact, studies show that e-invoicing makes things easier on your customers. They will need fewer reminders and follow-ups, meaning that you can keep your business running smoothly at all times. It also provides you with the ease of knowing that you don’t have to chase your customers to get paid for their appointments. Invoices allow you to continue booking new appointments as usual, because you are more likely to receive your payments on time.

Fewer Mistakes = Fewer Refunds

Instead of manually adding up the number of appointments that a person has made in any given month, you can now let the system do the work for you. This comes in particularly handy for businesses that have special pricing packages and discounts based on the number of bookings a customer makes.

The program can communicate all of these stipulations to the billing service, meaning an accurate invoice for all clients. Accuracy is one of the most important factors when it comes to gaining and maintaining the trust of your users. They have no reason to trust a company that routinely makes errors in their reporting and billing. Connecting your online tools allows your customers to rest assured that they have placed their trust in the right person and business.

More Time for Clients

The fact of the matter is that the administrative duties of your business can be dull. And even worse, they can get in the way of what you do best. Integrating your appointment booking makes sense because it takes another couple of things off of your to-do list. No more having to waste time making calculations and crafting emails.

This means that you can take on more business because you won’t have to set aside time to invoice your clients. Focus only on providing the best possible service to those who book appointments on your scheduling calendar.

Transparency

Customers who book several different appointments in a short time span can find it hard to keep track of how much a single booking with your business can cost. It shouldn’t be the burden of the customer to monitor your business’ practices.

With integrated invoicing on your calendar, you can let your customers know what types of bookings they attended, what services were provided, and even who provided the service. Even if customers don’t know how to articulate it, transparency is one of the important things they value from a company.

As small businesses move toward the future, it is important to keep up with the trend of using online software tools for the reasons above. More significant is the need to put yourself in a competitive advantage above other services like yours. If your competitors haven’t thought to include integrated appointments and invoicing, you will find that this can put you a step ahead of anybody else fighting for the same share of the market.

The extra authority, time, and transparency you can provide customers will be a strong incentive for them to choose you over your competitors.