The financial crisis of 2008 kneecapped our company and was a game-changer. I’m a remodeler in the Philadelphia area, and our volume decreased by 70%. I was forced to take a hatchet to overhead and had to let go of employees and give up office and shop space. Fast-forward six years: My business has stabilized and sales are fairly predictable, but I now do things very differently. I don’t have a full office staff anymore and must wear several hats. But with the help of a few clever apps that are inexpensive, available on smartphones, and cloud-based, I can handle common tasks such as scheduling, tracking employee hours, estimating, and invoicing. What these apps lack in integration, they make up for in affordability and ease of configuration for a small business with just a few employees.
In this article, I’ll look at Genbook (genbook.com), an online scheduling app that allows prospects to set up an initial consultation from their phone or computer, 24/7.
Over the years, we’ve tried three scheduling apps and have found Genbook to be the best. It offers easy website and social media integration and is straightforward for homeowners to use. Regularly, my prospects comment that they like the scheduler—and that helps set the tone for a great customer experience. Genbook collects the data you need and automatically sends confirmation and reminder emails to your prospects. We set up a customized reminder email that lets prospects know about all our services and encourages them to make a comprehensive list of their home’s needs for our meeting. It also syncs with most calendars and works as a standalone app on your device of choice.
I set aside one day a week for sales. With Genbook, I predetermine six time slots for sales calls on that day. You can configure these time slots for any day or time you like so you are “driving the boat” on your availability. When clients log onto Genbook via our website or Facebook page, they see available dates and simply choose the time slot they want. You can configure Genbook to send you notifications of new appointments by email or text. I still appreciate opening Genbook the night before my sales day and seeing all the appointments and client data ready to go.
While its core offering is appointment scheduling, Genbook offers other features as well, such as customer reviews and analytics. While we don’t use these features, you may find them of value.
As with most productivity apps, Genbook offers a 30-day free trial. After that, its plans range from $20 per month for one staff member up to $70 a month for six or more users. This is a good value when compared with other online appointment apps.
Robert Post owns Post Remodeling & Handyman Services, in Oreland, Pa.
