Using Microsoft Bookings for Virtual Appointments
By Jay Ball, CEO of Flotek Group
Welcome to my personal blog, where I share my insights and tips on how to make the most of your Microsoft 365 account. In this post, I will be covering off what Microsoft Bookings is and how to integrate virtual appointments into your business and why.
What is Microsoft Bookings?
Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling tool that allows you to create and manage appointments with your customers, clients, or colleagues. You can set up your availability, services, and pricing, and let your customers book online through a web page or an email link. You can also sync your bookings with your Outlook calendar and send automatic confirmations and reminders via email and SMS.
You may opt for an individual booking solely for your use or select a shared booking page, which syncs with the calendars of multiple colleagues. This approach enables you to offer bookings for services rather than individual appointments. For instance, scheduling a meeting with an IT Technician could show availability for all 20 team members, providing the optional ability to choose a specific individual if necessary.
Microsoft Bookings is included in the majority of Microsoft subscriptions; however, I’ve listed the included one below:
Office 365: A3, A5, E1, E3, E5, F1, F3, G1, G3, and G5
Microsoft 365: A3, A5, E1, E3, E5, F1, F3, Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, Teams Essentials, Teams Premium
You can access Bookings via this link or see an image below of how the Bookings Administration page looks:
Our own Flotek Team Bookings where you can schedule time with one of the Sales Team or Directors can be seen by visiting here or see the image below.
Establishing a page is straightforward and can typically be completed within 10 minutes by most users. Simply navigate to the Administration page and adhere to the instructions provided in the Getting Started section.
Once everything is configured, you will receive a public link that you can incorporate into your email signatures or website. When a booking is made for you or a member of your team, the system will automatically consult your schedule, send you and the person booking a confirmation email, and reserve the time in your diary, including details on whether the appointment is a Teams Video call or an in-person meeting (an option you can specify during the setup of your page).
Why use the virtual Appointments App?
I’ve discussed Microsoft Bookings, and while it might seem sufficient – and for many businesses, it is – some opt not to use Virtual Appointments App. This additional app offers a comprehensive solution for business-to-customer interactions, providing a central place to manage schedules, analytics, and settings.
You have the ability to oversee all of your virtual appointments, monitor real-time updates, prompt reminders, assess analytics, and adjust various settings within a singular platform.
With a Microsoft Teams license, you get essential Virtual Appointments features suitable for arranging and conducting meetings similar to Bookings capabilities. Users can schedule in the calendar and external participants can join via a browser without needing to download Teams. However, consider upgrading to Teams Premium for enhanced features such as appointment queues, SMS notifications, bespoke wait rooms, and more detailed analytics.
Below is an example that illustrates the ability to see all corporate appointments for various colleagues, locations, and schedules in one consolidated view using the app built into Teams:
Should you upgrade to Teams Premium for Virtual Appointments?
Teams Premium offers a range of benefits that enhance features such as customised branding, advanced webinars, and live events, but this blog post will specifically address the advantages of Premium for Virtual appointments, which include:
Queue View: Gives the ability to manage and organise on-demand appointments through a comprehensive queue view.
SMS Notifications: Enable sending tailored text message reminders and notifications to clients, helping lower the rate of missed appointments.
Custom Waiting rooms: Allow for the creation of personalised waiting areas with custom content to engage clients while they’re in a virtual queue.
Additionally, Teams Premium provides added security and compliance options, including safeguards for sensitive data, adherence to organisational rules, and end-to-end encryption.
At the time this article was written, Teams Premium is being offered at £5.80 per user, factoring in a 30% discount from the usual price as an introductory offer.
Jay's thoughts
I personally think Microsoft Bookings is a great option for businesses that want to streamline their virtual appointments and provide a better experience for their clients. I’m surprised more businesses don’t integrate bookings into their email signatures to save the hassle of scheduling time between customers and suppliers. It would make it so much easier to book a meeting with just one click, without having to exchange multiple emails or phone calls.
Another feature that I find very useful is the ability to offer virtual consultations for services like law or medical. More firms should use this option to provide a way for customers to book an introductory call for free or at a reduced rate. This would reduce the time and cost of fee earners and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. Moreover, we know customers are more likely to engage with web chats than pickup a phone, so if you’re a customer browsing for say a law firm late at nights, the mass majority of these firms will simply have a contact form – I know I’d be more inclined to schedule time there and then if I could and I think progressive firms will begin to operate this way.
Of course, there are plenty of other products that offer similar functionality, such as Calendly, Zoom, or Google Meet. But I think Microsoft has an edge over them by integrating all its video features into one product. Microsoft Teams allows you to host webinars, live events, meetings, and appointments, all within the same platform and with the same security and compliance standards. You can also customise your branding, waiting rooms, and SMS notifications to create a more professional and engaging image.
