Tips for Scheduling a Better Workday Service oriented companies may have one of the toughest job around when it comes to getting work. On the client’s side, their services are requested to be completed in a timely manner, and often on a certain day.
Schedule As much as the company may want to perform the requested service according to the client’s schedule, that isn’t always possible. Serving multiple clients in an area causes complications and restrictions in the work schedule. These complications can sometimes push the client to a different service provider, meaning you may never see them again. On your side—the service provider’s side—you fear losing a client like this and try to schedule around their needs. At the same time, with your current schedule, you also fear taking on too large a work load. When you double book your schedule, you lose the ability to either 1) do your job thoroughly, or 2) get to all of your clients in a timely manner. So on top of the potential of losing your client forever, you also risk infuriating your already scheduled clients to dissatisfaction with service or appointment scheduling. What can you do to better the situation?
15 min increments To answer this question, take a look at the example of a dentist’s office. Classically, dental offices would schedule their appointments in 15 minute increments. Scheduling people according to 15 minute time slots allows the doctor to have enough time with each client and a bit of down time between appointments. The only problem with scheduling in those time slots is that the dentist actually loses flexibility with their schedules. They end up scheduling too little time for a procedure or too much. The consequence is that a procedure scheduled for 15 minutes actually takes 20.
The dentist can either take less time on the procedure and possibly rush through hard steps, or she can take longer and put her behind on her other schedule. Either extreme is stressful. Appointments can be scheduled with greater accuracy when the time slots are condensed down to 10 minutes each. She doesn’t have to restrict her appointments to 10 minutes each, but can add 10 minute increments depending on how long she expects the procedure to take. These changes in increments will allow her to accurately create a schedule she can keep, while slipping in some of those important clients that require very specific time periods. Reducing the length of scheduling units allows for greater accuracy and doesn’t hurt the business.
Efficiency Any service oriented organization can do something similar to increase efficiency in their schedules. Find a smaller time slot that you can create your schedules around and start using it. Fill multiple slots for longer appointments. You’ll find you can fit more people in on a timely basis, increasing your client relationships and improving customer satisfaction. Optimal dental is the office of a dentist in Lincoln, NE. Scheduling is a part of the daily work of this office. Finding the perfect way to schedule appointments is the only way to maximize business and reduce stress in a work environment. You should experiment to find out what works better for you. Photo credit: Turtlemoon, illuminaut