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Today, it’s no secret that people are busier than ever. As a sales or customer service representative, it’s your job to effectively guide a customer to their desired solution as quickly as possible, while also maximizing the efficiency of your interaction. From the moment you begin the process of booking an appointment with a client, it can be very helpful to use communication techniques that are designed to help you both reach your goals in the minimum amount of time. In this article we’ll look at how you can improve efficiency when booking an appointment with a customer.

To start with, here’s an example of a typical interaction between a client and a customer service representative when booking an appointment for service:

Client: “Hello, I’d like to book an appointment to have my tires changed, please.”

CSR: “Perfect. When would you like to come in?”

Client: “Next week, if possible.”

CSR: “Sure. Which day would work best for you?”

Client: “Tuesday.”

CSR: “Ok, and at what time?”

Client: “Around 9:30 am.”

CSR: “I have an opening at 10:30 am on Tuesday, would that work for you?”

Client: “Let me check my calendar… Sorry, 10:30 won’t work for me. Could we try another day?”

CSR: “Sure. What day would be good for you?”

…And the conversation begins all over again!

As we can see, this isn’t the best way to approach booking an appointment for a client: the conversation went in a circle without reaching a resolution. So let’s look at a better way of doing it.

Here’s how a CSR can book an appointment with a client in less than three minutes:

Client: “Hello, I’d like to book an appointment to have my tires changed, please.”

CSR: “Perfect, I have openings on Tuesday at 10:30 am and Wednesday at 9:30 am. Would either of these times work for you?”

The CSR can then pause to let the client make their decision.

Client: “Yes, I’ll take Wednesday at 9:30, please.”

CSR: “Great. The appointment is booked. Thanks and see you on Wednesday at 9:30!”

What a difference! In just a few sentences, the appointment has been booked. The conversation was quick and efficient, and led to both the client and the CSR achieving their desired results.

The biggest mistake that customer service and sales representatives make when dealing with a client is offering too many choices. Instead, reps should aim to guide the client towards a possible outcome, keeping the conversation on track and saving everyone time.

We hope you enjoyed this article. Don’t miss our next piece, which will provide tips on how to guide your clients when it comes to having repairs done on their vehicles.