Scheduling on your website is more convenient for clients, and 70% say they’d rather make appointments online than pick up the phone, according to the folks at online appointment setting company Full Slate. It’s easy — clients choose from your list of services, see available appointment times, and fill out a short form to make an appointment. They can request a particular provider if they have a preference and even book multiple services in the same appointment. Once you accept the appointment, they get a confirmation e-mail and a reminder e-mail later on.

Here are just a few of its convenient features:

> You can choose whether to automatically accept appointments or review each request on a case-by-case basis. That gives you a chance to screen prospective clients or double-check your schedule before responding.

> You can easily create a series of standing appointments that repeat every one to eight weeks. Set an end date or let it go on indefinitely. And exceptions are no problem — you can move or cancel a single instance of a recurring appointment without affecting other weeks.

> If you have a Facebook page, you can add a tab so clients can make appointments right on Facebook.

> Full Slate automatically saves the client’s name, phone number, and e-mail address in a contact database.

> Salons can download and export a complete record of appointments — including price of services rendered — which makes it easy to document income in preparation for filing taxes.

For more information, go to http://www.fullslate.com/.

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