5 Easy Steps on How to Reschedule an Appointment
Life is unpredictable, right?
One moment, everything is on track, and in the next, something unavoidable arrives and messes up all your plans!
As we all have been there, we know how awkward and daunting it is to reschedule an appointment with our clients. You have to handle this without straining customer relationships and maintaining a professional reputation.
Well, in this guide, I am going to discuss the easiest ways to reschedule an appointment. The steps are simple but effective and can turn the tables for your business! So, let´s check them out–
Reschedule Your Appointments by Following These 5 Simple Steps
1. Communicate ASAP
Having emergencies is not a crime. We can all have unexpected tasks on our schedule that we can´t avoid.
While It´s also okay to have last-minute cancellations even after following the best time management system, getting in touch as soon as possible shows that you value your customers’ time and needs.
Even if it´s not always you who is on the custody side, your customers can also have emergencies. Thus, it´s better to be flexible and open to change.
2. Provide Clear Reasoning
Well, every customer in your business is special, no matter what. So, when you are trying to communicate with your client to reschedule an appointment, showcase why your business needs to plan another appointment.
Here, be careful about showing respect to your clients. Do not make them feel like they require your presence. Instead, let them understand why you value their presence in your business.
Remember that while a lack of information can cause mistrust, oversharing the situation can also lead to negative perceptions. Here are some appointment rescheduling tips you can utilize while explaining your situation—
- Do not blame your team or others for the situation.
- Avoid vague justifications like ´something unavoidable has appeared´.
- It´s better not to explain unnecessary personal details. Instead, simple and concise reasoning can be sufficient.
3. Offer Alternative Dates and Times
After receiving your appointment cancellation mail, your clients might automatically provide you with their preferred time for rescheduling bookings. But, that new schedule might not be suitable with your schedule or needs to be back and forth discussion for finalization.
To avoid these situations, include alternative dates and times in your cancellation email. This reduces the number of emails you need to send by preventing clients from feeling overwhelmed.
Learn how to write an influencing meeting reminder email when you are rescheduling!
4. Show Appreciation
If you check out other businesses’ rescheduling email template examples, one thing that you may notice is common in all of them is the use of ‘Appreciation’. Showing appreciation is a common etiquette we use to represent our clients through various body language. You might notice how sales representatives or other salespersons maintain this by wearing a gentle smile, talking in a soft tone, or staying calm and polite in every situation.
It´s easy to express your emotions when you are contacting someone physically. However, when dealing with someone online, and the discussion topic also needs formalities, you have to make sure your messages are not sounding harsh on the other end.
And here, you don´t need to write a long paragraph to do that right. Using simple messages like ‘Thanks for understanding the situation’ or “Thank you for your patience” can go a long way.
5. Update Calendar and Systems
Lastly, once you are done changing an appointment, it’s time to update your calendar. So, what’s the importance of doing it after rescheduling a meeting email? Here´s why—
- It helps you avoid scheduling conflicts. So, when you are rescheduling appointments, you can ensure there’s no double booking at all.
- Keep your tasks organized and let you look at your plans at once.
- If you have an open booking page, keeping your calendar always updated helps to prevent miscommunication with the clients.
Updating your calendar every time you reschedule appointments can be tedious. As you and your team focus on customer conversion, the risk of forgetfulness also increases. Besides, it can cut off a large part of your team’s productive hours if your business handles a big customer base daily!
To overcome this situation, many successful businesses implemented automated scheduling systems like the WP Timetics appointment booking plugin.
These tools disclose the burden of manual booking so you can maintain your business in a stress-free way. From appointment rescheduling to tracking appointment analytics, you can get a complete suite of calendar management features on WP Timetics.
Here are some key features this intuitive WordPress appointment scheduler plugin will offer you-
- Allows businesses and their customers to reschedule appointments.
- Sends automated email, message, and call reminders on appointments.
- Offers real-time calendar syncing opportunity.
- Integrates with your favorite payment getaways for seamless transactions.
- Allows to create a dedicated booking page.
- Suitable for both online and offline meetings.
- Helps to change availability details anytime, anywhere.
Reschedule Your Appointment with WP Timetics
We all know rescheduling appointments takes a lot of work. It´s boring, repetitive, and can be complex sometimes.
But with WP Timetics, you can reschedule your appointments without the usual aura of tiredness around you. There are a bundle of reasons WP Timetics appointment scheduler.
And while using the best appointment scheduler for your business be mindful to stay organized, leverage automated reminders, keep buffer time, and be considerate of time zones. Double-check your calendar before rescheduling appointments and you are ready to win your ‘how to reschedule an appointment’ struggles!