So how does YouCanBook.me help with all of Sheri’s hats?
Taking bookings 24/7
Sheri has one YouCanBook.me booking page accessible to prospective clients directly from her website. This means visitors can reach out to her when their issue is top of mind, without having to wait. She says that makes a big difference for prospective client scheduling.
“I noticed that the more we had to go back and forth, the more likely that they wouldn’t follow through”, says Sheri. “If we send emails back and forth there is a drop off in engagement.”
For Sheri’s clients, getting help when they need it is critical.
“When people come to me, there is something that triggers them to reach out. If they have to wait a week to schedule, they can say, ‘The issue isn’t so bad; I won’t bother.’
“But the issue isn’t resolved. So it's just the immediacy and the convenience of scheduling software that make it so powerful.”
1-1 opportunities / Giving exclusive access
When a new client signs up for a specific support group for mother’s, they get a different link that lets them schedule a 1-1 chat with Sheri.
“We have the YouCanBook.me page embedded in Kartra. When someone signs up for the Mom’s Club, there’s a pop-up inviting them to set up their first 1-1 with me.”
For people who have signed up for coaching there are other, dedicated booking pages that ensure the right people are booking.
“My coaching sessions are password protected through YouCanBook.me so not just anybody can jump on that calendar.”
Getting the word out
Sheri offers tips on how to communicate with teenagers in her blog, events, and podcast. YouCanBook.me is the easiest way to keep her pipeline of topics and guests filled.
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Psst... Looking to explore more ways to bring in new clients for your coaching business? Check out these real-life coaching package examples that have helped other coaches land new clients.
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Monitoring and managing clients
Once a client begins working with Sheri, they might stick with coaching, or they might also join her group sessions or attend her events. She can keep track of this in her client management tool Dubsado.
“I use the Zapier integration. When somebody books a parent consultation it gets zapped into Dubsado, and creates a project for that client. Then I can add my client notes and all the other things I need”.
Sheri has 12 different booking pages in all. The number has increased over the years to cover all areas of her growing business. But that doesn’t mean she’s had to increase the amount of effort she puts into the back end.
“It’s really easy to set up the different pages for different areas of my business. And the great thing is that all the different pages link to the same Outlook calendars. All bookings land in the same calendar so a booking for one type of session blocks my time for all the others.”
Sheri uses the Custom Availability feature to make sure that some types of bookings only happen at specific times.
“In my calendar, I can specify exactly when I’m available to do each thing. I can say this time is just for consultations, this time is for podcasts, this time is for coaching. That's just really easy to do. It gives me so much flexibility.
“And what I like is that I can use the same calendar block for more than one thing. So I might have one that says consults, but it also says podcast because I don't mind which session type gets that slot. But for coaching, for instance, it is only for coaching so nobody else is going to go in that slot except for someone who's my coaching client.”
Perfect for constantly changing schedules
As any life coach knows, you’ve got to be flexible - and available when your clients need you.
Sheri says YouCanBook.me is able to support her schedule, no matter how much it changes.
“The reason YouCanBook.me works well for me is I don't have a set schedule. It's not like I work Monday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Tuesday from 9 to 2. My coaching hours can happen any time. YouCanBook.me gives me the flexibility to show my schedule from day to day.”
Sheri has a few favorite features that she is making the most of, and can’t live without.
"My clients like that they can sit down and schedule when they have the time, and they don't have to do the back and forth with me. I know these parents are busy. The kids are busy. So they do appreciate that."
Key features that coaches love
“The multiple reminders are great. For most appointment types I send a reminder the week before. But for others, I will send more. I'll send it the week before, the day before and then half an hour before.”
The value Sheri gets from the reminders isn’t just about ensuring people make the appointment. They’re also an opportunity to prime clients for their consultation.
“The reminder email is an essential feature. I ask people to think ahead about the one thing they really want to focus on. It’s almost like a CRM, where I'm automating emails so they get information before they meet me.
“I can put all kinds of content in there. I’ve even included a video explaining who I am and how the session will go. It helps them to know what to expect when they're meeting with me.”
Another helpful feature is the booking form.
“The booking form is awesome. In many cases, these are parents whom I’ve never had an interaction with before. So I can ask them questions at the time of booking that get them thinking about the coaching journey and why they want to do it.
“For instance, what are three words that describe your teenager? And what is the biggest issue that you're dealing with right now? It gets them thinking about it before they get to me.
“The answers also allow me to make sure this is a good fit for coaching. And I'm not taken aback by what comes up in the conversation.”
The booking form really comes into play with all the different booking pages that Sheri has in action.
“Each booking page is looking at the same calendars so they have access to the same availability. But the intake form is different for each of those so I can ask the most relevant questions for each situation.”
Teen Wise’s success depends on Sheri being able to give quality time to her clients while also managing a growing coaching business. She says using YouCanBook.me’s scheduling software for coaches makes that a whole lot easier.
“First, consultations pop up on my calendar without me having any prior interaction with that person.
“Next, the integrated booking form puts the pertinent information straight on my calendar.
“There’s less lag time between the first connection and first coaching session.
“And there’s no more back and forth emails to figure out dates and times.”
So can Sheri imagine a world where she didn’t have YouCanBook.me?
“Oh it would be a nightmare!
“I would constantly be talking about dates with people. It’s not unusual for three people to contact me in one day. If I give them available dates and times, and one person takes a slot, then the other person comes back asking for the same slot. But it’s not available anymore.
“So it just saves me so much time. I need to be doing other things with my time other than going back and forth about a date on my calendar.”
People Also Ask
What’s the best free appointment scheduling software for coaches?
Coaches are busy! They need to focus on clients rather than scheduling. So scheduling software for coaches needs to automate all the back and forth of booking appointments. It also needs to allow custom branding so you can stand out from the crowd, and flexible so you can keep juggling all those hats you wear! Select a scheduling software like YouCanBook.me, that gives you lots of options for all the different kinds of bookings you take. You can schedule existing clients, prospective clients, group sessions and webinars. It offers multiple reminder options and can be easily updated to show logo and colors. Most importantly, it is available 24/7 so it’s the easiest way for clients and prospects to schedule sessions, with no double bookings.
How can I reduce the back and forth of booking clients?
Coaches know that if they’re on the phone or sending an email, they’re not seeing clients! Scheduling appointments can take up a significant amount of your time. A great solution is to use free scheduling software for coaches. It’s available 24/7, and it dramatically reduces the amount of time you need to spend scheduling. It also allows payment processing, so it could save you enough time every week to see more clients!
What's a good scheduling solution for a coaching practice?
YouCanBook.me is one of the most popular options for coaches looking for scheduling software. It’s easy to get started and can be customized to offer exactly what you need. Some of the most popular features for coaches that use YouCanBook.me are: Appointment Types, automated reminders, customizable booking forms and custom availability.
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