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You might have had a busy summer or perhaps a lull in business. It usually happens one way or the other, and now business is returning to normal. Unless, of course, you are in education or the “back to school” industry. September is your busiest time of year.
September is when we jump back into our serious development mode and try to figure out which direction we will go in next. There are so many things we want to do with Simplybook.me, and many of them come from your suggestions and input.
We have had a Summer of interesting new releases and starting new developments for Autumn. There’s a lot to see and even more to look forward to.
What’s more, the 1st of September brought us a lovely surprise on the pages of Forbes ADVISOR. They have listed us as one of their Best Scheduling Apps of 2022. We were so excited! It’s fantastic to get recognition from an international publication that everyone knows.
Summer Releases
New Feature Request Page
Have you ever wanted to make a suggestion that would significantly help running your business? There is a good chance that you aren’t the only person who wants this feature. And the only way you have any chance of getting what you want is to ask for it.
You never know, someone else might already have requested the same thing, and all you have to do is vote for it. You will be able to see the requests that are already under review, in development or even ones that have been released.
Check out our New Feature Request page and look through it. You can search by keywords or scroll through all of them. Vote for the ones that would really help you and make comments if you can add more detail or emphasis to the original request.
System & Feature Enhancements
Filter by booking location
For those with multiple locations, you probably want to filter your promotions, memberships, gift cards and packages by specific location. It makes sense.
Now when you go “issue promotion/membership/package” from the admin side of your booking system, there is a filter for a location that allows you to select specific sites.
Terms and Conditions status
If you want to check whether your clients have accepted all appropriate policies quickly, you can do so from the client information popup in the admin interface.
We now show in the admin calendar interface (client card in the booking info popup) if the client has agreed to SimplyBook T&C, Company T&C, Cancellation policy, and marketing notifications depending on what is enabled and set, with the date and version stamp.
Upcoming Autumn Developments
September will see us reviewing feature requests and further developments and determining the priority of those new enhancements. So there will be new projects throughout September, October, and November. There is sure to be something for virtually everyone.
Send gift cards to clients who refused promo material
So you have a client who declined all promotional material, but now they want to buy a gift card. Ooops.
Soon, the system will automatically ask clients to adjust their marketing choices in the gift card purchasing process.
Line LIFF integration
Line is a popular messenger in Taiwan that will allow clients to log in to Simplybook.me with their Line account (much like we do with Facebook, Twitter & Google). The new widget will make this possible and a better workflow for the client.
Google Reviews
You asked, and we are working on it. It will soon be possible to show Google reviews on your booking website. If people leave excellent reviews on Google and you can’t show them on your Booking page, you are losing out on some fantastic “recommendation” promotion.
Of course, you will need to link your Google My Business profile with SimplyBook.me, but it’s a free feature and easy to set up.
Gift cards page improvements in themes
W heard that the gift card booking page was a little confusing to some of your clients, so we are redesigning the look and flow. The enhancements will include improving the look of the gift cards page on the client website and ensuring that all the details will be systematic, intuitive, and clear to your clients.
You can’t sell many gift cards if your customers find the process too complex.
Shhh…! Something is Zoom-ing our way.
After multiple attempts and collaborative breakdowns, we may soon have the Zoom video call integration that everyone has been after.
Zoom should be with us soon with a bit of luck and cosmic cooperation. So rub your rabbit’s foot, touch wood, and cross your fingers; this time is the charm. If we are really fortunate, and everything goes to plan, we could expect it by the end of September. But when does anything go entirely to plan?
New templates for the Custom email feature
You can create your own beautiful template that can be used for all outgoing emails, whether that is booking confirmation or marketing emails. Adding the content tag will automatically pick up the email text from relevant places, such as the booking confirmation email template.
In case you missed it.
You may or may not have noticed that we have been following industry themes over the Summer. In July, our topic was beauty and wellness businesses, while in August, we focused on making life easier for those hardworking educators in schools, colleges and universities.
We have had some lovely content and advice from our guest posters this Summer, some of which I will be taking on board, too.
Recently we had some excellent advice from Sam Bowman on plotting a course to business growth through conversion roadmaps. Madhav Bhandari gave some fascinating insight into the marketers’ need to step back and “think” about their strategy – that’s an intriguing read. Anand Srinivasan gave some tips on how to grow your coaching business, and Jyoti Ray had some essential tips for running an online business.
Charlotte Lin, brought some exciting ideas to the educational sector by using escape rooms in teaching. Why didn’t I have anything like that when I was in school? It sounds like so much fun!
In July, we had some interesting articles from Steven Macdonald, Travis Jamison, and Ron Stefanski. Covering topics from creating a 5* salon experience, selling with passion and emotion, and using digital media to enhance the client experience.
Upcoming Content
The month of September will see us diving deep into how Simplybook.me can help in the health, sports & fitness industry. We have an excellent case study from the biggest Tennishall in Iceland, coaching tips, and scheduling advice for everyone in the sports and fitness industry. From kids’ swimming lessons to the over 70s’ yoga class. It’s not all about scheduling; we have some interesting insight from our guest authors. Make sure you keep in touch throughout September.