Here are all posts by the author Frank Cort: Page 6 of 7

Entries by Frank Cort

Apptoto Custom Features Spotlight: From Auto Replies to Custom Fields

We spoke with Tyler, one of our customer support specialists, about the needs and pain points our customers seek help with. Luckily, Apptoto has an arsenal of custom features to make life much easier for businesses. Best of all, they’re easy to use. Check out Tyler’s advice below! Q: We have multiple offices. How can I easily include those addresses in my reminders? A: Location keywords Apptoto’s keyword utility allows you to trigger not only specific messages but it can also be used to include variable address information in your reminders. In your “Settings” > “Locations” tab, you’ll be able to specify your default location, as well as generate new locations to be used if an appointment includes that location’s keyword. For example, your default location can be used for any and all appointments. However, you can set up a second location (e.g., Downtown Office) that will be used when including the word “Downtown” anywhere in the appointment event. Once your locations are created, ensure that your Auto Messages contain an address field (see user guide), and then simply schedule your appointments with the correct keywords, and voila! Your clients […]

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Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL): Stay Compliant & Avoid Costly Fines

On  July 1, 2014, a sweeping piece of legislation called Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) went into effect. After a three-year grace period, it’s now time to comply. Canadian businesses—or any business that sends electronic messages to Canadian residents—need to understand this law and how it works. Fines for running afoul of the CASL can range from $1 million to 10 million per instance. Note: If you’re simply using Apptoto to remind your clients of their appointments, you are perfectly compliant and safe! We still encourage you to read these guidelines, especially if you do any type of marketing, sales, or other commercial messaging. We’ll go over how to do it safely in this article. The scope and impact of CASL are far-reaching, restricting businesses from sending commercial messages without specific forms of consent. And although there’s been a recent suspension on the provision that would have allowed private citizens a right to action against offending businesses, the impacts of the law are no less serious. We dug into the available information online and called the Canadian governing bodies in order to learn as much as possible about the law and […]

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Apptoto + Hair Salons: A Case Study with M. Scott Salon

Scott M is a world-renowned hairdresser and makeup artist. Throughout the years, he has worked with a host of celebrities, including Danica Patrick, Sandra Bullock, and Liza Minelli. In Salt Lake City, M. Scott Salon is a destination for locals and out-of-towners looking for world-class service and style. His salon is in high demand, with clients signing up for appointments well in advance. Over the past several years, Scott has been using Apptoto to manage his salon’s appointment reminders, scheduling, and promotions. He says it’s been just the solution he needed. We spoke with Scott to learn how Apptoto has helped him grow his business and better serve his clients as his success has grown. Can you briefly describe your business? I own a small, intimate hairdressing studio in Salt Lake City. It’s unique, the first of its kind, and very popular. I opened eight years ago without a sole client or employees. We’ve grown steadily since then. We have over 90 five-star reviews on Yelp/Google. Which challenges did Apptoto help your business overcome or eliminate? At first, Apptoto helped reduce no-shows, late-shows, and other calendar confusion by sending timely, […]

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Tips and Tricks From Apptoto Customer Support [Part 1]

Our nimble customer support team is here to help you get the most out of Apptoto! We sat down with Jessica, one of our account executives/support specialists, to get the answers to a few frequently asked questions. Jessica has been working for Apptoto since 2015. With previous experience in clinical trials as a registered nurse, she has special expertise in helping clients who need HIPAA compliance and other intensive setups. “While working for Apptoto, I have enjoyed talking to people across industries and around the world. It is always exciting to be able to walk a user through the best use of the system and see the positive impact it can have on their business.” — Jessica Rychard Let’s dive into some frequently asked questions! What is the difference between booking, reminder, and follow-up messages? Apptoto can send three different types of messages for appointments. The first is a booking message and will go out relative to when the appointment is added to the calendar. For example, if you added an appointment for three months from now, Apptoto could send a message immediately when it is booked or an hour […]

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Apptoto + Youth Sports: A Case Study with Homewood Baseball & Softball

Homewood Baseball and Softball Leagues (HBSL) brings the magic of baseball, t-ball, and softball to more than 900 kids in Homewood, Illinois, from the ages of four to 18. The non-profit organization allows the community’s kids to learn the game, grow their skills, and compete. But coordinating volunteer umpires and concession stand workers has always been a major hurdle for league organizers and families. They’ve relied on back-and-forth communications via email, text, and phone calls, scrambling to confirm assignments and lock in arrivals. Homewood has dramatically reduced the time spent coordinating and confirming volunteers by using Apptoto’s reminder software in a new way. Now, volunteers are verifying their assignments for umpire and concession stand duties at a rate of over 85%. This has allowed them to keep games running smoothly for the kids and their families. Plus, it saves them hours of work every single week. Can you briefly describe your organization? Homewood Baseball & Softball Leagues (HBSL) is a non-profit youth baseball and softball organization founded in 1951 and located in Homewood, IL, a suburb of Chicago.  We are a 100% volunteer-operated and self-funded organization. We provide baseball and […]

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The Psychology Behind Consistently Confirming Appointments with Clients

Appointments can be unpredictable. Any business that operates with patient or client appointments knows that the logistics of booking, keeping, confirming, and managing appointments presents a number of huge challenges. People forget, don’t show, are late, or have to reschedule at the last minute. Each scenario introduces a number of additional logistical hurdles and headaches. But one thing that helps alleviate most of the problems with booking and maintaining an appointment schedule is appointment confirmations. This simple tool—asking every patient or client to confirm their appointment or reschedule for a more convenient time—can dramatically reduce no-shows and late arrivals. With Apptoto, our clients find that once an appointment is confirmed, there is a 90% chance it will not be rescheduled. This level of success is huge for any appointment-based business. But how do you get more people to confirm their appointments to improve turnout? This guide will look at how you can use science and psychology to get more clients or patients to confirm their appointments and then arrive as scheduled. Breaking down appointment confirmations If we break down the factors that impact the likelihood of someone confirming and arriving […]

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Creating an Intake Process that Benefit Both the Business & Client

For almost any kind of business, the client intake process is a critical component of building relationships. How customers and clients feel when they first enter into a relationship with a business matters. And how a business organizes and manages its client communications is hugely imperative to how well they are able to deliver on expectations. Not only is it important from a tactical and strategic perspective to help the parties learn about each other, but it’s also important for setting the tone of the relationship. Having an intake process that feels smooth and seamless to your customers and clients will give them a feeling of safety and security—they’ll trust you more from the outset of the project. Designing the right intake process is not simple. It usually takes testing and iteration to work out all the kinks. However, there are many key components and considerations that you can incorporate into your plan to get a jumpstart in the right direction. Intake process flowchart Define Priorities and Goals First and foremost, your intake process should be a time to level-set the expectations from both sides of the discussion. In any […]

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Helping Grow Tutoring Business: Huntington Learning Center Case Study

When it comes to providing their children with an academic boost, there’s almost nothing parents won’t do. But students and parents also lead incredibly busy lives. Finding the right time for tutoring and academic development can be tricky between work, class, sports practice, and clubs/organizations. Huntington Learning Center (HLC) has found that Apptoto makes the entire experience easier for its staff and customers. It allows them to manage their appointments with less legwork and lets parents find just the right time for their students to get educational assistance. HLC provides personalized, one-on-one help for students in a range of subjects. They also provide test preparation help for ACT, SAT, AP tests, and more. Customers can book sessions on the website for an available time that’s convenient for them. Apptoto’s appointment management system has allowed the staff to focus more time and energy on the important work with students rather than setting and managing appointment times. Meet Mallory Gazda Imagine being in charge of helping hundreds of students meet their academic goals every year. It’s rewarding work but also confers a great deal of responsibility. Mallory Gazda and her team help hundreds […]

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Tips and Tools for Structuring Your Veterinary Business

Most veterinarians choose their career path because of their love for animals. They want the opportunity to do something meaningful and helpful. But in order to make that dream happen, veterinarians often need to also have a firm grasp of running a business. Every veterinary practice needs to be rooted in sound business practices and understanding. Unfortunately, veterinary schools often fail to teach the sound business knowledge needed to run a successful practice. This means vets may be shorthanded when it comes to the tools and knowledge they need to start, run, and grow their dreams. But it also presents an opportunity. Vets who invest time in learning and implementing best practices for running a business can achieve tremendous results. In this guide to running a veterinary business, you’ll find a whole range of useful resources on business planning, accounting, marketing, and more. Each section and resource is designed to give you the knowledge and advice you need to build the most successful practice possible. Strategy & Planning Business is often about planning and strategy. It takes short-term work and long-term vision to succeed financially, especially in competitive markets. How will your […]

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Apptoto Customer Case Study: Alberto Brothers Law

For lawyers and other legal professionals, time is expensive. Every minute spent doing anything other than billable legal work is time and money lost. So, it’s no surprise that Apptoto is a popular appointment management app for law firms and offices. The automated appointment reminders and simplified online scheduling reduce the amount of manual work that needs to be done. It saves time and money. Apptoto is being used in many new and exciting ways in the legal world. In talking with our customers, we’ve learned how the app is also helping firms better serve their clients and provide them with a competitive marketing advantage. Meet Rodney Alberto When Rodney Alberto read Tim Ferris’s book, “The 4-Hour Workweek,” he knew he had to make changes to his business. The book outlined how determined entrepreneurs and savvy business people could reduce their workload while having a better life. Automation was the future. Removing “busy work” from his plate would give him more time to spend on important tasks and the rest of his life. That’s one of the reasons he was so drawn to Apptoto. Rodney Alberto is one of two […]

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