Every October 15th, AEP arrives, and many agents run themselves ragged trying to help all of their clients before this 53-day window of opportunity is over.
Scheduling appointments is a huge time commitment that just adds to the stress. It takes even longer when you're playing phone tag or are sending emails back and forth to find a good time.
How Scheduling Tools Work
Imagine sending an email to all your clients, letting them know it’s time for their annual policy review.
You include a note explaining that they can now schedule their appointment by clicking a link at the bottom of the email. When they click the link, a web page opens, displaying all your available times.
As soon as they choose a slot, it’s no longer available to the next person.
- They confirm with a click,
- receive an email confirmation,
- and the meeting appears on your calendar automatically.
A quick look at what our scheduling tool looks like on our local agency's website
When the meeting time approaches, both you and your client receive reminders, ensuring no one forgets.
But what if some of your clients don’t use email? It’s true that not everyone does, but you might not have their email addresses yet. We’ve found that we have emails for over 75% of our clients, and that number continues to grow.
As a backup, you can also send a letter with the scheduling link included.
Your Digital Calendar
To do online scheduling, you’ll need a digital calendar, either on your phone, computer, or both.
- iPhone or Mac users: you already have an iCloud account with a built-in calendar.
- Android or Gmail users: you have a Google Calendar.
- Office 365 users: you have access to an Outlook calendar.
If you’re not using a digital calendar, now’s the time to start!
It'll help you organize your appointments and commitments, and you can share it with your spouse or other family members so everyone's in the know.
Be diligent about adding all your events—whether they’re work-related or personal. This is crucial, because the scheduling tools rely on your calendar to determine when you’re available.
Tools to Consider
Here are four scheduling tools to consider: Calendly, Setmore, Acuity/Squarespace, and HubSpot.
Let's take a closer look at each one.
Calendly
Calendly, with over 20 million users worldwide, offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies scheduling appointments. It probably takes the lead as our top pick out of the four tools we'll cover today.
With Calendly, you send clients a scheduling link.
When they click that link, they see your customized booking page. They can choose from pre-made event types, such as "60-Minute Policy Review," or "20-Minute AEP Appointment."
Calendly integrates seamlessly with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Office 365, syncing your availability and checking for scheduling conflicts across your calendar.
This tool also has some great automations built-in, such as reminders and follow-ups. It even integrates with some CRM tools such as HubSpot and Salesforce.
Calendly offers a free version with essential features, while advanced capabilities like software integrations and team scheduling options are available through paid plans starting at $10 per month.
Overall, this is a very solid choice at an affordable price.
Setmore
Setmore is another versatile scheduling tool that excels in customization and team management.
It does seem more geared to the service industry (think barbers or beauty salons), but it still has all the features you need as an agent.
It allows you to create a personalized booking page where clients can schedule appointments based on your availability.
How Setmore differs from Calendly:
- You can showcase reviews on booking pages to attract new customers
- Allow customers to schedule multiple appointments simultaneously
- Enable bookings directly through Instagram or Facebook
- Maintain a digital customer directory
- It has an integrated staff scheduling feature
Setmore integrates with popular virtual meeting platforms like Zoom, enabling smooth scheduling of online consultations.
While Setmore offers a free version with basic features, more advanced options, including SMS notifications and team scheduling, are available through paid plans starting at $5 per user per month (for annual billing).
Acuity/Squarespace
Acuity Scheduling, now part of Squarespace, is a great tools for scheduling appointments. The tool is pretty simple to set up, and clients can even reschedule their appointments on their own.
It provides a highly customizable booking page that can be tailored to fit different appointment types and client needs.
Acuity integrates with Google, Outlook, Office 365, and iCloud, ensuring your availability is accurately reflected and avoiding conflicts across multiple calendars.
The tool also sends email reminders to both clients and agents. Text reminders require the middle paid plan. For agencies, Acuity offers team scheduling features and integrates with CRM systems, making it easier to manage client information and leads.
While Acuity offers a basic free version, advanced features and integrations start at $16 per month (for annual billing).
HubSpot
HubSpot’s scheduling tool is designed for seamless integration with its CRM system, making it ideal for managing client interactions and lead information.
The tool allows you to create a customizable booking page and syncs with Gmail, G Suite, and Outlook or Office 365 for Windows to ensure up-to-date availability.
It includes conflict detection to avoid double-booking and sends automated reminders via text and email. HubSpot’s scheduling tool supports various event types and is suitable for both individual agents and teams.
Its CRM and other integrations facilitate efficient lead management and follow-up. HubSpot’s meeting scheduler is part of Sales Hub, and you can get started with it for free. Keep in mind that HubSpot's paid tools get pretty pricey, though.
Conclusion
While there are many scheduling apps out there, these four stand out as some of the most popular and effective options.
If you're diligent with using a digital calendar, integrating a scheduling tool into your workflow can save you considerable time and reduce stress during AEP.
Let tech-savvy clients book their appointments online, and continue managing the rest as you always have. If it doesn’t suit your needs, most tools offer the flexibility to cancel anytime, allowing you to return to your previous method.
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