One of the greatest challenges I have found as a body therapist and therapy centre manager is how to get the service to the client. I have daily enquires for different services, and often people are looking for something on the spot, ideally on that day. I make myself available as frequently as possible for my clients so that they have a broad range of appointment times to choose from. In the last 2 years, I have been operating a 3 room therapy centre with a diverse team of therapists, who are often operating from 2-3 other locations. This is a clever way to capture interest and offer variety to the public, however the down side from a centre manager point of view is that often, a particular therapist will only be available for a set number of hours, once a week. More often than not, this is too narrow a window for a client, the result being that the client who has a preference for a particular therapist can’t make it on the day the therapist is available and then they both miss out.
A way of working smarter around this issue is to be more regularly available across the week, so that clients have a wider range of appointments to choose from.
In my early years of practice, my bookings were often spread out at random times throughout the week, but I was prepared to dedicate my whole week to working around client need. Having been in business for 16 years now, I find most clients are happy to work in with my times, as I often offer up to 5 days a week at varying times which covers most times people want to come. Crucially, I always offer a few morning spots, late spots and some weekend appointments. This seems to span across most people’s time preferences, including workers, students, nap-time (infants), carers and shift workers.
I am a huge fan of the client-practitioner relationship being a two-way street. As a client, you can ask your preferred therapist if they would be available to see you regularly at your ideal time. For example, I have a client who books monthly a year in advance; I make them a priority and build the rest of my working week around them. They demonstrate loyalty and commitment for receiving my service, and so I in turn, I support their request.
Your therapist may get in contact with you to find the best times for you to come as this ensures they can fit you into their schedule. I also encourage you to have a conversation with your practitioner today about negotiating what works best for you.
Our online booking system makes booking a lot easier for clients, but often, a simple text or email can get your need met even more easily. Especially if this is an established form of contact for urgent bookings.
At Body Stillness, I support practitioners to have access to our rooms when they are not in use for ‘one-off’ appointments. This model supports getting the client’s need met as easily as possible. The way I view the body therapy industry is that if we are committed to being of service to others, then the most important starting point is making sure that the clients that want to see us, are able to do so, easily and quickly.
If you are a therapist, I recommend being available more frequently through the week, rather than only one day. If you are a client, send an email or text to your preferred practitioners and ask them about extended availability.
Service. Need. Met.