If you’re reading this, you might question the best ways to hire dependable appointment setters. But finding great people to assist you with responsibilities, such as appointment setting, is not that hard—if you know the process.
Knowing how to hire and manage people takes time and knowledge. Many businesses are choosing business process outsourcing companies, such as Aristo Sourcing, to help with their hiring so that they can focus on their business growth. There are many benefits of hiring an appointment setter.
This article will clarify how to find time in your schedule for an appointment setter and what kind of investment needs to be made upfront, and I will describe precisely what an appointment setter is.
What Is an Appointment Setter?
An appointment setter is a salesperson who sets up appointments for another business. While they may be branded as call center agents, they are not limited to using the phone to connect with budding consumers via email and social media, among other technologies, and use platforms such as Calendly.
Appointment setters help industries contact potential clients or lead to assist the sales team in closing more deals and growing profits.
An Appointment Settler Differs from a Personal Assistant!
Appointment setters differ from receptionists in that they don’t just answer calls but direct them to others within the business.
Instead, they make initial contact with prospects on behalf of your business, often working off lists or databases created by others within an organization or the workforces at your corporation (like customer service representatives).
Appointment setters should be able to detect potential leads based on their level of interest and disposition to take action based on what has been deliberated during this initial conversation—and then follow up if needed!
Benefits of Hiring an Appointment Setter
As a business owner, you must balance other urgencies with your time on callbacks. If your appointment setter is virtuous at work, they can cut your time on these calls and enhance your productivity.
You’ll also be able to focus more of your energy on critical responsibilities like managing staff or product development. In contrast, it might have been about taking inbound calls and responding to leads via email.
To finish, presume your appointment setter fruitfully gets leads for your salespeople or customer service representatives who can close the deal.
In that case, they will likely improve your conversion rates and reduce stress levels by keeping you from feeling overwhelmed.
How to Find Time To and How to Hire Reliable Appointment Setters
If you’re seeking to hire somebody, the initial step is to find the time. If you’re like most entrepreneurs, your schedule may be packed with meetings and calls each day.
This can make it challenging to take on another commitment. The good news is that you can always find a way!
- Start by considering what is most significant in your work-life balance, then arrange it accordingly. For instance, if you love spending time with family but don’t have sufficient energy for personal workouts after work as of all the appointments that need attention, hiring an appointment setter might help free up some additional energy so that you can still get active in other ways outside of work hours (like training during your lunch break or spending quiet time with your loved ones).
- Hire somebody else to do the work for you instead of doing it yourself. For example, virtual assistants handle numerous tasks related to setting up appointments in the best interests of their patrons. This allows consultants more time for other facets of their businesses while preserving good client relations and increasing productivity.
Setting Expectations with Your Appointment Setter
It’s good to know how to hire reliable appointment setters. Still, before you initiate the hiring process, it’s indispensable to have clear expectations of the appointment setter’s role and tasks.
It’s likewise an excellent idea to hire an assistant to assist with clerical errands so they can focus more on their chief duties.
- Establish what you expect from an appointment setter and how they will be reimbursed. For instance, if you’re looking for somebody who can make 50 phone calls daily while earning $20 per hour, that should be clearly stated in your job description. You may similarly want this individual to work remotely or be flexible with your schedule. It helps when there are no surprises about how many phone calls need to be made weekly, as this gives them more time for preparation before getting started!
The Online Calendar Experiences
You can utilize a calendar to share your availability. Using the calendar can specify your availability to meet your clients. Online calendars are like the one example already mentioned above, namely Calendly, but there are substitutes, for instance, Sprintful, Vocus.io, HubSpot Sales, Mixmax, Meetingbird, Acuity Scheduling, 10to8, or even YouCanBook.me.
Sprintful
Sprinful is a flexible, on-brand appointment-scheduling software that is simple yet comprehensive. It is also appropriate for large or even small teams.
Even though it’s reasonably priced compared to other marketing scheduling tools, it does not support on-premise deployment.
Vocus.io
This software tool is an easy 1-on-1 meeting booking tool. It is a brilliant alternative to Calendly since you can set up your availability and customize the times, days, short notices, duration of meetings, and meeting buffers.
Also, this tool is well-priced, particularly if you look at all the features included, such as custom branding and domain. However, the tool has issues with integration with enterprise infrastructure systems.
HubSpot Sales
HubSpot Sales is a meeting and appointment scheduling component of HubSpot. This tool integrates with Office 365 and Google Calendar.
It is also easy to use, giving you a smooth user experience, but be warned. To get a seamless user experience, you will need several additional, pricey features.
Mixmax
This is a fast book meeting sans give-and-take that integrates with tools such as Salesforce and works with Google Calendar. Additionally, this tool is easy to operate but expensive and can’t be combined with Zapier.
Meetingbird
This tool is all about less scheduling and more about doing. It works with a Chrome extension and, consequently, with Google Calendar, and it can integrate with Zoom, Zapier, and others. This tool is an easy solution that can automate the meeting scheduling process. What it lacks, however, is round-robin scheduling support.
Acuity Scheduling
This tool offers users a bespoke scheduling site with their URL, which can be embedded directly into an existing website or the client’s social media profiles.
It is a tool liked by fitness and health companies because it allows them to sell subscription packages, group classes, and gift certificates.
The problem is that this tool lacks a smooth user experience, as some settings can be challenging to locate.
10to8
10 to 8 is an appointment schedule that nearly 50k+ companies trust. More so, this tool permits group bookings and one-to-one calls.
The tool has a customizable booking page, email reminders, text messages, two-way calendar sync, and more features. Moreover, this scheduling tool integrates with Pipedrive and Salesforce and works with Office 356 and Google Calendar.
Although an excellent essential scheduling tool, it lacks more advanced customization features, primarily related to automated emails.
YouCanBook.me
This scheduling tool is appropriate for teams and features many rather neat features. For example, it can integrate with Office 365 and Google Calendar, and you can include email and text message notifications and zone detection.
It allows for a seamless user experience and integrates with Stripe, Zapier, and others. However, it lacks a broader spectrum of integration, but it’s easy for the user and administrator to use.
Get the Right Help
If you want to know how to hire reliable appointment setters, particularly if you lack the time or skill to do so yourself, get an expert outsourcing service business to assist you.
But there are some essential tips you can take note of when it comes to hiring an appointment setter:
Set Expectations with Your Team Members
Please ensure they clearly understand their role, tasks, and how they fit into the company’s vision.
Make Use of an Online Calendar
With an online calendar to set appointments, your team will be organized and on track with their projects. It will also help your sales team become more professional, which will help close more deals.
The Bottom Line: How to Hire Reliable Appointment Setters
Hiring an appointment setter can undoubtedly be a valued addition to your business, but it can also be a considerable commitment.
Knowing what you want from this individual before hiring them is essential so you aren’t disappointed. It would help if you had someone available when they say they will, someone who has experience in this field and knows how to build relationships with your customers—someone like one of our talented virtual assistants.
3 Key Takeaways
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Appointment Setters Boost Productivity and Sales: Hiring an appointment setter frees up your time for core business activities like sales calls and client management. Influential appointment setters can qualify leads, schedule appointments, and increase conversion rates.
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Clear Expectations and Online Tools are Crucial: Before hiring, define the role and expectations for your appointment setter. This includes desired work hours, compensation, and number of calls per day. Utilize online calendars like Calendly or Acuity Scheduling to streamline appointment scheduling and share your availability with clients.
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Consider Outsourcing for Efficient Hiring: The hiring process can be time-consuming. Consider partnering with a business process outsourcing (BPO) company like Aristo Sourcing to find and vet qualified appointment setters, allowing you to focus on your core business.