How do appointments made with Setster show up on my calendar?
October 28th, 2009Setster is compatible with the .ics file format. If you use calendar applications like iCal, Google Calendar, IBM Lotus Notes, Outlook, and Yahoo!, you will receive appointment confirmations with the time and details directly into your calendar.
There is nothing you need to do. Once you’ve accepted an appointment, we send the .ics file with all the appointment information to both you and your client.
Some calendar applications will default to automatically insert those .ics files and details into your calendar for you. Some calendar applications require you to take an action, like save the file. Once the item is in your calendar, it will look like every other appointment or busy spot in your calendar.
Blocking times with Setster, Google Calendar, Outlook and iCal
October 14th, 2009Pro version users of Setster can block their unavailable times when using third party calendars like Outlook, Google Calendar and iCal by using a published calendar. So, if you make a calendar entry in Outlook on your desktop for example; it will block that time from being available to your clients in Setster.
Here’s how it works. Every time an appointment is set up, an email is sent to both the service provider and the client that includes an .ICS file. ICS stands for Internet Calendar Standard. The ICS file is used for exchanging calendar information between calendar programs the run on your PC and online.
When an appointment is made, an email is sent to both the service provider and the user. The email includes all the information about the appointment and an ICS file that again, has all the appointment information. The ICS file is automatically imported to your calendar application where the appointment is available to view.
Once you publish your calendar, Setster is able to view and subscribe to the published calendars updates, which will let us know your available/unavailable times and blocks or opens times for your clients.
You must have a Pro Version subscription to use this option. The following blogs provide specific insutuctions for each Google, Outlook and iCal calendars.
Integrating Setster with free web sites viviti, jimdo, squarespace, webs, yola, weebly, doodlekit, groop and blogspot
October 3rd, 2009It’s a new generation. In the past, to build a website you had to rely on yourself to write the code or hire someone. You also had to generate the content and decide what the site is going to do. Today, free website creating services compete to provide a rich, functional drag and drop User Interface. The technology is practically invisible with no need to write code.
You can add features and upgrades when it make sense and can generate some sort of return. Setster integrates with many the best free web site builders on the web. Some are easier than others but each allowed us to put the tab layover where we wanted it on the website.
The following is a list of free websites that have our free widget and how to do it.
- http://edwardlujan.viviti.com/
- http://edwardlujan.jimdo.com/
- http://edwardlujan.squarespace.com/
- http://edwardlujan.webs.com/
- http://edwardlujan.yolasite.com/
- http://edwardlujan.weebly.com/
- http://edwardlujan.doodlekit.com/blog
- http://edwardlujan.grroop.com/
- http://edwardlujan.blogspot.com
This list is by no means inclusive, we are adding more. If your platform is not on the list, let us know and we’ll add it.
The Setster team.
Setster announces integration with FreshBooks
September 29th, 2009Today Setster and FreshBooks announced that we have integrated our software to allow service providers the ability to invoice from within the Setster Application.
We are constantly on the lookout to provide a streamlined experience for our clients. Whether that be a Doctor or a Consultant, we look to make their lives easier.
We joined forces with FreshBooks which is a great tool for invoicing and integrated it into our application. What this means is a when an appointment is set, the clients information is automatically entered into the FreshBooks invoicing system. The service provider can then send the invoice with the services and fees already inputted into the invoice. It is a seamless transaction not only saving the service provider time, but presents a professional polished image that they can be proud of.
We are happy to have such great partners and are excited for Setster users to give this new feature a try.
Enjoy,
The Setster Team.
How to drive business in a recession
September 24th, 2009We’re all trying our best to keep ahead of the downturn. Some businesses have seen business drop in some cases 20% or more and that affects everyone. Companies have cut staff and those staff members that have stayed on are doing more work than ever. Internally where there is no top line revenue growth, saving money on the bottom line is the path to increased revenue. It’s the old saying, “a penny saved is a penny earned”.
The big question is; how can you save money, while still marketing and providing customer service in a way that keeps your clients happy?
Over the last six months, I have been talking to a lot of professionals. Each one has been feeling the crunch of the downturn and each has been affected in a different way. When we started to develop this product, we knew we had to focus on the customer experience, but had no idea the economy was going to force such radical staffing decisions. Take the example of a photographer. Since the start of the recession most have seen clients really pull back. A good photographer has to go out of their way to create a special moment for these clients and when they are in a session give that client 100% of their time. Whether at a wedding or a product shoot, the photographer is focused in a way that makes the client feel good about the attention and service they are getting.
In the mean time, no one is there to answer the photographer’s phone. In the past, she may have had an office manager who would book appointments and send invoices for her. The last year as business keeps droping, businesses like this have had to make the difficult decision to run the show on their own. The danger in this is customer service starts to lag. In a photographer’s world, while on a photo shoot, they are off the grid for 4 to 6 hours or more. She could forward her calls to her cell phone, but then she’s interrupting her current clients. If she doesn’t answer her phone, she may lose a new client. This was truly a dilemma.
Our clients have started to look for a more efficient way to communicate with their clients. First and foremost in every one’s mind is customer service and the biggest fear is losing the connection with clients. Saving money over hiring a new staff member is a close second.
We suggest giving online appointment setting a try. It gives the service provider the ability to set their schedule and availability online. When a client needs to book an appointment, the client can set it without having to call. This is a perfect solution for when a photographer is “on set”.
We’ve also integrated an invoicing system that can invoice for services when the appointment is finished. This again saves time and the need for an office manager.
While service provider’s bookings may not have increased over the last few months, they are still able to give the superior customer support to their clients that keep them coming back and getting referrals. Service professionals are able to manage her business professionally and efficiently with less cost. Making more money through bottom line cost savings or keeping the old adage alive that “a penny saved is a penny earned”.
Instant money maker: Put a “Book Now” button in your Gmail signature line and get results.
August 18th, 2009
Email is the single most powerful way we have to communicate with our clients. How about getting them to take action now by adding a “Book It Now” button to your Google Mail. Put it on your signature line and make yourself available to your clients in every correspondence.
Using “Gmail Signatures”, an Add-on to internet browser Firefox, you can now add the “Book Now” button to your signature line.
It’s simple.
1. Go to http://blankcanvasweb.com/pages/id_9/n_gmail_signatures/ and add Gmail Signatures to Firefox. it’s a quick download. Once downloaded, restart Firefox and enable the add-on.
2. Open your Setster account. Navigate to the “Settting”, “Widgets” tab. On the Setster button code line, press the green copy button.
3. Open your gmail account. Click “Compose Email”, then “Edit Signature”. The add-on has a tutorial that is helpful for HTML editing. Once you’ve input your character lines, paste the text from the Setster Widget Code into the box. Here is what mine looks like:
<font face =”arial”>Edward Lujan<br />
CEO/Founder<br />
Setster.com<br />
(323) XXX -XXXX (o) <br />
(323) XXX -XXXX (c) <br />
<br />
Make an appointment with me now<br />
<br />
<a href=”http://support.setster.com”><img src=”http://beta.setster.com/widget/button.png” border=0 /></a>
That’s it. Very simple. Now when you compose an email in your gmail account and choose this signature, it will automatically show up. When your client clicks on the “Book Now” image, it will open up your very own appointment page.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at www.support.setster.com or, click the “book it now” button below.
The Setster Team.
Hearding attention deficit into profit
June 1st, 2009You work hard to get people’s attention. Now let’s just say you have a person’s attention. For a split second you have an opportunity. Your goal is to transact business with this person. Giving you their information is one thing, but creating commerce when you’re a service provider means setting an appointment with this person immediately.
Here’s the question… If you have multiple properties like a website, a blog and a newsletter, you Twitter and spend money on ad placement and PR, how do you transact business at the moment these efforts produce and you have someone’s attention?
Here’s the answer… Setster. Go ahead, select a service.
We’ve created an appointment setting application that gives you a variety of widgets that you can embed in websites, blogs, emails and social networking profiles.
It’s easy; you simply choose between a full sized widget like I used above, a thumbnail affiliate display, or a direct link.
Even if you don’t have a website, you can use Setster to create a professional profile where you can describe your business, your polices and accept appointments. See http://support.setster.com/ as an example.
Setster is your “Buy Now” button that transacts with the same impulse that drives human nature to the internet in the first place: convenience and immediate satisfaction. You have effectively turned your multiple properties and marketing efforts into a quantifiable transaction.
Setster…It’s time.
Bring it! Calling all willing to test our system.
February 17th, 2009We started about a year ago. The idea was simple, create a way for smart busy people to quickly find and set an appointment with a professional. As it turns out, it’s more complicated. Our original focus groups were overwhelmingly computer illiterate with most still using paper and pencil on a calendar sheet to book appointments. As we dug deeper into user segments we found that each profession has industry specific protocols when booking appointments. The gamut of users run from the neophyte to the sophisticate and right in the middle is where we’ve chosen to focus.
After many discussions with service providers and potential users, we narrowed our service offerings to those that set appointments, manage customer relations & loyalty programs and create visibility in a directory. Our first beta release has accomplished many of these development milestones and we’re looking forward to introducing beta users into our system. We could use your help. Give us feedback and be direct and candid as you work through our bugs. Let us know what we can do to improve the experience.
Until next time,
Setster Team
Setster – The Beginning
August 29th, 2008“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe