If you’ve ever had the displeasure of preparing for an appointment, gathering your documents, and making your way to the meeting only to find yourself idling in wait, you know how frustrating it can be. As usable minutes pass by with no word from your client, it becomes clear why appointment reminder services for law firms are becoming more popular every day.
When you take into account all of the wasted resources created by these missed opportunities, the true cost goes beyond just billable hours. Although the loss of income is nothing to ignore.
Legal calendaring software and appointment reminder services can eliminate costly manual work for your staff and mitigate the fallout that comes with no-show clients. Let’s walk through how to calculate the total cost of no-show appointments together and then look at one simple step to recoup that money and time!
Calculating Lost Income & Beyond
To figure out how much no-shows are costing you financially, we’d need some time alone with your books. We’re guessing your accountant may protest granting us such access. Instead, we’ve lined out the costs associated with no-shows and last-minute cancellations below.
For instance, if your firm or practice charges for missed meetings or claims a deposit, your up-front financial loss may be minimal or even nothing at all. But as you explore the extended impact on your operation as a whole, you may find that these missed opportunities are having a far greater effect than what can be measured in simple dollars and cents
Here’s what to include in your evaluation:
Wasted Labor & Mental Preparation
You’ve taken the time to prepare for a meeting or consultation, and the case at hand is fresh on your mind. The details are sharp, and you’re ready to make headway. But if a client fails to arrive, all that mental preparation goes to waste. You’ll be less likely to invest the same amount of time and energy into prepping for a rescheduled session.
Missed Working Hours
Even if you charge your client for the missed appointment, you are still losing workable hours that could have gone to other projects. If you use one of the services that sends an appointment reminder 24 hours prior to the appointment and the client cancels, you now have the opportunity to refill that appointment slot. This helps avoid gaps in your workflow, which can negatively impact output and morale.
Increased Stress, Decreased Productivity
Stress is expensive, so mitigating its negative impact is better for your business in the long run. When you spend time waiting on a client, you are likely to grow more agitated as the minutes tick by. After you’ve wasted 10 minutes or so waiting for a late arrival, your mind has probably already moved on from the meeting. This stress and frustration can bleed into the rest of your day.
Low Moral
While having a blank spot in the day might sound like a refreshing break for some, most legal professionals who are balancing heavy caseloads and a life outside the office would likely prefer to use their dedicated working hours to be productive rather than sit in wait for a client who’s not coming. Preventing these breaks in the workflow can go a long way in supporting work-life balance for your team.
Apptoto’s Appointment Reminder Services for Law Firms
If your firm is struggling with clients missing appointments and court hearings (or arriving late) and team members spending non-billable hours on appointment scheduling and management, it’s time to consider appointment reminder software.
Apptoto integrates with multiple practice management software solutions, including Clio, Practice Panther, and Rocket Matter. When you first join Apptoto, you can quickly sync your calendar system into Apptoto and see an overview of your upcoming appointments. From there, it’s easy to implement fully customizable messaging templates using automated voice, email, and text reminders based on appointment type, lawyer, and more!
With easy-to-use appointment reminder services software and a variety of confirmation options, Apptoto can help your practice run more efficiently while providing your clients with a better service experience. See why so many law firms choose Apptoto for their legal calendaring and reminder software by taking advantage of our 14-day free trial offer.
