When it comes to scheduling, there are many different systems on the market today. Some are specifically made for photographers, and many allow customers to book specific time slots based on availability. However, I've found that giving customers time preferences rather than setting specific schedules has worked better for my business. This gives me the flexibility to accommodate as many orders as possible and organize my day efficiently.
If you're just starting out, all you need is an order form and Google Calendars. That's what I used when I was first getting started, and I still use it to this day because of its reliability and simple interface. However, if you're planning to grow your business beyond just yourself, it's important to have a more sophisticated scheduling system that can create calendar events at specific times with variable durations based on the order and home size.
When it comes to hiring photographers, I've learned that it's a good idea to have a large coverage area and to map out where they live so that we can schedule jobs in their area when possible. We try to keep people in their local area, but sometimes our photographers have to travel extensively. It's also important to have a cutoff time for orders to avoid last-minute requests, which can lead to a bad experience for my team. Our cutoff time is 5pm, but we typically accommodate customer orders until 6pm.
To make scheduling easier and more efficient, I use Zapier to automate the process of creating calendar events. This saves me a lot of time from manually adding events and helps reduce errors like forgetting to add orders to the calendar.
Overall, scheduling is a crucial aspect of my business and has helped me stay organized and efficient. With the right system and a focus on customer preferences and team organization, it can be a key factor in the success of any photography business.
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