Streamlining photography client booking and scheduling.

September 17th, 2024
Stephanie Michelle Photography services page on laptop

Photography services page and images from Stephanie Michelle Photography.

A medium based on the intersection of creativity and technology, photography has evolved by leaps in the past five years alone–and with it, the business of photography. Online booking systems have revolutionized scheduling and client-management.  We no longer have to rely on manual appointment bookings and the back and forth with clients to coordinate sessions.

Technology has inspired a lot of changes to the way photographers run their businesses, from digital cameras to gallery delivery to online booking and scheduling systems. The biggest benefit? Calendar integration can save a photographer the time and stress of blocking time, reviewing conflicts and avoids double-booking entirely. Any successful photographer can agree–streamlining your workflows is a crucial part of avoiding burnout and increasing efficiency. 

When appointments are made promptly and accurately, photographers can maximize their time and resources, leading to increased productivity and profitability. Enter Zenfolio’s BookMe feature–a powerful scheduling and commerce tool that streamlines and automates the booking process for photographers and their clients. With its intuitive interface and advanced features–like integrated payments, and automated gallery-creation once a session booked–BookMe offers a refined solution for managing appointments and enhancing the client experience.

The challenges of traditional booking systems.

All processes evolve, and what worked in the past doesn’t meet our current needs, here’s a brief reminder why:

The challenges of traditional booking systems.

While traditional booking systems served their purpose in the past, they come with challenges that can hinder productivity and efficiency for photographers. 

Time-consuming

One of the primary challenges of traditional booking systems is the time-consuming nature of communication and coordination with clients. At the beginning of your career, business can be slow with only a few client inquiries. But as you get more clients, answering questions, finding slots, and scheduling appointments can become a tedious and demanding process. From phone calls and emails to back-and-forth discussions about availability, scheduling appointments manually can be very time-consuming. 

Susceptible to human error.

Bookings can involve back-and-forth communication, collecting payments, and asking clients to sign contracts or questionnaires. Manual booking systems are more susceptible to human error, and can lead to double bookings, missed appointments, and other scheduling conflicts. These errors not only waste time but can also damage a photographer’s reputation and credibility.

Hard to manage client expectations.

We all feel the pressure of the expectations that large companies like Amazon have created–instant gratification from these services have resulted in clients having less patience. Traditional booking systems and their lengthier process can result in less bookings, as clients who want instant gratification will lose interest and go with a photographer who offers online booking before you are able to get back to them.

Limited access to booking information.

Without a centralized platform, photographers may find it difficult to access essential booking information, such as client preferences, session history, and payment details. This lack of visibility can lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for upselling or cross-selling additional services or products. Moreover, without a comprehensive booking system, photographers may struggle to track client interactions and follow up effectively, potentially losing out on future business opportunities.

Inefficient payment processing and record-keeping.

Traditional booking systems often require manual invoicing and payment processing, which can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Managing payments across multiple clients and sessions can quickly become overwhelming, leading to delays and discrepancies in financial records. Without automated payment processing and record-keeping, photographers may struggle to maintain accurate financial records and reconcile transactions efficiently.

BookMe session details on mobile

Online scheduling: Revolutionizing the session booking experience.

In response to these challenges, platforms have created tools that allow photographers’ clients to schedule sessions online. These tools and integrations revolutionized the session booking process, with solutions designed to streamline the entire booking process for photographers. 

Simplify booking

Integrated scheduling and booking tools, like BookMe, offer a wide range of features designed to simplify the booking process and enhance the client experience. From online booking and payment capabilities to customizable scheduling options, this workflow tool empowers photographers to take control of their booking process. 

After setting it up within your Zenfolio account, you can take bookings 24/7 and manage all your bookings in one place. What’s more, with a scheduling tool built into your website, clients don’t have to send you a message asking about your schedule and wait for an answer. Unlike manual systems, online booking gives clients real-time access to your services, pricing, and availability. 

Integrate with your existing calendar.

One of the key benefits of online scheduling tools is seamless integration with your existing calendar system. Whether you use Google Calendar, Outlook, or another calendar platform, BookMe syncs effortlessly with your schedule. Once you’ve set it up, clients can select the service package they want, find an available time slot that fits their busy life, and you’ll get notified about the booking in real time. 

Seamless process from booking to gallery delivery. 

With online scheduling, the booking process has never been easier. Clients can view your availability, select their preferred appointment time, and pay for their session all in one seamless transaction. You can also choose to collect a deposit or partial payment at booking, then collect the remainder before or after the session date. This not only saves time for both parties but also reduces the risk of missed payments or scheduling conflicts.

When using the booking and scheduling tool in your Zenfolio account, you can even set up some or all of your services to automatically create a gallery when the booking process is completed. This way, your client’s contact information will already be associated with the gallery and you’re free to focus on giving a great experience during the shoot, knowing you can upload and share images as soon as they’re ready for that sneak peek!

Turn your images into income.

Sell your photos online from your own custom store. Set up is quick and your clients will enjoy a seamless shopping experience.

Saving time with online booking and scheduling.

By automating the booking process and eliminating manual tasks, photographers can reclaim valuable hours each month that can be better spent on other aspects of their business.

Quantifying your time savings.

With an automated booking system, you can save up to 2 hours for each client booking that would have otherwise been spent going back and forth with dates, times, and getting their gallery and contact information set up. That means by using a tool like BookMe, you can save up to 40 hours per month on administrative tasks related to booking and scheduling. You can use those hours saved to focus more on your craft and less on the day-to-day minutiae of running your business.

The impact of saving time.

Even small time savings can have a significant impact on the overall efficiency and profitability of a photography business. By saving just one hour per client, you can increase your capacity for bookings substantially. This can create potential for higher revenue and improve client satisfaction.

To illustrate the time-saving potential of BookMe, let’s consider how this could break down over the course of a month. Sarah, a wedding photographer, used to spend hours each week contacting clients about available dates and times, and sending out confirmation emails for her in-person meetings with potential couples, engagement shoots, and occasional family shoots from past wedding clients. Once dates were settled, she would create invoices for each client, send them out, and follow up with them about collecting deposits and payment. After each session, she would create a gallery and set up the contact information for her clients. 

Since implementing BookMe into her workflow, Sarah no longer needs to do those parts of her booking and client gallery process herself–the tool took care of them all automatically. With these monotonous tasks already checked off her to-do list for each client, Sarah saved an average of 30 hours per month, allowing her to take on more clients. 

Advanced features for an enhanced workflow.

In addition to its basic booking capabilities, BookMe also offers a range of advanced features designed to further streamline your workflow and enhance the client experience.

Auto-generated client galleries.

One such feature is auto-generated client galleries, which you can set to be created automatically upon booking. You can also set your auto-created galleries to use your saved gallery setting presets so that your settings will match your various services. Knowing your client’s gallery is ready to share as soon as you upload the images–from design to price list to downloads and to share settings–is one more task you can check off your list.

Package fulfillment and ordering within the gallery.

Another advanced feature of BookMe is the ability to create and link a product package to your services, so clients can simply select their favorite images and redeem their pre-paid package. You like to include an 8×10 and some wallets with your senior photo session packages? Easy–you only need a few minutes to make it happen! First, set up the BookMe package for your desired products in your Senior Session price list, then add it to your Senior Session Service–it will be built right into the price of your session at booking. 

Once you share the gallery, clients can both redeem their package and add more prints and photo gifts to their shopping cart for purchase. (Don’t forget to enable your profit-making secret sauce, upselling!)

Drop-shipping directly to your client.

When your services include integrated photo prints or other products in their price as we just covered, this means their orders will be sent to your chosen lab for printing and shipping. After you share the gallery, clients can choose the images they want to apply to their package and redeem it, add on any other prints or products to the order, then check out–all from their personal gallery on your website. 

Depending on your price list settings, orders will go to you for approval or be sent directly to the lab for printing. Once the order is printed, the integrated labs drop ship the items directly to the client’s door, saving you time and eliminating the need for additional logistics on your end.

Additional benefits of using BookMe.

BookMe offers a host of other benefits that can help photographers streamline their workflow and improve their bottom line.

  • Improved client satisfaction: By offering a seamless booking experience and timely delivery of photos and products, you can enhance your client’s satisfaction and loyalty, leading to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
  • Reducing scheduling errors: With its automated scheduling and real-time availability updates, BookMe reduces the risk of double bookings and scheduling errors, ensuring that you can stay organized and on top of your appointments at all times.
  • Enhanced professional image: By using BookMe, you’ll project a more professional image and stand out from the competition. The modern, high-tech booking system not only impresses clients but also instills confidence in your ability to deliver a top-notch experience from start to finish.

Implementing BookMe into your photography business.

Ready to experience the benefits of BookMe for yourself? Here’s how to get started and optimize your workflow for maximum efficiency.

Step-by-step integration with your scheduling  and website.

Adding BookMe into your photography business workflow is a straightforward process, thanks to the integration with your Zenfolio ProSuite or Portfolio Plus account, online success center resources, and our knowledgeable support team on hand in case of other questions. With easy-to-follow setup instructions and seamless integration with your existing scheduling and website, you can start accepting bookings in no time.

Tips for optimizing session types and packages. 

The most successful package and session combinations take into consideration what products your clients purchase most and who is ordering them. Wedding clients are not generally interested in wallets–but these are favorites with school photos and senior portraits. Headshot clients are most likely to want digital files included. As you consider what products to bundle into a package with your photography services, review past orders for popular items and the type of photo session that client had. 

Marketing your new booking system to clients.

Once BookMe is up and running, don’t forget to market your new booking system to clients. Share the news on your website, social media channels, and email newsletters, and highlight the benefits of the streamlined booking process to attract new clients and encourage repeat business.

In conclusion, Zenfolio’s BookMe feature offers a powerful solution to the challenges of client booking and scheduling. By embracing efficiency and leveraging the innovative features of BookMe, you can save time, enhance your workflow, and ultimately, grow your businesses. Take the first step towards a more streamlined booking process today with Zenfolio and start saving time.

Ready to experience the transformative power of BookMe? Getting started is easy. Explore further resources and tutorials on Zenfolio, and join our community for ongoing support and updates. Together, we’ll revolutionize the way you do business.

Contributor

  • Cheryl Dell'Osso

    Cheryl is the Director of Content Strategy at Zenfolio and the Owner/Photographer at Portraits by Cheryl and Seniors by Cheryl in Raleigh, NC. Cheryl has mentored countless new photographers looking to build successful photography businesses.