Online Appointment Booking Tools and Higher Education

Universities with an eye toward the future are discovering that it pays to cater to the lives of the student body rather than requiring coeds to do all the heavy lifting by conforming their schedules to fit the administration, their professors, their advisors, and practically everyone else in a position of authority on campus. Students who need to talk to a lecturer, a mentor, a librarian, or an administrator can spend more time waiting than attending class. It’s even worse at the beginning and end of the semesters when students scramble to deal with financial aid and reserve their spot in required courses. Understandably, large campuses have equally large crowds and proportionally long lines, but there’s no reason to force students to decide between attending a class, lecture, or lab, or holding their place in queue to find out why their financial aid is less than expected. That’s why forward-thinking academic institutions are also turning to online appointment booking tools to help them organize their workflow policies and improve the way they assist the student body.

Every spot on campus can result in a crush. Students run into crowded lines at the library, the clinic, and the health services department as well as the registrar and other administrative offices. It can even be difficult to book a meeting with an advisor or a professor in spite of posted office hours. In most cases, coeds have to show up to where they need to be and hope for the best. That’s why appointment management software is a must-have. Your university requires a more sophisticated system to address the needs of a student body that thrives on technology and refuses to adapt to a status quo that no longer works. Waiting in lines is literally obsolete with a system that works like the QLess platform.

QLess is more than just an online appointment booking tool. It’s a way to give students control of their time while simultaneously providing staff all across the board with a means to improve their organization, preparedness, and time management. No one has to sacrifice anything under this system. Admin employees, professors, and counselors can utilize the software to show their availability with a range of time slots during which they’re committed to seeing students. Continue reading to explore how QLess can help your university to evolve for the future of its student body.

Accessibility from Anywhere

Students today live mobile-friendly lives. They prefer to do things online. While they’ll happily use their laptops, they favor smartphones and tablets so that they can access information from anywhere. Not only does that call for platforms and websites built using responsive design, but it also strongly suggests that colleges need to ensure their campuses are technologically up-to-date in every department.

An online appointment booking tool offers students the opportunity to reserve appointments from any device. As long as the department uses the software, coeds can visit their website or download the QLess app. They can then schedule meetings with the registrar, their major advisor, or a lab professor. In areas of the school that are often overrun, you can even use the system to keep things in check. For instance, you might consider implementing schedules for the bookstore at the beginning of each semester, or even at the end when students come in to sell back their textbooks.

Complete Customization

QLess is a versatile online appointment booking tool that’s open to customization. You can tailor the program to the needs of each department, down to the individual. Academic departments, e.g., the English department, the math department, and so on, can set up scheduling for each professor with a roster of students to advise, counsel, and tutor. Coeds can choose a time that’s convenient to them, as can the professors–they only need to input their available hours into the system.

The Financial Aid Office is one place that reaps the advantages of booking software. It’s often packed to the brim with students who are understandably anxious and worried. Financial matters are nothing to take lightly, especially when it comes to one’s education. Using a cloud-based program to schedule students allows staff to follow a set plan or, alternatively, take students as they arrive. With the help of QLess, someone is always available for incoming visitors who have an appointment.

Every area of campus has the potential to use online appointment management, however. You can survey the needs of your departments to decide which ones need help with time management and student satisfaction levels.

Seamless Shuffling of Students

Because our online appointment booking tool is easily customized, you can also maintain a campus-wide account. Tailor the system to ask students to describe the reason for their appointment when they schedule a reservation. With that information, the queue management software can shuffle students to the department that can best handle their problem. Consider adding an option for visitors who know the name for the administrator, professor, or staff member they need to see, in the case of students seeking appointments with their advisors.

The system can also handle coeds who don’t reserve a time slot. The registrar is sure to have walk-ins no matter what. Instead of sending the daily plan into a tailspin, the system simply fits the newcomer into the first available spot. If an appointment-holder runs late or has to switch to another day, then someone new can slide into that place, as well. Our software takes care of everything, is the main point to take away from this.

Communication Up to the Minute

Another reason the online appointment booking tool is helpful for students is that they no longer have to line up outside the small, over-crowded office they need to visit and wait … and wait … and wait. QLess is on the cloud. So is the queue. Once they sign up, students can continue living the campus life. They don’t even need to worry about forgetting their appointment because they get caught up in a study session or a Q&A with the professor after class. Our system sends out alerts reminding users of upcoming meetings. If things are behind schedule and reserved time frames fall back, then the system notifies students of that, as well, and informs them when it’s safe to arrive at the office.

An Easy User Interface

The process of using the software is simple for students. As long as QLess is in place in the campus network, coeds can begin by registering for the system. Doing so is as easy as visiting a link that you announce on the university site or downloading the QLess app. If your college chooses to install kiosks, then students can register on those, as well. In addition to sharing their name, phone number, and what they need, students can include other details, including the department they’re looking for and which times are best for them.

Students have the option to schedule appointments anytime they need once they register. They can sign up for classes, reserve a spot at the clinic or with counseling services, or set up a walk-through during orientation. They can even book a place in the library. Staff members can choose which times they’re listed as available, which provides stability for both the staff and the students.

Depending on availability, a student may have to wait an hour, a day, or even a week for an appointment. It shouldn’t usually take that long, but it depends on the department and its traffic, as well. The point is that the students know what to expect and when they’ll see someone who can help them. They’re not stuck in limbo waiting in line or coming back day after day.

Staff, including admin and professors, can reach students instantly through our online appointment booking tool. As a result, individual employees can send messages to students they’re scheduled to see. They might be able to offer an earlier time slot or let their students know that they’re running late.

The value QLess has as an online appointment booking tool is only one of its benefits. The software can change the way your universe works at the most fundamental level. Every department can take advantage of its time management features and organized scheduling. Implementing the platform ensures that the student body is fulfilled, satisfied, and supported by staff across all areas of campus life. At the same time, however, staff members feel supported, as well, because they finally have the tools they need to do their jobs and serve the students effectively. Student retention rates soar as a result, and attrition rates decrease across the board. Coeds are far less likely to drop classes, programs, or the entire idea of attending school at your university. Exhibiting respect for their time will take your campus far. Ready to dump the queue and launch your school into the future? Find out how to improve your campus operations and retention rates by reading our campus without lines whitepaper.