{"id":168754559,"date":"2020-09-30T09:27:26","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T13:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/?p=168754559"},"modified":"2020-11-10T15:48:47","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T20:48:47","slug":"what-are-google-video-appointments-and-how-do-they-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/blog\/what-are-google-video-appointments-and-how-do-they-work\/","title":{"rendered":"What are Google Video Appointments and How Do They Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"168754559\" class=\"elementor elementor-168754559\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2787768 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2787768\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-87e148a\" data-id=\"87e148a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cac46bb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cac46bb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you know that Google My Business listing enables Google video appointments? As <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-rolling-out-video-appointments-online-classes-to-local-business-profiles-340873\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Search Engine Land reported last week<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Google made its video appointment platform more widely available across businesses of all types. If you\u2019re concerned with maintaining the pace of your business\u2019s day-to-day operations while upholding social distance measures, this could be a great way to interact and diagnose problems without putting your team or clients at unnecessary risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We think there\u2019s a lot of potential to use this tool to your advantage. After all, your Google listing is your business\u2019s virtual \u201cwelcome mat\u201d, and a direct link to schedule virtual appointments might help to make your business an obvious choice. Potential customers would rather not make a round of phone calls to connect with the right provider, but they may be more willing to schedule a virtual appointment if you make it really easy for them.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re a home service provider and are interested in connecting with more customers in your area, think about all of the ways video appointments might improve your service delivery. Just a few come to mind:<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>One-click scheduling<\/b> <b>removes friction from the process <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013\u00a0The majority of potential customers in your area will initially find your business through a Google category search (ie. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=plumber+in+naperville+il&amp;oq=plumber+in+naperville+il&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0l6.3164j0j7&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plumber in Naperville, IL<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) or, if they were referred or know you already, they\u2019ll search for your business directly by name. In either scenario, they\u2019re likely <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=marquise+plumbing+and+backflow&amp;oq=marquise+plumbing+and+backflow&amp;aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4746j0j9&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to see your Google listing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. What happens next? They may visit your website, they may click to call you or, if you\u2019ve activated messaging, they may shoot you a text. If you opt-in to virtual appointments on your Google listing, you\u2019ve created another \u2018hook\u2019 to convert their interest even before they dive onto your website, get forced into a phone call, or move onto your competitors\u2019 listings.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Initial inspections and diagnoses can save you time and money <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2013 We estimate that virtual appointments may help local service providers reduce the number of cursory or unnecessary visits made each day or week. After all, if one of your vans or techs is onsite at one job, you may not be able to take another opportunity across town. If a homeowner has a leaky faucet, your ability to diagnose the issue virtually doesn\u2019t monopolize your team or trucks, and could get you to a solution much faster and more efficiently \u2013\u00a0in terms of time and dollars. You can more quickly determine where the issue may be, which parts you might need to bring over or order, and start working toward a solution a lot faster than you might by scheduling out an in-person service appointment.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Make a face-to-face connection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013\u00a0Videoconferencing has become the norm, and people are becoming more comfortable interacting with colleagues and other service providers via Zoom meetings, FaceTime, and other video technologies in the absence of in-person meetings. While a video connection will never take the place of a face-to-face meeting, it can foster a stronger connection than a phone call might. We\u2019re not saying that you need to completely pivot your service delivery, but we are suggesting that video might be a great tool in your kit to convert more tire kickers to buyers. It\u2019s a unique opportunity to build trust among clients, and can demonstrate that you\u2019re the type of business available to help \u2013\u00a0however the homeowner feels most comfortable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>So\u2026 how does it work?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It should be no surprise that we\u2019re big fans and heavy users of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/business\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google My Business<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Signpost, so we dug into the back end to see how this works. By logging into Google My Business and locating the service availability section on your Home dashboard, you can turn on video appointments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out the \u201cStay connected during COVID-19\u201d section, and select \u201cUpdate service availability\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c486e74 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c486e74\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/stay-connected-during-covid-19-psb1vuxnpnk7eajoksyx9iwnk3g6i5wmmsao1u8crk.png\" title=\"stay connected during covid-19\" alt=\"stay connected during covid-19\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-56f0cfd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"56f0cfd\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-376af23\" data-id=\"376af23\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3dc635 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b3dc635\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, select \u201cYes\u201d to answer the last question \u2013\u00a0\u201dAre you offering online appointments?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8644d61 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"8644d61\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/update-service-availability-psb1v8dhmt926h9xh25y5ko5vbsaezcl1a9oelqyq0.png\" title=\"update your service availability\" alt=\"update your service availability\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ef5976f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ef5976f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-64c8de8\" data-id=\"64c8de8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fe085c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2fe085c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll be prompted to connect your listing with a video conferencing solution, like Zoom, and to a booking system. If you have a scheduling system, you can link to that; otherwise, you can select one of the options available by Reserve by Google partners. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e633203 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e633203\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/connect-with-video-psb1v0usf3o0m8ycvpsu9f8kh1hb6tbggkkjlzb5vg.png\" title=\"connect with video\" alt=\"connect with video\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a7a2a24 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a7a2a24\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5be3a7a\" data-id=\"5be3a7a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d92725 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d92725\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once this initial set-up is complete, you\u2019re off to the races. We\u2019ll be really curious to see if this catches on, and hope to try it when one of us has a need. We\u2019d also love to learn whether this feature helps providers drive more appointments and sales. If you\u2019ve had success with it so far, let us know! <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e34fa96 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e34fa96\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d15b4d6\" data-id=\"d15b4d6\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e4d3cba elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"e4d3cba\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<script src=\"https:\/\/b0a18d99c64c462595328c37d688ed1c.js.ubembed.com\" async><\/script>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how your customers can schedule appointments directly from your Google My Business listing\u2026 and why it might be a good idea<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":168754580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[143,186,1],"tags":[128,180,181,134,177,178,125,179],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168754559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168754559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168754559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168754580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168754559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168754559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.signpost.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168754559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}