PhotoBiz’s tools offer a variety of ways for your customers to book your time and services. This includes our built-in tools like the Form Builder and Scheduler. Many times our support team is asked “which is best for my business”? It all comes down to your specific needs. Each tool has robust functionality that can serve different needs. 

So which tool should I use and when? In this article, we’ll talk about how you can effectively use the Form Builder and Scheduler for your business and how you can set them up to make the most of your PhotoBiz tools.

The PhotoBiz Form Builder is a highly versatile tool. You can create very simple or complex forms to gather information from your clients. The forms are extremely customizable and allow for conditional fields to really dive deep into a customer's needs and options. The form fields can even be connected directly to pricing variables and our ecommerce tools to allow you to take payments. 

Even better, PhotoBiz has pre-built form templates you can pick from as a starting point. There are templates for a variety of event types as well as contracts. Let's look at some ways you can use the Form Builder.

Digital contracts

Easily one of the best features of the Form Builder is the digital signature option. This is a great way to create contracts and agreements for your clients. No more printouts or PDFs, you can send an online form directly to your clients and they can digitally sign it from a desktop or mobile device, saving you time and money on printing costs and documentation. 

Customization for events

Have highly customizable booking options? You can create a robust form to collect all kinds of data from your clients. This is great for after someone has booked your services. You can send out a custom form as an onboarding questionnaire to really dive deep into the client’s needs. For instance, if someone books you for a wedding event, you can send a follow-up form to gather details about the event like:

• How long would you like us to photograph your event? 4 hours or 8 hours? You can set up the form to display options for the cost of extra hours.

• Would you like videography services in addition to photography? You can set up the form to display the additional package options.

• Would you like a photo booth set up at your event? You can set up the form to display options for different package types or prop options. 

These are just a few examples of questions that can be asked after you book a client to help drive decision-making. You can complete the forms together in person, over the phone, or even send them to your client to complete on their own. 

With conditional fields, you can create robust forms that present certain questions based on the answers to other questions that essentially keep some questions hidden, unless appropriate. So say you have an option for hair and make-up, if the client selects NO, then they continue down the form no problem. But if they select YES, new questions can appear to present hair and make-up packages. Perhaps they just need hair and no make-up or vice versa. Even better, they may select the option for both! You can have pricing attached to each of the options within this section and collect payment at the end of the form.

If payment options are added to the form, they can see how the price of the add ons and other requests add up. This works nicely to prevent sticker shock, and help clients customize their own packages. Plus, you’ll know exactly what they want and remain in control of the overall event.

Event registrations

Do you host workshops or special events? You can create registration forms to easily collect your clients' details and payments. You can allow people to purchase a “ticket” to an event and you can control how many spots are available, so you don’t oversell an event.

For example, if you set up 10 seats for an event, no more than 10 people can purchase that event. This gives you complete control and peace of mind you have people invested in you.

Mini-sessions and single events

Setting up a weekend mini-session event? The Form Builder is a great way to create single or multi-day events. You can even create time slot options on forms. For example, say one slot is at 8:00 AM and then the next one is at 8:15 AM, and so forth, you can add all the mini-session days and times on the form, and set the availability to one (1) for each session time. That way only one (1) client can book each time slot.

You can set up a separate form for each day of your event or use conditional field options to allow people to choose the date and time on a single form. The choice is yours.

Surveys

Want to collect data on how your customers think you’re doing? Use the Form Builder to create a custom survey that allows clients to express their opinions. Ask questions to find out what was good, what could be improved, and ask if it's okay to share their responses for your own marketing purposes. You can even end the survey with a prompt to leave reviews on Google or Facebook (make sure to include links).

Surveys are a great way to collect honest feedback. We all need to continuously learn in order to improve, and being able to share client experiences in your marketing is very valuable.

Scheduler is an amazing tool for studios and people who want to allow customers to have some control over booking their appointments. With the help of the Scheduler, you allow people to book time with you, based on open time slots in your schedule. You control when you are available and can block off time that you aren’t, such as for specific events or when you take time off. You can take bookings with payments too. Let's look at some ways you can use the Scheduler.

Daily bookings 

If you run your business on a daily event schedule or have opportunities for customers to book appointments with you, the scheduler is perfect for this. You can create your daily hours and even create specific events that override your normal schedule. You also control how soon someone can book or cancel an appointment to prevent super last-minute changes. You control your time.

In-studio appointments

If you run a studio, the Scheduler can support your business. You can showcase your calendar of availability right on your website. You can control which days are dedicated for shooting, and others that may be for consultations or in-person sales meetings. Your customers will be able to see what times are available, making your bookings organized.

Pre-paid appointments

The PhotoBiz Scheduler also allows you to take payments, including custom add-on options. For example, if you allow people to book a photoshoot and they need hair and make-up too, you can set those up as add-ons.

The ability to take payment at the same time as securing a spot on your calendar can streamline your workflow and help your clients make commitments.

Package rentals

Another way you can utilize the Scheduler is for package rentals. If you rent photo booths or camera packages, you can set up calendars in the Scheduler to showcase the availability of each package, as well as the cost.

Via Mark Jacobs of Mark Jacobs Productions 

Connect the Scheduler to your personal calendar

You can connect the Scheduler to your personal calendar with the help of the Scheduler feed. This helps you see what your day looks like when you are on the go.

The PhotoBiz Form Builder and Scheduler are incredible tools that are easy to use and are included with all PhotoBiz 8 accounts! You get access to them right away, from the moment you sign up. 

They are designed to help you book appointments and services, collect data, and get paid. As you can see, they can be used in a variety of ways for different types of businesses. 

Want help building forms or setting up your schedule? Give us a call at 866.463.7620 or log into your account to live chat with our support team. We’d be happy to discuss your options and help you consider which is best for your business needs. Happy booking!