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Client Profile

Avanti Auto Driving School in Boca Raton, Fla., has been providing private driving instruction tailored to the individual needs of their students for over 25 years. Family-owned and operated, its four fully-certified and licensed professionals provide instruction to students in numerous courses, such as first-time driver sessions, basic driver improvement and advanced driver improvement. Additionally, it offers state drivers license written exams and similar services. The school schedules approximately 50 lessons weekly.

The Problem

Prior to using Appointment-Plus, Avanti Auto Driving School relied on an in-office appointment book to schedule its driving sessions. This method proved highly inefficient, both from a time-management and monetary perspective. Instructors would have to return to the office between lessons to receive details on their next session and student. Because of the large area covered by the school, instructors oftentimes travel long distances between cities and towns to reach their students. Factoring in the need to return to the office prior to their next appointment, this process resulted in high gas costs and wasted time that instructors could spend on additional lessons. Additionally, it made it difficult to adequately schedule lessons far in advance and properly adjust its calendar for future holidays and other special considerations and closures.

Analysis

Paula Sylvester, director of instructor training, determined that Web-based scheduling software could help improve the operations at Avanti Auto Driving School. Accessibility was an important consideration, as the school wanted its instructors to have the ability to access and update their schedules without having to return to the office. Ease-of-use and minimal set-up were also crucial, as she preferred a user-friendly program that she could easily develop and that instructors could quickly master. Product cost was also a factor.

Solution

Ms. Sylvester researched several software products to improve her appointment-scheduling process. Many of them were too costly and required special licensing to install and use. Additionally, the learning curve was too high for herself and her instructors. She also reviewed several free and cheaper services, which did not offer the functionality she sought. After examining all these companies, she chose Appointment-Plus as her business' online scheduler. Impressed by the number of well-known companies that use Appointment-Plus, she felt that "if it's good enough for them, it should be awesome for small businesses."

Result

Appointment-Plus has had a dramatic effect on Avanti Auto Driving School's operations. Ms. Sylvester says it's a "Godsend" that streamlined her appointment-scheduling procedures and improved her driving instructors' daily routines. Since instructors no longer need to return to the office between lessons - thanks to Appointment-Plus's easy accessibility - they are saving a significant amount of time and money for the company: Instructors are each saving two hours of travel time per day and over $650 worth of gas each year. In addition to their daily lessons, instructors also record personal time off and other commitments, which helps better track their availability. Ms. Sylvester uses the system to internally schedule students, who receive automatic e-mail reminders on future lessons. She can also more easily plan ahead for future lessons, holidays and other days that require calendar modifications, as Appointment-Plus allows users to schedule appointments and adjust their availability up to two and one-half years in advance. In addition to its scheduling functionality, Avanti Auto Drive School uses the software to document student notes and generate reports.