ShopKeep Ignites Sales with vCita LiveSite

vCita Teams Accelerates Sales, Fueling Growth of POS Software Firm

• vCita LiveSite Online Scheduling link within Marketo email campaigns increased conversions resulting in more sales 

• Unique scheduling link tied to sales specialists in Salesforce CRM to accurately connect clients to data

• ShopKeep Sales team has doubled since inception with vCita easily scaling

ShopKeep was born from two Brooklyn-based wine retailers, who quickly grew their business into four stores. As their business grew, they could not find a suitable, cloud-based point of sale system. Co-owner, Jason Richelson, a former technology consultant and trader, decided to create a point of sale system that fits the needs of a small business like his. ShopKeep now serves thousands of retailers ringing up hundreds of thousands of transactions a day with data stored securely in the cloud. 

Bridging the Gap

As the company grew so did the sales team. Brandon Bernard Jones  was promoted to manage ShopKeep’s sales operations and quickly realized that the team needed a better way to schedule sales consultations with inbound leads. Jones sought to find a way to close the gap between the moment of interest of an inbound lead and the time that elapses before a specialist can make the first contact. He believed that closing this gap on elapsed time would increase lead conversion as leads would be encouraged to schedule a consultation as opposed to waiting for a specialist to call. Jones, who had previous experience with online scheduling systems, contacted vCita. Jones and vCita worked closely to tailor a long-term solution for the ShopKeep sales team.

Cha-Ching...

ShopKeep now uses vCita Teams, specifically designed for businesses with multiple employees. Jones’ sales team consisted of 17 sales specialists with vCita Teams providing each specialist with a unique vCita account, linked to their Google calendar. Within minutes, each ShopKeep specialist quickly customized vCita Online Scheduling with its preferences, meeting options , automated reminders and notifications. Jones then helped ShopKeep’s Marketing team add each unique scheduling link to outbound Marketo email marketing campaigns where prospects can now easily click to set an appointment with that specialist using vCita. The prospect can view the specialist’s availability and select a time convenient for the prospect. A confirmation and a meeting reminder are automatically sent. Specialists are also notified so they are well prepared for the sales call, and the meeting is added to their Google calendar.

But Wait! There’s More...

Jones then took vCita one step further for his sales organization. He created custom formula fields in Salesforce CRM to link each sales specialist’s unique vCita scheduling link with their respective lead owner. This ensures each specialist is accurately connected to the client and all client data is centralized. Accurate client information is always within reach. 

And the Winner is...

Results have been phenomenal. Since January 2014 when Jones implemented vCita, the ShopKeep Sales team has grown from 17 to more than 30 specialists and counting, and ShopKeep recently opened a west coast office in Portland, Oregon. The Sales Team averages at least 71 sales appointments scheduled each week through vCita Online Scheduling, and this number is growing. Jones says that “the quality of the appointments has increased as well” helping ShopKeep further increase revenues. 

Clients comment that the link is easy to use and appreciate the self-service aspect. Clients like the immediate gratification in scheduling time on their terms, saving the hassle of back and forth emails, and coordination and confusion around time zones. 

“ShopKeep is growing fast and vCita is able to easily support our upward growth as we continue to scale,” says Jones. “vCita is easy to use, client-centric and it looks great on mobile—which makes ShopKeep look good. And, vCita goes the extra mile to ensure the software is easy, comfortable and right the first time. It’s been key to our success in sales.”

Jones administers the vCita Teams account and credits ShopKeep’s growth in part to vCita. In April 2014, ShopKeep closed $25 million in venture capital funding and was serving more than 10,000 brick-and-mortar businesses. “vCita certainly helped  make this possible,” adds Jones. 

Special thanks to Brandon Bernard Jones, sales operations at ShopKeep for sharing his story. Visit ShopKeep at www.shopkeep.com.

Read more →

Pasco eSchool Learns a Lesson in Online Scheduling

vCita LiveSite Gets an "A" for Solving District Scheduling Issues

• Florida's 2nd largest school district schedules 7,000 students for monthly teacher conferences

• Appointments auto-sync with Outlook, Gmail and other calendar systems, eliminating over bookings

Pasco eSchool, the second largest school district in Florida, launched in 2009 with JoAnne Glenn, principal, at the helm. Pasco eSchool is a district-operated K-12 virtual school program in which students can access online coursework at home or in a learning lab in their school. Students can login to their lesson anytime and are graded as if attending a brick and mortar school. Pasco eSchool receives 31,000 course requests for 7,000 students averaging 4 to 5 courses per student. These courses are taught by 70 teachers that are remote, residing from Tallahassee to Fort Meyers, Florida.

Students regularly communicate with teachers through email; however, once each month teachers, parents and students have a telephone conversation together to discuss progress.

ABC = A Better Calendar 
Pasco eSchool was using two web-based scheduling solutions, neither of which were able to manage multiple sources and reconcile different calendar feeds. With the high volume of appointments being made between students, parents and teachers, there were constant struggles getting calendars to sync, especially with Outlook and Google. Teachers and administrators reported being double booked, creating appointments and resolving conflicts. Teachers, students and parents were spending an increasing amount of time setting appointments, which created a perception that required communication was a barrier.

“It was challenging to schedule faculty meetings and other school activities without creating more scheduling conflicts for teachers,“ says JoAnne Glenn, administrator of Pasco eSchool. “With the high volume of meetings our district has each month, we needed a reliable solution that was intuitive and easy to use.”

Seeking Knowledge
Glenn asked Danny Sesker, ICT Coach for Pasco eSchool to recommend a solution. Sesker researched, emailed and telephoned a wide variety of software providers. Sesker needed a solution that was compatible with the District’s Microsoft Exchange 365. He needed a solution that was not Flash-based, able to work on any mobile device. Sesker also had more than 70 teachers working remotely so he needed a solution that could work on any platform and easy enough for teachers and students to use. Sesker found the vCita LiveSite Web Engagement Platform.

And the Winner is...
“After scouring the Internet, I found vCita.  It met all of my requirements, plus vCita offered the most features,” Sesker says. “The vCita LiveSite portal connects to the website. Students can locate a teacher and schedule their meeting directly through the website in one visit. The LiveSite portal cinched it for me.”

Glenn liked that vCita Online Scheduling software could track student appointments, tracking no-shows and cancellations. vCita could be easily branded to seamlessly align with Pasco Schools look and feel, and it was intuitive and easy to use. Plus, vCita was easy to use and could manage multiple calendars. Each appointment automatically syncs with Outlook, Google, iCal and more. Now Glenn could schedule staff meetings and eliminate the worry that calendars would double book.

To the Head of the Class
Teachers now have more time to teach rather than rearrange schedules. Pasco teachers can customize their schedules, easily display availability and automatically respond to appointment requests. Students can set teacher appointments anytime, anywhere on any device. With 70 teachers spread over 7,000 students and each required to have a monthly meeting, this averages at least 100 meetings per month with each teacher scheduled through vCita LiveSite Online Scheduling.

“vCita delivered as promised, taking the chaos out of scheduling teacher-student meetings,” says Glenn. “We feel fortunate to have found vCita, a company that was willing to work with us to find a comprehensive solution to our scheduling and tracking issues. vCita LiveSite is the perfect solution.”

Special thanks to JoAnne Glenn, principal of Pasco eSchool and Danny Sesker, ICT coach for sharing their story.

Read more →

CPA Firm Acquires 60 Percent of all New Clients with vCita Online Scheduling Software

vCita Online Scheduling Adds Up for New England Accounting Practice

• Integrated in minutes with WordPress site

• Automated reminders eliminates no-shows

• Text notifications aid in delivering amazing service

Albert E. Bergen, CPA is a certified public accountant and income tax professional in Auburn, Maine. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Maine Society of Certified Public Accountants (MECPA).  Since 2005, Bergen has prepared tax returns, provided accounting and business consulting, as well as compiling and reviewing financial statements for a variety of corporations, non-profits, partnerships and trusts in the Lewiston, Auburn and central Maine communities. In 2013, Bergen opened his own office to serve New England.

The Choice was Clear: vCita
Bergen’s goal was to leverage technology to market his practice on a tight budget, without having to cold-call clients or spend an excessive amount of time at face-to-face networking events.  Bergen needed to attract website visitors to contact him so that he would have the opportunity to earn their business.  He also wanted an online scheduling tool that afforded flexibility of office hours and was easy to use. He began shopping for an online scheduling tool and found vCita.

Bergen liked the flexibility of vCita and that he could try it for 14 days without a commitment to buy.  “It didn’t take 14 days to decide,” says Bergen. “It was clear pretty quickly that vCita would do exactly what I needed.”

Click, Connect, Convert
It took Bergen just minutes to install vCita for WordPress Online Scheduling. vCita quickly integrates into any website, and eliminates the back and forth communications in appointment setting. Businesses receive notifications of client requests and automate or personalize responses to consistently delight clients with amazing service.  

Visitors to Bergen’s website simply click on the vCita Invite to send a message or set an appointment. When setting an appointment, Bergen has added a service listing so clients can click on the type of consultation needed and the length of time required. This helps Bergen better prepare for the meeting and deliver the amazing service he is known to provide.

“vCita helps me to offer a better value proposition than my competition,” says Bergen. “ I want to be easy to find, easy to hire and easy to work with, and vCita helps me to do that. Every new contact that comes in through vCita is a chance to build a lasting relationship with a new client.”

Clients have visibility into Bergen’s availability so a convenient time and date can be selected. vCita Online Scheduling automatically syncs with Bergen’s online calendar. Plus, Bergen loves the automated notifications of client communications, and the appointment reminders virtually eliminate no-shows.

Deliver Amazing Service

After installing vCita Online Scheduling, Bergen noticed a significant increase in business through vCita. Bergen estimates that at least 60 percent of his new clients come through vCita Online Scheduling. Bergen notes that his largest client initiated contact through vCita Online Scheduling while he was waiting to get a new set of tires installed on his vehicle. When Bergen received a text message notifying him of a new client inquiry, he called back immediately, while still at the tire store. The client was so impressed with his level of service, Bergen was immediately hired.

“I especially like the text notifications,” says Bergen. “No matter where I am or what I am doing, I can respond to clients—even while traveling.”

Bergen has found tremendous value including the vCita scheduling email links within his online communications. Bergen also shares the vCita scheduling links with financial advisors who refer new clients using the link.

Bergen has found that vCita is instrumental in client retention. Current clients can reach Bergen 24/7 through vCita messaging and online scheduling. Bergen is notified of any client request and can respond immediately. Client's love the amazing service.

Albert E. Bergen, CPA 

207-312-5916

albert@aeb-cpa.com

www.auburnmainecpa.com

Case Study: CPA, Financial Services

Read more →

GPL Accounting Increases Response Rate to 70 Percent with vCita LiveSite

vCita & Constant Contact Make Accounting Less Taxing

• vCita LiveSite integration with Constant Contact Email campaigns increased accounting firm's response rate to 70%

• Campaigns eliminated more than 150 hours of phone calls and coordination time during busy tax season

GPL Tax & Accounting (GPL) is a Seattle-based full service tax accounting firm offering  tax consulting, accounting and tax resolution services to individuals and local businesses.  GPL has grown from three to 20 employees since Chief Operating Officer, Effie Bar-Caspi, joined nearly five years ago.

A Taxing Time

GPL, like other tax services firms, is faced with business seasonality. From February 1 through April 15, GPL tax professionals consult with eight clients per day, six days a week. These ten weeks are among the most intense of the year.

Getting clients to prepare and plan ahead is one of the best ways to lessen the chaos of tax time. To encourage clients to schedule early, Bar-Caspi and her staff sent reminder letters in December to pre-schedule appointments in the upcoming year. The time and cost of mailing letters was high and response rates were low.  Then, add on the time and expense of staff calling hundreds of clients to schedule appointments. The process was costly, ineffective and broken.

Constant Contact & vCita

Bar-Caspi researched outbound marketing and online scheduling solutions. She found Constant Contact and vCita would easily integrate and could provide an answer to her tax season schedule needs. Bar-Caspi and her staff created a unique email alerting clients to upcoming tax season. She then used vCita Online Scheduling software to provide a link within the Constant Contact email template. Directly from the email, clients could select a GPL tax consultant and choose an available and convenient meeting time for their tax appointment.

The difference was amazing.

In December 2013, Bar-Caspi and her staff sent 1039 emails through Constant Contact with the vCita Online Scheduling link embedded requesting clients to schedule their tax consultation. The email had a 58 percent open rate with 130 clients or (23 percent) scheduling an appointment directly from the email. Two follow up emails increased the appointment scheduling rate to nearly 700 or 70% of clients scheduled appointments through the email campaigns.   

GPL clients now schedule tax appointments from their home computer, tablet or smartphone— even after business hours. Automated reminders a day before the meeting alerted clients to the appointment, reducing no-shows and cancellations. GPL administrative staff receive scheduling notifications and can alert tax consultants so their calendar is always up to date. 

“I would recommend vCita to anyone with a calendar,” Bar-Caspi. “Leveraging vCita with Constant Contact creates a powerful tool and positively impacts our business. It’s so easy and cost effective. Our clients can book appointments online – right from their smartphone -- instead of procrastinating until the last minute. It saved us at least 150 hours of phone calls and coordination during tax season, and has changed how we manage our clients and our time.”

Special thanks to Effie Bar-Caspi for sharing her story. Bar-Caspi earned her LL.B (Bachelor of Laws) from the Netanya Academic College Law School and was admitted to the Israeli Bar Association. After immigrating to the United States, Bar-Caspi began a career in banking, which eventually led her to GPL. Bar-Caspi joined GPL in 2010 and drives GPL’s day-to-day operations, and manages customer and partner relations.

Read more →

Hair Salon Leverages Website to Increase Sales by 300%

Stylist Makes Waves with vCita LiveSite: Generate More Business

• More than 80% of all bookings are through vCita LiveSite— even using mobile 

• vCita Online Payments & Invoicing ensures prepayment and eliminates no-shows 

• vCita Client Management automatically collects client info, including social data and provides a complete client history and transaction record

Leslie Croskey began her cosmetology career in 1992. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden Scissor, a prestigious industry award. In 2002 she worked with music artists in the entertainment industry as an assistant stylist for Vibe magazine. In 2008, Croskey returned to the metropolitan Washington, DC area and opened A House of Style beauty salon in Forestville, Maryland, offering make-up, nails and hair treatments to a growing clientele.

A Cut Above
As Croskey’s reputation grew so did her business. However, managing client information, payments and invoicing was time consuming. Even booking appointments by phone was cumbersome and inefficient — the scheduling, the rescheduling, the no-shows. When Croskey was with a client, calls went to voice mail and then she’d have to take time to return the calls, leave a message and then wait for the client to return the call again.

Croskey wanted an online solution for her clients to book appointments through her website when it was convenient for them—24/7 using any device.  She tried an online scheduling software, but it lacked power, was difficult to navigate and too many clients were going around the system rather than through the system. Only 5 to 7 appointments each week were being booked using the online appointment setting tool and the cost far outweighed the benefit.

“I needed more than just online scheduling,” says Leslie Croskey, owner of A House of Style. “I needed a complete suite to manage my business from first contact through the payment process.”

More than Just an Online Scheduler
Croskey found the vCita Web Engagement Platform through an Internet search and liked what she saw. “...vCita offered more than online scheduling—it was a complete solution—from my client’s first touch on the Internet through the entire transaction,” says Croskey. “vCita offered contact management, online payments and invoicing and it took minutes to integrate into my website.”

Croskey’s website was transformed into a vCita LiveSite, offering clients complete account information. Clients simply click on “Appointments” and a services listing with pricing is displayed. Client choose the service, day and time that fits into their schedule and submit the appointment.

Croskey created an automated response, confirming the appointment and requests a deposit be made through vCita Online Payments. Croskey is notified via text or email when the transaction is completed.

Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
Croskey is thrilled with the results. More than 80% of her client’s book appointments through vCita—a 300% increase over her previous online scheduler. vCita is easy to use, effortlessly navigating her clients through the online appointment setting process anytime on any device.

“I love how vCita accommodates my client’s by being available anytime—even on a mobile device,” continues Croskey. “And I love vCita Client Management as it provides a photo of my client and I can type in notes, prior services and any other information that is important.” 

Croskey believes vCita has improved customer service as online clients now go deeper into her website than they did before. Clients learn more about what services are offered, can book according to her availability and they know the pricing before stepping into the salon. Croskey is convinced vCita has eliminated customer service issues for her salon.

“vCita is the perfect solution for any small business,” Croskey says. “vCita manages my business so I have more time to do what I do best—taking care of my clients.”

Special thanks to Leslie Croskey for sharing her story. To learn more about Leslie and her cutting edge styles, visit a House of Style or book an appointment.

Read more →

EasyWay Ordering Delivers with vCita LiveSite

LiveSite Reflects Technology Firm—Simple & Cutting Edge

• vCita offered instant scheduling gratification to visitors

•  50% of all inquiries come through vCita LiveSite, averaging 10 new opportunities per week

• Company achieved 300% growth with vCita contributing to success

Restaurants are  slow to leverage technology in the take-out food ordering process. EasyWay Ordering, a fully customizable e-commerce solution, was specifically designed to meet the unique online ordering needs of restaurants. In 2010, EasyWay Ordering was preparing to launch and one of the main goals of Williams was to develop a website that reflected his business. “Ordering great food online should be easy,” says Clarence Williams, founder and CEO of EasyWay Ordering.

“If I create technology to modernize food ordering, my website should offer the same cutting edge technology when it comes to interacting with clients.”

The Full Meal Deal
Williams, an experienced IT consultant and entrepreneur, wanted an interactive site with a vehicle that would encourage client engagement from the first online visit. A website developer recommended the vCita LiveSite and Williams checked it out. He liked the ease of use and how intuitive the software was for even non-English speaking clients. Williams especially liked how his online visitors could achieve instant gratification by scheduling an appointment at the point of engagement at any hour – not losing clients to another vendor because it was after business hours. In addition, Williams learned vCita was compatible with his WordPress website.

Within minutes, the EasyWay Ordering website was transformed into a LiveSite, with a responsive, interactive online client portal. Visitors are invited to schedule an appointment or demo—directly through the website, anytime on any device. Visitors from the UK to Southeast Asia can engage with EasyWay Ordering on their terms. Demo appointments are set with just a click and an automated confirmation sent. EasyWay Ordering staff are notified of the appointment via email or text to their phone. Clients, needing to reschedule, can do so with just a click, eliminating the hassle of back and forth phone calls, dealing with time zones and any potential language barriers.

Accelerating Global Growth 
“Fifty percent of our inquiries come through vCita with half of those being international. Clients can schedule time with us across multiple time zones when it’s convenient for them,” says Williams.

“We receive at least 10 new business opportunities each week through vCita and achieved 300% growth in the past year alone. Our success is phenomenal and vCita has certainly been a major part of our story.”

EasyWay Ordering software  streamlines the online ordering process for thousands of restaurants globally and continues to grow at an accelerated rate. Currently they employ 30 in the United States and internationally.

“vCita was made to order,” continues Williams. “We love it.” 

Special thanks to Clarence Williams, CEO of EasyWay Ordering. Clarence Williams is an experienced IT consultant and successful entrepreneur after starting his career as a business analyst for fortune 500 companies in New York including AOL, FOX and A&E Television. He was responsible for implementing technology solutions that would make the company more efficient and reduce manual labor. Later, he began creating solutions for the private sector with the same goal in mind of taking inefficient, repetitive, manual processes and designing solutions to automate them. With that in mind, Williams founded EasyWay Ordering to streamline the food ordering process. To learn more about EasyWay Ordering, visit www.easywayordering.net.

Read more →

True Built Homes Nails It with vCita LiveSite

vCita & Constant Contact Email Campaigns Keep Builder Hammering Away

• vCita LiveSite Online Scheduling link within Constant Contact email campaigns increased conversions resulting in more sales

• vCita CRM captures contact inquiry data and notifies staff to ensure superior customer service

• Receives a steady stream of qualified inquiries every day through vCita

Since 2007, True Built Home has been building dream homes in the Pacific Northwest.  As a child, Lewis D. Mann, founder and president of True Built Home, was taught the importance of hard work and customer service, and has infused these values into every aspect of True Built Home. Mann has reshaped the volume-building industry into one of partnering with clients, creating long-lasting relationships that result in quality built homes.

Tools for Success
Mann believes in the importance of quality interactions between client and business.

He also sought to reduce the $2,000 cost
of each client conversion. 

So when Mann was redesigning the True Built Home website, he wanted to ensure his clients received amazing customer care while trimming costs where possible. Instead of a standard contact us page, which Mann knew was rarely used, Mann looked to the vCita LiveSite Web Engagement Platform as his online vehicle. vCita LiveSite provides online clients the ability to easily communicate, schedule appointments, share documents and pay online through a standard website.

vCita LiveSite took minutes to integrate into the True Built Home website. Mann’s designer quickly customized vCita to seamlessly align with True Built Home’s branding. Now online visitors can leave a message or schedule an appointment with a True Built Home representative anytime, anywhere on any device.

Nailed It!
Mann’s innovation in the marketing of home building did not end here. Mann integrated vCita with his Constant Contact outbound marketing email program. Mann includes a vCita Online Scheduling link within his Constant Contact email campaigns and receives a steady stream of leads. Email recipients can instantaneously click on the online scheduling link and can book a consultation. No hassles. No waiting until office hours. Recipients are afforded amazing customer service whether it’s an email, on his website or an onsite visit.

Mann says clients love the convenience of vCita LiveSite and he loves the simplicity and thoroughness of the platform. vCita provides an easy to use client communications channel, captures the contact info from each request through the vCita CRM, and Mann and his staff are immediately notified of each client request via text or email. Clients receive an automated response, thereby ensuring each client interaction is acknowledged with superior customer service.

“We receive client requests daily with at least three to four qualified leads each day through vCita. vCita LiveSite helps me ensure every client is met with exceptional service from the very first contact through the final home sale,” says Mann. “True Built Home is not looking to be the biggest builder, but we are determined to be the best home builder in the Pacific Northwest. With vCita, we are making this happen.” 

Special thanks to Lewis Mann, founder and CEO of True Built Home for sharing his story. Visit True Built Home at www.truebuilthome.com.

Read more →

Learn how a Homeopathic Veterinarian Organically Grows her Practice with vCita

Web-to-End Solution Spans the Globe to Help Bring Quality Pet Care 

• Medical consultations are scheduled through vCita LiveSite, managing multiple time zone and geographic location

• Clients can choose the service, the time and prepay in one online experience

Dr. Patricia Jordan is a 1986 graduate of the north Carolina College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2000, she found Holistic medicine and her curiosity was ignited. She is an author, lecturer and practicing veterinarian specializing in homeopathic care. She is also an Adjunct Professor for Kingdom College of Natural Health. From bisons and monitor lizards to camels and guinea pigs, Dr. Jordan is a recognized leader in homeopathic veterinary medicine and an authority on vaccine issues.
Building a Global Practice

After 15 years practicing traditional veterinary medicine, Dr. Jordan began building her homeopathic veterinary practice in Asheville, North Carolina. Her goal was to provide natural, organic alternative treatments to animals. Dr. Jordan looked at the Internet as her primary business vehicle.

She enlisted the help of Dorothy Hall of Small Business Innovations, a print and online graphic design firm. Dorothy realized that Dr. Jordan needed a way for patients to reach her through her website. Email was not the best solution to schedule consultations, especially consultations spanning multiple time zones. Dorothy recommended vCita Web Engagement Platform and Dr. Jordan agreed.

A Purr-fect Solution....
Dorothy quickly integrated the vCita Web Engagement Platform into Dr. Jordan’s WordPress website. Dorothy created a branded LiveSite, including photo and color palette so it was a seamless addition to her website. Dr. Jordan’s website is now engaging pet owners and offering an interactive communications portal for her patients.

All consultations are scheduled through vCita on Dr. Jordan’s website. Visitors to the site can send a message through Dr. Jordan’s LiveSite or schedule an appointment online with a click. Visitors can then book a phone consult, an in-person appointment or a Skype video call.

Dr. Jordan has preset her available hours so appointments always fit into her schedule. Clients are required to schedule at least 48 hour in advance so Dr. Jordan can review any files or lab work prior to the consult and provide the highest quality of care possible.

Get Connected with vCita

“I have provided care for patients as far away as Dubai, Newfoundland and Mexico. With vCita, I’m able to provide care to any animal anywhere,” says Dr. Patricia Jordan. “vCita has been a blessing. It helps me achieve my dream of offering quality homeopathic medicine to improve the lives of pets and connect with people all over the world.”

Dr. Jordan especially likes vCita automatic reminders to follow-up with patients after a consult or therapy course. “I love the reminders. It helps me to send a thank you note and inquire as to the current health of my patient,” says Dr. Jordan. “It is extremely important to follow-up, especially if the animal was very ill. I want the client to know I am there to help no matter what.”

 Dr. Patricia Monahan Jordan has been a member of the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and a practicing veterinarian for the past 25 years. Dr. Jordan established four different veterinary facilities, originating six new veterinary facilities, certified by the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board.

Case Study: Veterinarian Practice

Read more →

Physical Therapist Flexes Website Muscle

Clinic Offers Patients Greater Mobility & Flexibility with vCita LiveSite

• Removed the need and expense of hiring administrative staff
• 100% of all patient appointments are made online
• Prepayment and automated reminders eliminate no-shows

Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Terry Kane, BPHE, BSC(PT) is a well-respected physical therapist and founder of OrthopaedicsCanada.com and OrthopaedicProtocols.com. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Kane has over 25 years of hands-on experience in diagnosing, treating and designing rehabilitation programs for orthopaedic patients, including over 500 Olympic and professional athletes. He is a published author and editor, instructor and consultant in the field of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy.

Designing a Patient-Centric Practice
Kane decided to branch out and start his own physical therapy clinic. As with any new business, the upfront costs for the facility, equipment and other expenses were significant. Kane needed someone to help manage appointments, invoicing and payments, but wasn’t interested in spending a lot of time or money managing an administrator when his priority was patient care and building his practice. 

A fellow clinic owner mentioned to Kane that replacing his office administrator was going cost him an additional $30,000 per year when training and benefits for the new administrator was factored into the total cost. According to Kane, “It was a significant amount of money for a non-revenue generating position and really made me think twice about other options.” 

Undaunted, Kane sought a solution where he could book appointments, manage his business, deliver the highest possible standard of care without having to hire additional staff. To succeed, he needed to build a website that would help grow his practice, and facilitate client coordination and management. He began browsing the Internet and came upon a review of the vCita Web Engagement Platform. 

The Prescription is vCita
The vCita Web Engagement Platform transforms a static website into a vCita LiveSite, a portal that captures more business and helps deliver amazing service. In minutes, Kane integrated the platform into his website. After a trial, Kane knew instantly that “it was exactly what I was looking for and more.”

“Naturally when you purchase a product or service online, you’re skeptical,” says Kane. “But with vCita, it was completely transparent. It’s flexible and powerful. vCita has lived up to its word and continues to earn my business with new features I really love.” 

vCita Online Scheduling was just the beginning. vCita also offers a client management solution to organize and maintain communication with patients. This cloud-based contact management software helps Kane track all client communications and prompts him to follow up with clients. Kane then added vCita Online Payments and Invoicing for a complete web-to-end solution. 

A Mobile, Flexible, Patient-Focused Experience
All appointments are scheduled through Kane’s LiveSite. Patients select the type of appointment, as well as the date and time. Patients are directed to an online payment screen with the option of a credit card or PayPal. With just a few clicks, the process is completed and the appointment is booked and prepaid. Kane has also set vCita to automatically send reminders to notify patients of upcoming appointments. This has virtually eliminated no-shows.

“From day one, it was like magic and my patients love it,” says Kane. “Patients are empowered to book appointments whenever they want at a time that fits their schedule without having to speak with a busy receptionist. With an estimated 40 percent of Canadians looking to book healthcare appointments after normal business hours, a vCita LiveSite is the perfect solution.”  

vCita Online Payments and Invoicing “is fantastic for everyone,” says Kane.  Although the appointment and prepay process eliminates invoicing patients, when Kane contracts with local clinics he routinely submits invoices for payment.  Kane leverages the vCita invoice template to create professional, branded invoices, and then emails and tracks invoices through the vCita dashboard. 

“It’s a headache to type, mail and manage paper invoices. And, the payment cycle takes too long. With vCita, it takes just a minute to create and email the clinic invoices and accelerate the payment cycle. vCita eliminates the mundane tasks, streamlines processes and leaves me more time to care for my patients.” 

In addition to his own practice, Kane also manages OrthopaedicsCanada.com, a national online directory consisting of 43 websites. vCita is deployed on all sites, providing visitors with a vehicle to instantly message Kane. vCita immediately notifies Kane of any inquiry and he can respond within seconds from his phone, tablet or computer from anywhere in the world.  

“vCita has helped me successfully grow my practice without incurring additional overhead,” says Kane. “It’s well designed and has been the perfect solution. vCita LiveSite helps bring my websites and business to life.”  

For more information, visit vCita at www.vcita.com, email sales@vcita.com or call 855-824-8244.  For a printer-friendly version, please click here.

Special thanks to Terry Kane, BPHE, BSC(PT) for sharing his story. 

Terry Kane Physical Therapy can be reached at www.terrykane.ca.

Read more →

MamaRed Sees Green with vCita LiveSite: Automating Business Processes

Consultant Transforms Website to Engage Clients

• 100% of all appointments are made through vCita LiveSite^TM 
• Prepayment and automated reminders eliminate no-shows
• Clients love the convenience of online scheduling

MamaRed Knight collaborates with socially-conscious small businesses to create big-picture strategies and define next steps that build their bank account and reach more people and make sure they have fun doing it. She uses her 30 years as a business and content strategist to companies ranging from one person consultancies to multi-billion dollar international companies to improve ROI with systems, automation, processes and technology. An author of “21 Ways to Use 120 Characters to Boost Profits,” MamaRed looks forward to making businesses easier to run and more profitable.

Ending the Scheduling Madness
MamaRed’s consulting business was growing and she was booking meetings with clients in different cities and time zones. Getting the agreement to meet was easy. The hard part was scheduling the meeting. Often scheduling the meeting took more time than the meeting itself. MamaRed was spending more time scheduling meetings with clients than actually meeting with clients. As a business automation expert, MamaRed knew she had to streamline her calendaring process in order to succeed and focus on her clients’ needs.
MamaRed received an email invitation from vCita introducing their Web Engagement Platform and she liked what she saw.

It’s That Easy
In minutes, MamaRed registered and integrated the vCita Web Engagement Platform into her website. vCita transformed her website into a vCita LiveSite, offering a dynamic self-service portal for her clients.  MamaRed quickly branded her LiveSite with her logo and colors, and began testing the software.    

Houston, We have Lift-Off
After thoroughly testing the software, MamaRed began recommending vCita to her clients. She liked her vCita LiveSite so much she even adopted it as part of her client engagement tools.

Connecting with MamaRed is now hassle-free. Scheduling and rescheduling appointments is easy, streamlined and automated—exactly what MamaRed recommends to her clients. Both new and existing clients use vCita Online Scheduling as it’s simple, straight-forward and encourages engagement when interest is at its peak. Plus, vCita is available 24/7 so clients can engage anytime, anywhere, on any device.

“My clients love the convenience,” says MamaRed. “I can also send a link to schedule time within an email or social media, and I have never had to tell a client how to use vCita as it’s so intuitive and easy to use.”

MamaRed loves how easy it is to share the scheduling links with others. Just copy and paste into an email and the client can click and schedule an appointment immediately. MamaRed relies on the automated notifications for new client messages, appointments and rescheduling requests. She also loves the ability to brand vCita with her website and all of her communications with clients—important when building a brand.

Love at First Byte
True to her nature, MamaRed integrated the vCita Web Engagement Platform into her business processes and automated the entire system. When a client visits MamaRed’s vCita LiveSite, the client can interact through her website via messaging or set an appointment. 

MamaRed says this automated system is responsive to her clients and they are delighted by the immediate attention. It also frees up more of her time to do what she does best—and that’s cooking up content and automating more processes for her many clients.

“I am a software addict. When I recommend software tool to a client, my reputation is on the line,” says MamaRed. “The vCita Web Engagement Platform helps differentiate me from the competition and helps my clients succeed. My vCita LiveSite is the perfect example of how a small business can automate processes while consistently delivering amazing service. vCita does everything it promises and more.”

MamaRed Knight

www.mamaredknight.com

MamaRed Knight combines 30 years as a business consultant and strategist. She is an internationally known teacher, speaker, coach and consultant transforming business challenges into step-by-step solutions to build bank accounts and transform lives.

Read more →

Silicon Valley Research Group Leverages vCita & the Web to Conduct Market Research

Web-to-end solution ensures the right person is scheduled for the right research at the right time and rewarded with the right gift.

Silicon Valley Research Group (SVRG) is a global market research and strategy development firm based in San Jose with offices in Seattle and New York. With more than 15 years experience and a premier global provider of technology market research, SVRG completes projects for some of the world’s leading technology companies including Microsoft, RealNetworks, Telus and others. SVRG analysts offer in-depth technology knowledge and consistently deliver unparalleled insight into the dynamics of the technology market.

Ending Scheduling Hassles
SVRG conducts qualitative research by incentivizing respondents to test products in their natural habitat. Respondents are more relaxed and the research is conducted with an at-home visit or Skype call at the respondent’s convenience. Respondents are emailed a link to an online scheduling system to select the best date and time for the study.

SVRG was using an online scheduling tool to book research evaluations, but found the software to be limiting and error-prone. SVRG respondents would book online and believed the appointment was confirmed, only to later learn that the program had not completed the booking transaction and they would have to rebook. SVRG needed a solid, hassle-free and reliable online scheduling tool that would be easy for respondents to use and accommodate multiple staff calendars. SVRG also desired more responsive customer support.

But Wait, There's More...
Al Nazarelli, CEO of Silicon Valley Research Group, found the vCita Web Engagement Platform through an Internet search. Nazarelli visited the vCita website and soon discovered that vCita was more than just online scheduling software. Nazarelli liked that vCita supported multiple calendars and offered automated follow-up reminders for his staff. It was easy to use, versatile and flexible—and a link to schedule an appointment could be added to any email or email signature. He liked the ease of use and automatic appointment reminders to respondents. Plus, vCita offered more than online scheduling with Client Management and Online Payments and Invoicing. It was a complete solution. Nazarelli registered for vCita Teams, which included the entire vCita suite: Online Scheduling, Client Management and Online Payments and Invoicing.

The Right Respondent, the Right Time, the Right Solution

SVRG now leverages the entire vCita Web Engagement Suite. Groups of research respondents range in size from 20 to 60 and potential respondents are filtered using vCita Client Management. Through the vCita system, respondents are sent an email with a link to schedule their evaluation by booking the appointment online. Respondents and SVRG staff are sent confirmations when appointments are set and reminders prior to the appointment. vCita Client Management collects respondent data, including social media and a photo, and builds a comprehensive history of the relationship available as a profile. By reviewing the respondents profile in vCita Client Management, SVRG staff can better prepare prior to the appointment.

Once the evaluation is complete, SVRG accounting staff reviews client profile data, and verifies the appointment took place. Based on the appointment showing as completed, SVRG sends the respondent a gift card in appreciate for their time. If the respondent was a no-show or cancelled, the client dialogue reflects the missed appointment and accounting does not remit the incentive.

“vCita is a great solution for us as it is easy to use, saves time and most of all, it works,” says Al Nazarelli, CEO of Silicon Valley Research Group. “vCita customer support is always there if we have a question.”

Nazarelli wishes others would use vCita so his personal life would be as easy.

“If I could get people like my hair stylist to use vCita, then that would solve everything... I wouldn’t have to call her and hope she has her appointment book handy and then call back and try scheduling again. Life would be so much easier if everyone would use vCita.”  

A special thanks to Al Nazarelli, CEO of silicon Valley Research Group. He can be reached at insights@siliconvalleyrg.com, call 408.920.0361 or visit www.siliconvalleyrg.com.

Read more →

vCita LiveSite is Heaven Sent for Angel Reader

Spiritualist Saves Times & Accelerates Business with vCita LiveSite

• Dramatically increased engagement with 20 messages and 8 bookings each day through vCita LiveSite

• Eliminated scheduling issues, increased time for marketing and significantly enhanced client retention

• Clients love the ease of use and automated reminders eliminate no-shows

Laura Lyn is a psychic, teacher, lecturer and author of three books. Her focus it to broaden awareness and healing through love and to teach others how to share their own spiritual potential. She has been recognized as Ohio’s Best Psychic and resides in Akron.

Read more →

Cake Artist Whips Up a Recipe for Success with vCita LiveSite

LiveSite Portal Offers Complete Account History with 24/7 Convenience

• 80% of all bookings are now through vCita LiveSite, with prepayments eliminating no-shows and cancellations

• Automated notifications and reminders are key to client retention

• vCita LiveSite Portal provides 24/7 account visibility to bakery and clients alike


MDV Custom Cakes was founded in 2009 by Melody Velez in the Bronx, New York after she and her husband were the casualties of an economic downturn. After a layoff, Velez’s husband began his own construction company while Velez started a daycare. During this same time she became interested in baking cakes for special occasions. When family and friends began ordering cakes from Velez, she knew she had a business.  MDV Custom Cakes was born with Velez’s husband closing his construction business to become a baker at MDV.

Custom Cakes are Cooking
News of MDV Custom Cakes grew. Velez had a website and her business was real, but she was spending too much time on the phone scheduling tastings and booking orders. Velez went online and found the vCita LiveSite Web Engagement Platform, liked the user interface and decided to give it a try.

Ingredients that Take the Cake
It took minutes to add vCita into the MDV Custom Cakes website. With a LiveSite, clients could now book tastings, and in person, phone or Skype consultations online with just a few clicks. Velez integrated the entire vCita LiveSite suite providing a complete web-to-end solution.

A Recipe for Success
Velez’s business has really grown and she is even creating custom cakes for recording artists and other celebrities in New York City. Since integrating vCita LiveSite, at least 80% of all bookings are now through vCita. Clients can message or book appointments online, and also prepay for tastings using vCita Online Payments and Invoicing. Velez says prepayment has eliminated no-shows and cancellations.

“vCita makes it easier to do business as clients can book consultations or order on their own time. The LiveSite self-service client portal is a great resource for my clients as they can review past orders, payments and other information at their convenience—and they can even book appointments right from their account,” says Velez. “Plus, vCita Client Management lets me review the entire client conversation anywhere, anytime so I can easily track important information.”

Velez and her clients like the automated notifications and reminders, and Velez believes vCita has been instrumental in client retention. 

“vCita helps me stay on track and better run my business,” says Velez. “It’s so easy—why wouldn’t you use it?”  


 

Special thanks to Melody Velez, owner & cake artist at MDV Custom Cakes in North Bronx, New York. MDV Custom Cakes is a past recipient of "Best Cakes in the Bronx 2012" award and often featured in Contemporary Bride magazine. Learn more about MDV Custom Cakes on her website or contact Melody through her LiveSite.

Read more →

Mobile Tamale Dishes on vCita LiveSite: Online Scheduling Automates Deliveries

vCita Helps Latino Cuisine Delivery Serve Up 500 Tamales Every Weekend 

• 70% of all orders are through vCita LiveSite^TM Web Engagement Platform

• Tamale lovers order and pay online with complete visibility to their order history through LiveSite Client Portal
• Platform is the foundation of growing e-commerce food delivery business

Mobile Tamale of Vancouver, Washington is a local food service company that delivers high quality, nutritious tamales from the kitchen to the client’s front door. Founded by Norma Du, originally from the Boca Del Rio, Veracruz, Mexico, Du has taken this traditional Central American dish and created a mobile food delivery service catering to the southwest Washington community.

A Pickle Marketing Tamales

Norma Du began making and selling tamales when the recession impacted her house cleaning business. Tamales, considered a Holiday treat, were commonly sold by the Hispanic community during difficult economic times as an alternative income source. Du had always given tamales as gifts to valued clients so when her clients began ordering more tamales, Du knew she had a business opportunity.

Norma Du was receiving phone orders for tamales and her business grew. Former clients and referrals kept her busy and it was profitable. But she needed a better process than phone orders as her phone was ringing off the hook. She discussed her idea with Mickey Hayes, owner of One World Computing Concepts. Du wanted to make it easy for clients to order tamales for delivery, but she also wanted a payment system as well. Hayes, an experienced online marketer and developer, looked for a solution.

vCita: Made to Order
Hayes wanted to build Du a website where clients could order and prepay for tamales for home delivery. He looked at online invoicing software, but most offered limited payment methods.

“Mobile Tamale needed a mobile-friendly, Google calendar compatible solution that would monetize the mobile tamale business. It had to be intuitive so anyone, anywhere could order from any device,“ says Hayes. “I found vCita and after careful consideration, decided the vCita Web Engagement Platform was the best solution.”

Hayes built www.mobiletamale.com and integrated the vCita LiveSite into the website. 

This web-to-end solution includes everything from the visitors first encounter with Online Scheduling and Online Payments to Client Management on the business end. The traditional, static Mobile Tamale website was transformed into a LiveSite, offering a dynamic self-service portal. Now Mobile Tamale had an interactive process to feed hungry tamale lovers through their website. Next, Hayes integrated the vCita Web Engagement Platform into the Mobile Tamale Facebook page. 
    
A Tasty User Experience
Tamale lovers easily order and schedule delivery through the Mobile Tamale LiveSite.

Once the order is placed, the client receives a confirmation with a summary of the order and the time of delivery. The entire order history is available through the vCita LiveSite Client Portal every time a tamale client returns to the Mobile Tamale website.

Mobile Tamale receives a text confirmation to her mobile phone with all order information.  And for tamale loving social media enthusiasts, they can like, share and easily order tamales right from Mobile Tamale’s Facebook page using the vCita Facebook app. 

Mobile Tamale is Cooking Up a Revolution 
Mobile Tamale is hot as approximately 70 percent of all orders come through vCita LiveSite with the rest being phone orders. Du’s alternative income business has been so successful that she has scaled back to pursue other interests. Even though her vCita LiveSite takes orders 24/7, she now schedules tamale delivery only from Saturday through Sunday, with 400 to 500 tamales being delivered every weekend between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

  “Who would’ve thought that such a simple idea as making tamales, and adding a dash of technology and creative thinking, would lead to a growing, e-commerce food service,” says Norma Du. “vCita took an ordinary website and transformed it into a LiveSite, creating new sales opportunities and helping me deliver amazing service eliminating time consuming coordination. vCita really is the reason Mobile Tamale exists." 

Thanks to Norma Du, Owner of Mobile Tamale in Vancouver, Washington. Visit Mobile Tamale at  www.mobiletamale.com or call 360.619.8197. 

Read more →

Welcome to the vCita Partner Program

Welcome

This site is dedicated to providing our partners the resources needed to succeed.

Please take a few minutes to review this site as it has been specifically tailored for our partners to  successfully resell vCita.

For additional information, guidance or for help, contact your Channel Manager at partner@vcita.com or phone 855.824.8244. 

More About the Program

The vCita Partner Program offers an additional value-add to any online services offering—whether you are an online marketer, web designer or developer, a service provider or an online presence builder. vCita has designed our partnership offerings with you in mind, aligning to what you do and what you do best.

What makes vCita different from most partnership offerings is that vCita can become a bridge to other services within your portfolio. For instance, aligning vCita with email marketing as vCita calls-to-action can quickly increase email response rates—by a much as 70%. vCita has proven to increase response rates and seamlessly integrates with other email marketing software programs. Add vCita to Facebook to increase social engagement while creating another client engagement channel. Or add vCita “Pay Now” or “Schedule Now” calls-to-action on any of your client’s web pages and dramatically increase engagement while driving revenue for your client.

Plus, vCita is easy to install, simple to customize and is maintenance-free. Updates and new features are automatic. As a Web Professional, you'll  receive hands-on care with a vCita Channel Manager to help guide you. You get support and advice whenever you need it. Your Channel Manager will help you with your first sale through setup and beyond. Whatever you need, they have your back!

Join us today. Get more information on our Partner Program or email partner@vcita.com.

Now let's get started!

Read more →