Digital Guide

Rollout Kit for Appointments and Queuing Software

A roadmap for successfully introducing scheduling software at your institution.

What’s Inside

  1. The Eight Steps of a Successful Rollout

  2. Best Practices and Things to Know Before You Begin

  3. Helpful Checklists, Templates, and Launch Resources

 

Which Software Should You Buy? 💻 👀

Read: Picking Appointment and Queue Software for Financial Institutions

Implementing appointment and queue management software is your first step toward improving the client and staff experience. But purchasing this new software isn’t the end of your journey—it’s the beginning.

How that tool gets implemented (and how your software partner helps you) is critical to its success. That’s why it’s so important to know what’s coming, to be prepared, and to gather your data early.

To make the rollout even easier, the pros here at Coconut (who’ve helped 150+ institutions launch solutions) have created this handy launch kit, full of advice, checklists, and a roadmap for making your launch a success.

The Eight Steps of a Successful Rollout

The real work of the rollout begins before you even buy. It starts when you evaluate different partners and ask what sort of support they’ll provide.

For example, do you get a rollout manager? In-the-weeds assistance with your data migration? An implementation team that actually has experience working with banks and credit unions?

You’ll recognize a great partner right away: They’ll have a long list of financial institution customers and their representatives will be familiar with the regulations you fall under. In contrast, generalist appointment software companies may think “Jack Henry” and “Dodd-Frank” are … people on your team. And that may make the rollout difficult.

Once begun, the rollout process typically follows eight steps:

 

STEP 1:

Project Kickoff

To get started, your two teams will meet several times to discuss what’s to come. From your team, you’ll likely want to designate one “point person,” who’ll play project manager. Perhaps that’s someone from the experience or operations department, or if you have one, an implementation manager. That person will bring in all the others from IT/security, lending, and retail as needed.

If a complex integration is in order, there’ll probably be a separate meeting between your IT teams to talk tech and data.

During kickoff, you’ll set and assign mutual:

  • Objectives—ex: get 15% of clients to try it by May
  • Scope—roll out everything at once, or in phases
  • Milestones—the eight steps outlined below
  • Measurement—timing, usage, satisfaction, etc.
  • Responsibilities—consider using the RACI model

A good implementation partner will provide you a process to follow, with tasks for every step of the way. For ease, they’ll probably manage that in a project management tool, such as Asana. But if your organization isn’t allowed to use third-party tools, you can use a shared spreadsheet.

It’s always a good idea to “over-communicate” during kickoff. Tell your software partner everything, even if you think it’s obvious. Otherwise, you may leave the meeting with differing ideas of what “a good experience” or “get it done quickly” mean.

STEP 2:

Design, Configure, and Test

In this phase, you’ll receive your software login and start customizing things. You’ll want to brand the tool so it looks like your own, and doing so should be straightforward. Update your institution’s:

  • Logo
  • Favicon
  • Colors
  • Header graphic
  • Email messages

Next up is the data and integrations. Even if a partner has worked with hundreds of financial institutions, yours will likely be unique in some ways. Your technical teams will need to check all the boxes together to ensure the right data makes it into the new system.

To do this:

  1. Gather the pertinent data in a spreadsheet
    Locations (hours, addresses)
    Services and service categories (financial advice, loans, mortgages)
    Staff (names, departments, roles, permissions, contact info)
  2. Transfer the data
    Upload that spreadsheet to the new system
  3. Connect any necessary systems
    For example, Microsoft Active Directory, your single sign-on (SSO) provider, or a video call tool
  4. Decide on global settings
    This includes notifications, client views, and booking policies
  5. Purchase and configure any necessary hardware
    This may include tablets, TVs, headsets, HD cameras, and more

Once the software or hardware is set up, test, test, and test again. It’s important those tests be realistic, and involve actual users. Otherwise, people will find the bugs during launch, and that’ll slow things down.

STEP 3:

Train and Prepare

Train your administrators first. They’ll need to learn the system well enough to act like owners. Teach them how to manage the tool as each different user: agents, managers, contact center representatives, lobby managers, and of course, system administrators.

Next, train a small group of team leads who are eager to participate. These folks will be the easiest people to train, and they can then teach it to their respective teams. (E.g. “Alright everyone, here’s how I’ve been using this to get more meetings.”)

 

A few ideas for effective training:

  • Customize your materials—If your institution already has its own learning process, convert the partner’s materials to your own. It’ll be less disruptive.
  • Tailor the training to the role—Not everyone needs to know everything. At least not right away. Better to get them started, and let them develop their own questions.
  • Set up an appointment incentive program—Reward staff with bonuses, days off, or redeemable points to make the learning more rewarding.
  • Create an internal “playbook” or FAQ—Have those team leads write the guide, and add to it as questions arise.

Training Approach Guide

STEP 4:

Launch and Marketing

Depending on your rollout’s complexity, getting here could have taken three weeks to two months. You now have a choice: Do you launch the program one business unit at a time, or all at once? Both have pros and cons.

There’s also a marketing component to all this. You’ll need to do two pushes: one to employees, and one to customers or members. For both, you’ll have to tell them seven times in seven ways before things start to sink in. And they’ll have to use it several times to form a habit. Plan to promote the system again and again in the coming months.

Launch All At Once

  • Pro: Fewer moving pieces
  • Pro: Shows the organization’s commitment
  • Con: Can disrupt people’s work and cause initial confusion

Use this for: Speed

Launch Piece by Piece

  • Con: More moving pieces
  • Con: Less sudden and memorable
  • Pro: Allows you to learn, improve, and minimize disruption

Use this for: Learning

STEP 5:

Success Planning

Now that the tool is live and people are using it, how is it performing? Tie the solution’s performance back to SMART metrics (simple, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) and the key objectives by which people in customer experience, operations, and marketing measure their progress. If successful, the tool should improve customer satisfaction, help you book more meetings, and so on.

 

Potential areas to set your goals around include:

Customer or Member Experience

  • Number or % of appointments booked by clients
  • Shorter wait times
  • Higher CSAT scores

Staff Goals

  • High usages
    (70% plus)
  • Time-savings on appointment admin tasks

Branch Manager Goals

  • Stronger reporting on in-branch activities
  • Improved staff capacity or efficiency

Executive Goals

  • Impact on financial metrics or expansion goals
  • Increase in digital engagement

STEP 6:

1:1 Coaching

Continue to coach your team with regular training and office hours. It’s one thing for administrators to remember what they saw in a demo; it’s another for them to act as owners and  troubleshoot bugs under pressure on a busy day. Keep training until all those lessons fully sink in.

To find coaching opportunities, you can turn to data in your solution’s reporting. Here are a few examples:

  • Transcripts and audio recordings—If you conduct video appointments, review call records for training opportunities, or to highlight standout service to inspire your team.
  • Completion rates (platform usage)—If staff are marking appointments as completed in the system, you’ll know they’re actively using it. If the number is low, consider digging into why.
  • Appointment length, volume (by staff)—Check out individual stats to understand productivity, capacity, and opportunities to improve appointment quality (like reducing length with more prep work).

STEP 7:

Business Review

How has the overall rollout gone? Review your progress with the technology partner, your champions, and your executive sponsor at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days, based on the measurements you set at the start of the project.

Conduct an executive business review and ask yourself:

  • What went well?
  • What didn’t go well?
  • What can we start doing?
  • What should we stop doing?
  • Have we hit our scorecard goals?
  • Why or why not? What’s in our way?
  • Next steps?

Potential metrics to review include:

  • Total appointments and walk-in traffic
  • Staff vs. customers and members bookings
  • Popular appointment types
  • Staff engagement and usage
  • Average wait times and no-show rates
  • Customer experience survey results
  • Impact on financial metrics and goals

STEP 8:

Achievement

This stage is what it sounds like. You made it! You’re now realizing the benefits of appointment and queue management—namely, a better customer experience, more quality appointments, better data for marketing and staffing, and higher team satisfaction.

Now, you can switch to thinking about greater growth and maturity. If you decided to roll out the tool in phases, what’s the next phase? If it’s contributing positively to customer experience, how could it also be contributing even more to new accounts and retention?

A few projects to consider:

  • Develop a meeting certification program
  • Rotate your champions to new locations to train those staff
  • Regularly review appointment outcomes and satisfaction scores for training purposes
  • Schedule a review with your software partner to ask how you can get even more value
  • Ask your software vendor if you can pilot new features

Want to see even better results? Follow the best practices in the next chapter.

Best Practices and Things to Know Before You Begin

Now that you know the process, let’s explore ways you can make it smoother.

1. Gather Your Data Early

Rollouts sometimes happen out of order. If an institution didn’t prepare its data in time, it may have to proceed with the design regardless, and it can become a bit of a scrambled treasure hunt. Get your data sorted out early to save time.

What does “data” actually mean? You’ll need the following complete information in a spreadsheet. (Ask your partner for a template.)

Data Collection

2. Map Out Precisely What Appointment and Queue Software Will Do for Your Institution

This, more than anything, slows down rollouts the most: figuring out what the tool is supposed to do while implementing it. If stakeholders go into the rollout with only a vague notion, it’ll be difficult to make key decisions. For instance:

  • Do we plan to send SMS alerts?
  • Do we plan to offer video banking?
  • Will we need new TVs, kiosks, or other hardware in the lobby?
  • What information do we display on the client’s view when they book an appointment?

The best way to gather this? Talk with your software partner’s sales associate. List the problems you face, the causes, the solution (this tool), and the expected benefits. Then build a few flowcharts together, like the one pictured.

Sample Walk-in Queue Flowchart

3. Be the System Owner From Day One

During setup, avoid asking your vendor to set up everything for you. Instead, have your team do it themselves (or alongside your vendor) so they learn. People learn by doing, and it’s only by struggling through that they formulate the questions that lead them to true learning.

Make sure critical members of the launch team are well-trained on the system—especially if they’re the ones training others. Otherwise, their lack of expertise may trickle down and impact usage. It also creates the possibility that things don’t get set up right, and by the time you realize it, you may need to do a system cleanup or repeat training.

“One of my best clients had a smooth, seamless implementation from start to finish. I’d give them due dates and they’d say, “Let’s do it sooner.” They took a lot of ownership and did things themselves. As a result, they got set up faster and needed less help because they knew what settings to change.”

STORM DAVIS
Implementation Manager, Coconut Software

4. Know That the Toughest Part Will Be Getting People to Change

Just because clients can book appointments and staff can receive them doesn’t guarantee it will happen. People tend to resist change, so the success of your rollout largely depends on how well you “activate” the tool and get people to incorporate it into their lives. This is known as “change management.”

A few ideas to help:

  • Consistently market it, internally and externally, for at least one year
  • Have a themed launch celebration day with costumes, treats, and promotions
  • Offer clients a small prize for booking an appointment
  • Give the in-app copy some personality—possibly with emojis
  • Create how-to videos for both clients and staff
  • Create internal prizes: first appointment booked, most appointments booked, first person to fully set things up, etc.
  • Nominate an appointment software expert at each branch, with an incentive
  • Hold managers accountable for team usage and performance

Helpful Checklists, Templates, and Launch Resources

Want to speed up your implementation and roll out like a pro? Ask your software partner for resources, and check out the templates and checklists below.

Change Management Tips

Without staff buy-in and usage, you won’t get customers or members using the system. To help ease the transition to using new software, try to get as many of the items on this checklist done as possible before, during, and after the launch process:

☑️  Create an ‘FAQ’ for the initial introduction (See sample questions to answer below)
☑️  Create a table showing roles and responsibilities for frontline staff, managers, advisors, etc.
☑️  Clearly outline policies for appointment reminders, wait times, notifications, rescheduling, etc.
☑️  Host live in-person and/or virtual training sessions for questions and demonstrations
☑️  Create your own “how to” videos for folks to watch outside of formal training sessions
☑️  Add instructions or training tools to your learning system or training documents
☑️  Create formal training with a quiz to show certification with the system
☑️  Have super user/manager feedback sessions planned to learn about challenges or get feedback
☑️  Provide prizes or other incentives to staff who use the system, get the most appointments booked
☑️  Nominate a platform expert at each branch to help train others and handle questions
☑️  Regularly promote customer or member success stories internally

Internal Staff FAQ Sample Questions to Answer

  • What is the purpose of this platform?
  • How does it work, at the highest level?
  • What are the benefits it will bring to our organization? Our customers/members?
  • How will this impact my day-to-day tasks and responsibilities? (Based on role.)
  • How flexible is the system? What settings can we change ourselves?
  • What kinds of services will be available through this new system?
  • What do I do if I experience an issue or need help?
  • How and/or when will we receive training? What resources are available?
  • What is the launch day? What is required of me by this date? 
  • Are there any goals or metrics I will be responsible for?
  • How does this change our in-person experience? Our virtual experience?
  • Are there other options if customers or members decline to use it?

IT Team Task Checklist

☑️  Active Directory sync instructions
☑️  SSO sync instructions
☑️  Video software sync instructions
☑️  Allowed IP addresses list

Marketing Launch Checklist

 

Your Main Website

☑️  A direct link from your website home page
☑️  An embedded view of the booking site on your home page
☑️  A link in the header or footer of your website
☑️  Booking shortcuts (based on service, location, or staff member) on various relevant pages and/or your branch locator
☑️  Book directly from Google search results

 

In-Branch

☑️  Include links or QR codes to scan on in-branch signage
☑️  Promote on rotating digital displays (show a video or include a booking link)
☑️  Embed into welcome kiosk or iPad
☑️  Include links or QR codes on brochures, surveys, or other in-branch marketing materials

 

 

Digital Marketing Channels

☑️  Include booking links on monthly financial statements or recurring notifications
☑️  Conduct email marketing, or include CTA at bottom of all email campaigns
☑️  Add to staff email signatures
☑️  Share direct booking links on social media
☑️  Add direct booking links to mobile banking app

Roll Out Appointment Software With Coconut’s Team of Experts

Introduce self-serve appointments and queuing quickly and easily. 

✅ Built for banks and credit unions
✅ Seamless customer and member experience
✅ Launchable within weeks or months (not years)
✅ Industry-leading privacy and security standards
✅ Continuous innovation and improvements
✅ Unmatched support and strategic guidance

Speak to An Expert