Accepting online bookings isn't just about increasing your bottom line; it's also socially conscious. Social anxiety is incredibly prevalent, In fact, in the UK it's thought that around 7% of the population suffer from some form of social anxiety. That's 7% of the population who you may never get to visit your venue because of your booking setup.

Lots of people don't like doing phone calls, they find them awkward and often feel like they're being judged. So, by providing an online booking system, you're taking away that hurdle and making it easier for those with social anxiety to do business with you. Even if someone with severe anxiety manages to make the call to make a booking it starts of the experience with a negative feeling, by booking online you give them a positive start.

It's not just social anxiety that can be helped with online bookings. If you have customers with physical disabilities, again, it removes a hurdle for them. Those hard of hearing, or those who might need a little extra time with each step of the booking process. Online bookings give everyone a level playing field to make a booking.

Richard from Brighton suffers from severe anxiety when his local Italain changed to using online bookings - his words speak volumes:

"I used to love going out for dinner with my friends, but I always had to rely on them to organise, Don Vetieta's moving to booking on the web has meant that I can finally join in and take some control of planning my own social life again."

It's not just about making things easier for your customers, online bookings are also more efficient for you. Automating the process means that you can take bookings 24/7 without needing to have someone manning the phones. This obviously frees up your time to do other things and, and it means you can take a break without having to worry about missing bookings.

Overall, online bookings are a win-win for both customer and business. If you're not already offering them, why not give it a try? It might be just what you need to help increase bookings and give your business a boost.