RMS Studios
RMS Studios’ old booking system was a scrappy notebook and pen before new owners came in and turned things around with Jammed
November 23, 2022
When RMS Studio owners Dan and Eddie first met 20 years ago, it was in the very same London-based studio they would come to co-own. The firm friends and business partners have since brought the studio into the 21st century, while maintaining their homely, laid-back vibe.
RMS Studios websiteInheriting an antiquated cash and paper booking system was problematic
Both Dan and Eddie had worked at the studio under the previous owner, so they knew all too well how inefficient and disorganized the booking system was when they took over.
She had a pretty old system and all the bookings were done in a big paper book… she was only taking cash.
Double bookings were not uncommon as some customers booked over the phone and others in person, with cancellations being either rubbed or scribbled out, leaving staff to make sense of it all.
[our old booking system] was just a nightmare and you'd be like 'what does this even mean?'
They were also all too aware that the studio had missed bookings when phone calls went unanswered because there were plenty of other studios nearby to take their custom.
Other booking software was not a good fit
One of the first things Dan and Eddie wanted to do as studio owners was find a system that would allow them to access a studio calendar from their phones. They tried doing it themselves with Google Calendar but couldn’t get it to do what they needed after weeks of trying.
They quickly realized there wasn’t much choice out there for a booking app that had the functionality they needed. The nearest they got was for hairdressers because that allowed them to book appointments, but the visuals were irrelevant to the music industry and “looked totally stupid”. Plus, they wanted to do more than just book an appointment.
Jammed was the only thing that was doing what we needed. I don’t think there was anything else that came remotely close.
More than just a booking app
Eddie and Dan have really benefited from having some of the studio admin automated through Jammed. They especially appreciate the reminders customers receive about their upcoming reservations and know they’d never get round to doing it themselves.
You’d have to be super organized to be emailing all your customers a day before just to remind them they’ve got a rehearsal tomorrow. It’s way too complicated – we would never have done it.
They also like that Jammed makes customers aware of the studio’s cancellation policy from the beginning. It helps people adhere to it but doesn’t stop Eddie and Dan being able to consider personal circumstances when choosing whether to enforce it.
They cancel for all sorts of different reasons, but I think having it in Jammed makes it completely different to pen and paper.
RMS Studios take full advantage of the extras that Jammed offers their business. Managing equipment rentals and parking spaces when both are limited is proving so much easier with the app. And they certainly don’t miss all the handwritten notes left around the place to let people know what equipment is needed, when and where.
They’ve found that a lot of new customers book online and prefer to click through the app to make a reservation, but old regulars can still call up and chat with someone to make a booking that staff can then quickly enter into Jammed. Flexibility is key to appeal to all customers.
A service that gets “100% high fives all round”
Dan and Eddie seem very impressed by the response time of the Jammed helpdesk.
You guys are bang on it within the hour. Unless you’re really really really busy and then it’s an hour and 10 minutes. So yeah, absolutely no compliant. 100% high fives all around. Take my money!”
They also like that any questions or problems they have are resolved super quickly too.
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