The Spread of 'Online Booking' That Saved Me, a Shy Person Who Hates Phones
For about 10 years, ever since I was a high school senior, I have been going to a small hair salon in town that was slow to adopt an online booking system, so for a long time, I could only make appointments by phone.
I have a long-standing relationship with the female staff at the salon, but even though we are well-acquainted, for someone like me who is shy and struggles with talking to people—a 'socially awkward' person—the act of 'making a phone call' was a form of penance.
* * *
First, I have to make sure the shop is within business hours.
If it turns out to be 'We're closed today,' I wouldn't be able to recover.
To avoid panicking and stumbling over my words, I plan ahead before calling: 'I'll state my name first, then convey the desired date, time, and menu...'
While feeling anxious, wondering, 'Will my voice shake?' or 'Will the rhythm of the conversation match up?', I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
Finally, I gather my resolve, type the shop's phone number into my landline or mobile phone, and wait for them to answer with a 'ring, ring, ring...'
The sheer, bizarre tension during that time is just...
Once the ringing stops and I confirm the person on the other end has answered and identified themselves, I state my name, desired date and time, and desired menu all at once before my mind goes blank from nerves.
Since my articulation isn't very good, I wait intently for the other person's reaction while feeling anxious about whether what I said was conveyed accurately.
Once the scheduling is done and I hear them say, 'We'll see you on the XXth at XX o'clock,' I reply, 'Thank you, goodbye,' and hang up. Then, I let out a sigh of relief, thinking, 'Phew, it's finally over...'
The time this takes, in my experience, is about 10 minutes.
* * *
Just making a phone reservation causes me this much stress and mental burden, draining my energy.
Moreover, every time I book a haircut or color once every month or two, I have to endure this pain over and over again.
One day, while I was still going to the salon as usual, thinking, 'Isn't there some way to fix this?'
The female staff member gave me some happy news at checkout: 'We can take bookings via an app now, so please scan that QR code and download the app.'
It finally happened...!! Yes, I've been waiting for this!!
I went home immediately, opened the app, and checked the screen...
Select Menu
Select Staff
Select Date and Time
Enter Personal Information
Booking confirmation
With these steps, the booking was completed in less than 5 minutes! Wow, I'm so impressed!!
Being able to book at any time I like, regardless of the shop's business hours, and above all, no longer having to force myself to make a phone call, has suddenly lowered the hurdle for booking, and I've been able to go to the hair salon more easily than before.
The online booking system is a great invention for those of us who are shy and socially awkward.
At this rate, I just hope that the 'certain family dentist' I've been going to since I was a child and the 'certain medical clinic' I visit once a year for my company health checkup will also move forward with establishing online booking systems.