We are excited to introduce the latest innovation from our IT Development team: an in-house Scheduling system now live in Goldstar. Developed with our core value of innovation in mind, the Scheduler is a tailored tool designed to provide seamless customer appointment management and to enhance productivity for our team and customers alike. 

Why We Built It In-House 

At the core of our IT Development strategy is a commitment to building or acquiring custom solutions that align with our unique needs. By developing proprietary systems like the Scheduler, we avoid the limitations of one-size-fits-all products and ensure we retain ownership and control over the software critical to our operations. When our contract with our previous scheduling system neared expiration, it presented the perfect opportunity to curate a tailored solution that would go beyond the capabilities of an external provider. 

Key Improvements and Features 

Our new Scheduler is integrated with Microsoft Outlook to streamline appointment management and improve efficiency, offering several key benefits. 

• Automatic Calendar Synchronization: When a customer schedules, reschedules, or cancels a meeting, the Scheduler automatically updates the user’s Outlook calendar in real time. This feature not only saves time but ensures both customers and employees have up-to-date information. 

• Real-Time Availability: The Scheduler reflects employee availability from their Outlook calendars, dynamically adjusting available time slots on the customer interface. As a result, customers see only open slots, eliminating the need for back-and-forth scheduling adjustments. Employees, however, are reminded to keep their Outlook calendars current to ensure accurate availability. 

• Customizable Settings: Employees can now manage their own service offerings from their Goldstar user profiles. This feature creates a fully customized experience for each user to define and update their schedule and control what services they offer all directly in the system. 

• Personalized Scheduling Links: Each user has a unique account link in their profile, which can be included in email footers or shared directly with customers. This link enables clients to book appointments with the relevant employee directly, providing clients a more personalized experience with the people you know. 

Development Process and Milestone 

Our team embarked on this project in May 2024, navigating through rigorous design, development, and testing phases. The system was meticulously coded from the ground up, ensuring it met our standards of functionality, security, and user experience. Today, we’re proud to announce that the Scheduler is fully live as of October 31. 

This Scheduler exemplifies our approach to IT Development—investing in solutions that not only improve our internal processes but also elevate the service experience we provide our customers.  

We look forward to seeing how it enhances the day-to-day operations for our employees and the ease with which customers can now schedule appointments. For any questions or additional information on the Scheduler, please feel free to reach out to IT. 

Core Value: Innovation 

We identify, develop, and deploy customer value through leading technology and process improvement tools. This increases our productivity, improves the customer experience and drives the sustainability of the company long term.