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Booking software for Council services

Registration appointments have taken over the switchboard, every service has its own slots and officers, and reminders cut absences where they cost most.

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The challenges facing council services

  • Registration appointments have taken over the switchboard

    It has become the first reason people ring, for something the resident would happily do themselves in the evening. The officer gets their mornings back.

  • Every service has its own slots and officers

    Registration, planning, housing, revenues. Neither the same durations, nor the same people, nor the same public opening hours.

  • A missed registration appointment costs everybody

    A lost slot means three more weeks of waiting for somebody else. The reminder is not administrative comfort.

  • The resident arrives without the right documents

    Photographs, proof of address, the previous certificate. The list goes out with the confirmation or the visit gets repeated.

  • Slots fill in waves

    Before the holidays, before the school year, before the wedding season. What is visible online spreads over several weeks; what goes through the counter concentrates on three days.

How Kagenda helps

  • The problem

    Registration appointments have taken over the switchboard

    With Kagenda

    Clients book from your page, even while you are with someone else or closed.

    24/7 online booking

  • The problem

    Every service has its own slots and officers

    With Kagenda

    Every session in one place, by day, week or month.

    One central calendar

  • The problem

    A missed registration appointment costs everybody

    With Kagenda

    Texts and emails go out before every appointment, with nothing to remember.

    Automatic reminders

  • The problem

    The resident arrives without the right documents

    With Kagenda

    Confirmed, moved or cancelled — both you and the client are told.

    Email notifications

  • The problem

    Slots fill in waves

    With Kagenda

    Each service gets its own slots: some in the morning, others late in the day.

    Hours per service

The features that matter to you

  • 24/7 online booking

    Clients book from your page, even while you are with someone else or closed.

  • One central calendar

    Every session in one place, by day, week or month.

  • Automatic reminders

    Texts and emails go out before every appointment, with nothing to remember.

  • Email notifications

    Confirmed, moved or cancelled — both you and the client are told.

  • Custom fields

    Ask your questions at booking time: reason, history, expectations.

  • Hours per service

    Each service gets its own slots: some in the morning, others late in the day.

  • Client records

    History, preferences and follow-up notes gathered on one record per client.

  • Fewer no-shows

    Reminders, required confirmation and a deposit: three brakes on last-minute drop-offs.

Practical guide: Council services

  1. One diary per service and per officer, with their real public opening hours.
  2. One service per transaction — birth registration, notice of marriage, planning advice, blue badge — with its real duration.
  3. The document list in the confirmation message, different for each transaction. That is what avoids the second visit.
  4. An SMS reminder the night before on registration appointments. That is where an absence costs the authority most.
  5. A "number of applications" field: a family of four does not need the same slot as one person.
  6. Open online booking beyond opening hours. Residents deal with this in the evening.

Frequently asked questions

Can a council use private booking software?

Yes, and most do — but three things have to be checked before you buy. Procurement: above the relevant threshold the Procurement Act 2023 regime applies, and below it your own contract standing orders and a framework agreement usually give the cleanest route. Accessibility: under the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 any service you put in front of the public must meet the required standard and carry an accessibility statement. And data protection: you remain the controller, the supplier is a processor, an Article 28 contract is required, and a Data Protection Impact Assessment is expected for a new public-facing service. Ask about hosting location and retention before signing.

How long should a registration appointment take?

Statutory registrations set the shape rather than the clock. A birth must be registered within 42 days and a death within five days in England and Wales, eight in Scotland; notice of marriage must be given in person at a register office and there is a statutory waiting period before the ceremony, longer where immigration referral applies. Registrars commonly allow thirty minutes for a birth or death registration and longer for notice of marriage, where both parties attend and documents are examined. Set the durations your service actually needs.

Can I give each service its own diary?

Yes, each with its own officers, durations and public hours.

Can the document list go out automatically?

Yes, different for each transaction.

How do I cut absences at registration appointments?

With an SMS reminder the night before.

Can I match the duration to the number of applications?

Yes, with a field that lengthens the slot.

Ready to simplify your bookings?

Create your account in minutes and let your clients book online starting today.

No credit card · Ready in 5 minutes