For small businesses, appointment scheduling software is one of the most cost-effective ways to help your front-end staff-especially if you are juggling calls too often. The effects of this type of software can be even bigger if you are able to employ an IT support company like HTL.London to help you automate some of those scheduling procedures and make sure all your other systems are running properly.
But it all starts with your choice of scheduling software. With that in mind, here are some of the best solutions available today.
1 - Doodle
Doodle offers booking software for small businesses, and much more. Doodle allows you to book meetings, appointments, communicate, organize, and track your changes from one platform. It even accommodates multiple time zones. Doodle also specializes in confidentiality, keeping data confined to only you and attendees.
Pros:
- Free plan and has a free trial option.
- Excellent security options.
- Great to organize meetings with several attendees
- Integrates well with Zoom and other existing platforms.
Cons:
- Lacks advanced features.
- UI can feel lacking.
- Not a great fit for service-based industry booking.
Doodle is great for companies that regularly schedule and organize online meetings. It will help limit the number of emails coming in and out of your inbox. You can keep meetings organized and confidential for attendees.
2 - Square Appointments
With Square Appointments, your clients can book you at times that work best for them. Square also features SMS text and email reminders, allowing you to reduce appointment no-shows and keep communication open with your clients.
Businesses with short sales cycles will find the most value in Square Appointments' all-in-one booking and payment solutions.
Square's free customer booking link allows you to display the services you offer, making it easy for your customers to claim the spots they need. Square also integrates with Instagram allowing customers to book appointments directly through your page. Businesses can choose when to require payment; at checkout, via invoice, or at the time of booking.
Pros:
- Easy and simple to use.
- Free for individuals.
- Includes auto-responding and SMS texting.
Cons:
- Not ideal for longer sales cycles.
- Multiple users increase the cost.
If you already use Square, Square Appointments can streamline your sales and appointments. Individual users can use Appointments for free but adding more users can become pricey-especially for smaller businesses.
3 - Honeybook
Honeybook is a CRM at its core, and it is great at helping businesses manage customer relationships. Companies looking for an all-in-one project management, booking, and payment solution will find great value here.
Honeybook can save time and keep costs low making it great for creative and consultative entrepreneurs. You can track everything in one place, reducing the need for multiple tools-Honeybook allows you to capture leads on ads and start tracking interaction, from your site and even Facebook. The scheduling feature allows you to set your availability and for clients to choose the spots they need, and Honeybook can send out auto-replies and reminders.
Pros:
- Money-back guarantee.
- Great customer support.
- Projects and clients are unlimited.
Cons:
- SMS reminders require integration.
- Packages are not customizable.
