List of ten best appointment scheduling software tools for Small Businesses

Technology innovation has afforded a measured degree of productivity to small businesses. When we talk about appointment scheduling software, we immediately see some notable advantages that the technology offers to business companies.

With in-built reminders, alerts, and notifications, these software products are today becoming an instrumental part of the core operations of a business. They can’t afford the absence of these features in their corporate function.

For example, Healthcare industry experiences hundreds of billions of dollars’ losses resulted from patient no-shows, as the report points out.

Therefore, the productivity of solutions offered by appointment scheduling software is visibly impressive in boosting your business’ administrative efficiency, customer engagement, a better synergy between sales and marketing, and inducing so many benefits.

What is Appointment Scheduling Software?

In the most simplistic term, an appointment scheduling software allows businesses and professionals how to manage the scheduling of appointments and bookings or automate scheduling tasks, in order to…

• Manage and control customer footfalls on-premises.
• Ensure that the service requests correspond to staff competency.
• Enhance operational and staff productivity.
• Reduce the workloads on staff.
• Manage online appointments effectively.
• Help your business organize, save time, and be punctual with appointments.

With the use of customizable and scalable scheduling software solutions, the notable benefit of enhanced customer service efficiency is also set to happen, apart from depleting the counts of no-shows.

Mentioned below is the list of the ten best appointment scheduling software that small businesses can leverage for the efficiency and productivity of their core operations.

The Working Mechanisms of Appointment Scheduling Software:

• It allows customers to book an appointment digitally or by calling a customer care center. They can select desired service, or staff, if available. Later, the customer is informed about the booking confirmation.
• As the appointment date draws near, a reminder, along with a check-in link, is sent to the customer.
• Customer chooses to check-in by themselves with the help of the link sent via reminder.
• The customer gets a mobile ticket followed by the check-in to monitor his place slotted in the appointment sequence. Entry to the venue is not allowed until the customer’s turn is confirmed.
• The customer is called after confirmation of their turn and receives the service.

List of Best Appointment Scheduling Software for Small Businesses

1. Acuity Scheduling

The intuitive setup mechanism of cloud-based Acuity Scheduling, among its other salient features, places it on the top chart in the list of appointment scheduling software. It comes equipped with robust integrations, calendar customization, affordable pricing, a user-friendly interface, and supports nearly 36 users. From its inception in 2006 to now, Acuity Scheduling has grown to become instrumental in the digital management of appointments for small businesses. Apps of this software are compliant with iOS and Android-based devices.

Salient Points of Acuity Scheduling

• A user-friendly, cloud-based appointment scheduling software that features an intuitive setup.
• Suitable for small businesses, medium businesses, and enterprises.
• Free trial to assess the viability of the software for their day-to-day business scheduling needs.
• With the ability to put your brand on reminders and follow-up communication, it drives growth in your sales and marketing campaigns.
• You can integrate the platform with digital payment solutions like PayPal and Stripe, to help your customers pay easily after scheduling an appointment.

2. Calendly

Founded by Tope Awotona in 2013, Calendly is a user-friendly and robust scheduling software currently managing scheduling for more than nine million businesses and individuals. The software has a valuation of over $3 billion in the market.

It works as a personal assistant for numerous companies for helping them save time, boost sales volumes, and enhance service quality. It is deemed as an efficient replacement for outdated ways of scheduling appointments via email, interviews, calls, demos, and phone tags.

Salient Points of Calendly

• Allows scheduling meetings professionally and efficiently.
• Rules out chancing upon the hassle of back-and-forth emails.
• Auto-piloting your entire meeting workflow, sending reminder emails to everything as a professional assistant.
• It lets you schedule meetings with prospects in a few clicks – reduces cancellations.
• By booking meetings and other appointments faster and easier, it helps you utilize your time effectively.
• Eliminates the chance for double bookings as the software connects all your calendars that you can customize based on needs.
• The buffer feature of the software allows you to take intervals between meetings before the next appointment.
• With the ability to detect time zone, the software automatically shares the right time conducive to the customers based on their location. So, it eliminates the problem with appointment times.

3. Checkfront

Checkfront offers a seamless and cloud-based booking and customer management solution. equipped with several useful tools, the software also features integration with several famous digital services so that users can make the reservations and bookings fast and easily.

Payment processing facilitated by the software accentuates another feature of it, aside from allowing you to maximize your data from your analytic tools.

The first official launching of the software was in 2009 to integrate appropriate websites and services and facilitate booking processes, reservations and payments faster for the online buyers.

Salient Points of Checkfront

• Easy bookings with real-time calendar availability.
• Faster payment processing, and quick email confirmations.
• Allows your guests to self-book on your website using a live calendar facility and mobile-friendly booking steps.
• Centralized dashboard to keep track of bookings, get real-time business insights.
• Automates repetitive tasks, thus reducing workload considerably.
• Several famous payment systems, integrated with the software, allow you to make an easy upfront payment, seal the deal for businesses and customers.
• Equips with SSL security protocol to protect all accounts and cloud-based database. Supports devices based on Android, Windows, iPhone/iPad, Mac, and web-based.

4. Picktime

Founded in 2017, Picktime is a creative appointment scheduling software making inroads to success with its innovative features and customizations.

Touted as one of the most beautiful appointment scheduling software products for small businesses, Picktime is a budget-friendly software offering many features such as -

• Scheduling appointment.
• Sending reminders.
• Invoicing.
• Managing teams.,
• Syncing Google, Outlook, Exchange, Office 365, and iCloud calendars.

Salient Points of Picktime

• A creative appointment scheduling software that allows you to sync your Google, Outlook, Exchange, Office 365, and iCloud calendars with it.
• Host of features like sending reminders, invoicing, scheduling appointments, and managing teams make it one of the best software products for small businesses.
• Allows you schedule appointments, class bookings, and interviews.
• Eliminates a chance for double bookings or missed meetings.
• Protects your digital payments via PayPal, Stripe, and Square.
• Depletes the numbers in no-shows.
• Simplifies your Virtual Meetings and Classes via integrations with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Jitsi Meet.
• Track the activity of your business located elsewhere, from a single dashboard.

5. Square Appointments

Square Appointments, founded in 2009, has been one of the most productive software tools for small businesses. It showcases a host of powerful features, such as sales tracking, appointment scheduling, inventory management, and a default system called POS that executes real-time tracking of payments for individuals and businesses.

Salient Points of Square Appointments

• Android and iOS supported mobile app to manage appointments on the go.
• Synchronize your schedule across diverse time zones.
• Contains features like Google calendar sync, automated emails, text reminders, multi-location management, and Data Security (PCI) compliance.
• Business-centric benefits such as multi-location stock management, automatic inventory sync, and custom email marketing campaigns, etc.
• Apart from being cloud-based, it is also available in apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android.

6. Appointlet

Founded in 2012, Appointlet is seen as a productive software solution for problematic email overload and scheduling madness.

It helps streamline your appointment scheduling and allows you to share personal bookings with your customers and prospects. Simple and user-friendly, this cloud-based appointment scheduling software solution is functional on any device.

It is productive for sales by allowing you to focus on sales while reducing the times for going back and forth scheduling meetings and appointments.

Salient Points of Square Appointlet

• It entails a variety of features, including custom branding, multi-languages supported booking pages, and customizable reminders, calendar syncing, and integration all over your sales funnel.
• Helps you save time and eliminate manual reminders & appointment administrative tasks, thus reducing your sales cycle.
• Your time booked by your customers and prospects is automatically added to your calendar and theirs.
• Boosts conversion rates and closed sales by 300 percent, as prospects book you at the peak of their interests.
• Offers convenient and simplified online booking experience to your customers and prospects, thus helping your business gain loyal customers.

7. Setmore

Founded in 2011, Setmore offers an appointment scheduling software solution for customers to streamline booking appointments directly from social media. It enables you run your business like clockwork by helping you manage appointments through a single dedicated digital calendar planner.

It eliminates the hassle of dependency on invoices, as you can receive payments easily and safely online with help of its streamlined and optimized payment system. The process of booking appointments is made simplified and you can send reminders to customers easily.

The software is also compliant with cross-device platforms like desktops, tablets, and phones. It comes equipped with different features, such as –

• Automatic booking confirmation.
• Sync calendars.
• Social media integrations.
• Custom branded messages.
• Email and text reminders.
• Reporting tools for tracking your performance.

Salient Points of Square Setmore

• Multi-featured elements to streamline your appointment scheduling needs.
• Available in free, premium, and pro pricing tiers.
• Allows you to modify your virtual office with personalized page URLs, colors, logos, etc.
• Setmore calendar can be integrated with your preferred apps to make scheduling seamless.
• Customize your schedule planner by creating custom-branded URL, adding your logos, and integrating with website and social media.

8. Doodle

An online scheduling service provider, Doodle simplifies scheduling meetings or evens for people with other people experiencing conflicting schedules. This is why Doodle is called a best team scheduler, as it lets your handle meetings with a team of nearly 20 attendants whose time zone varies from one another.

Salient Points of Doodle

• A web-based scheduling application with apps supported on iPhone and Android devices.
• Removes the chance for double bookings by allowing you to sync your Google calendar, Office 365, or iCal.
• Give a clear visual snapshot of your availability to outsmart back-and-forth emails. Quick and collaborative.
• Checks availability of key attendees across different time zones to ensure nobody is left from attending the meeting.
• Keeps all the updates and reminders in one place, thus making everyone’s inbox clean.
• Keeps every attendee on the same page about the meeting, due to its integration with Zoom, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

9. Appointy

Appointy is online scheduling software that makes it easy for you to automate scheduling and drive growth to your business. The mission-critical solution it offers is reducing hours of admin work, no-shows, and manage your staff, get more clients and have the freedom to customize your available slots, calendar, receipts, SMS, and emails.

This intuitive software has a powerful user interface, helps you grow and manage your business, and enables staff productivity by automating daily tasks. It has also a very unique feature to let you customize a possible length of an appointment and the number of possible attendees who would sign up for the meeting.

Salient Points of Appointy

• Simple yet powerful appointment scheduling software with a user-friendly and great user interface.
• With web-based scheduling its features, you don’t have to rely on email/call back-and-forth.
• Daily tasks are automated efficiently which ensures that staff productivity is boosted and the entire schedule is managed in one place.
• Bookings can be received directly from your Facebook, Instagram, or Google and your business website.
• Helps you get to understand your customers in a better way and deliver a personalized experience to them.

10. 10to8

One of the finest appointment scheduling software tools for small businesses, 10to8 is galloping on success, considering more than 50,000 businesses worldwide use the software.

It offers a plethora of exciting features which qualify it to become one of the most sought-after tools for small businesses looking for quality appointment scheduling tools best suited to their business needs.

Salient Points of 10to8

• Brings down no-shows by nearly 90 percent, due to automated booking reminders attendees receive via SMS, Email, and even Voice Calls.
• Allows to set up 2-way calendar sync with Google, iCal, Exchange, Office 365, and Outlook. The system can be integrated with any website.
• Features native integrations with Zoom Video Conferencing and Salesforce.
• Allows better engagement with sales prospects, interview candidates, or students.
• Helps you improve customer retention.
• Helps you organize your team’s schedule, bring your clients and staff together in the right place, at the right time. It ensures the elimination of wasted time for your business.
• You can fetch data on staff performance, track attendance, the popularity of your services, and report on no-shows.
• Helps your clients book and manage their appointments.

Conclusion

Small businesses can bring forth several notable changes in their business by choosing the right appointment scheduling software best suited to their business and budgetary requirement. Thankfully, there is no dearth of innovative appointment scheduling software tools, some of which we have recommended in the above details.

The point is, when it comes to tackling business challenges smartly, anything that is deemed prudent to solve such challenges must be added to the business. Appointment scheduling software tools have made it simple for businesses to cut short on time and budget to book appointments with customers and prospects without an outcome of no-shows of the attendees scheduled for a meeting with you.

Based on the details furnished above, you can make an informative decision as to which type of appointment scheduling software tool you should choose for your business purpose. You can also visit their websites to know more about pricing details, features, and plans.