What’s the best scheduling app for small businesses?

Nailing appointment management is key to ensuring smooth day-to-day business operations. But who has time for manual emails these days? Only 21.5% of emails even get opened (Campaign Monitor), making the back-and-forth of appointment scheduling overly time-consuming.

Thankfully there is a range of scheduling software for small business that can simplify your operations. Say goodbye to the hassle of managing multiple staff schedules and handling various services manually. With these apps in hand, you can effortlessly manage your calendar on the go and boost productivity.

Why use a scheduling app for business?

Small business owners can often be swept off their feet. Having automated booking software for small business gives you peace of mind knowing your appointments are sorted, but also the ability to manage your calendar from anywhere. 

A mobile business often relies on appointments, whether it’s a mobile salon, repair service or tutoring business. Maximize your bookable hours on the road with a small business scheduling app that helps manage appointments, prevent double bookings and ensure that your business operates smoothly.

For example, if your photography business offers outdoor photo shoots or on-location sessions, you need a dependable app that confirms appointments consistently, even without a signal.

But the benefits extend far beyond mere convenience. Small businesses in the service industry face the challenge of appointment no-shows, averaging around 10% to 15% (Finance Online). Embracing these apps helps keep customers reminded about their upcoming appointments.

Having direct communication with customers on your handheld device is one of many benefits. Send automated reminders to let them know you’re on the way, or reschedule appointments if something runs over. To help choose the right software, we’ve compiled a list of the best scheduling apps for small business:

Setmore: Simplified booking that spotlights your brand

A versatile and user-friendly appointment scheduling software for small businesses, Setmore caters to multiple industries including barbers, healthcare, wellness, beauty, education, and more. Easily oversee your calendar, automate reminders and empower customers to self-schedule appointments on your branded Booking Page.

Manage appointments on the go, access calendars, conduct video meetings and receive real-time notifications effortlessly from your smartphone with Setmore’s intuitive free scheduling app for small business. The ability to work anywhere also comes with 24/7 support from real people. 

Run a repair service? Collect on-site payments with Setmore, eliminating invoice chasing and allowing just online deposit collection. That way you’re on track and it’s convenient for both parties. 

Key features:

• Booking Page: Setmore allows you to create a personalized Booking Page that reflects your brand identity. You can customize the layout, colors, and logo to match your business theme, creating a seamless experience for your clients.
• Calendar integration: Seamlessly sync Setmore with Google Calendar and Office 365, ensuring that your personal and work appointments are automatically updated across all your devices and platforms.
• Video classes: Host virtual sessions, meetings or consultations with ease using Setmore’s integrations with popular video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet.
• Payments: Accept payments conveniently with Setmore’s integration with Stripe, Square, PayPal or LawPay, allowing you to streamline your financial transactions.
• Team management: Setmore offers flexible team management options, allowing you to assign appointments to specific team members or let clients choose their preferred service provider.

Price:

Setmore offers a free scheduling app for small businesses with basic features. For additional functionalities like SMS reminders and unlimited team members, you can upgrade to the Pro or Team plans.

Calendly: Hassle-free booking for global clients

Calendly is a top-notch appointment scheduling app for small businesses known for its ease of use and time zone-friendly features. It is an ideal choice for businesses with clients worldwide, as it ensures seamless coordination regardless of different time zones.

With Calendly’s mobile app, you can coordinate appointments with global clients, update availability, receive updates and send booking links conveniently on your smartphone.

Key features:

• Time zone adjustments: Calendly automatically adjusts appointment times based on clients’ time zones, eliminating scheduling confusion and reducing the risk of missed appointments.
• Customized appointment types: Create personalized scheduling links for different services or team members, ensuring that clients book the right appointments tailored to their needs.
• Intuitive interface: Calendly’s user-friendly design makes it easy for both businesses and clients to schedule appointments with just a few clicks.
• Global reach: Calendly’s time zone handling and language customization options make it an excellent choice for businesses catering to an international clientele.

Plans:

Calendly has four different plans aimed to cover every type of business. You can start with their Basic plan, which is free, but they upgrade to Essentials, Professional or Teams as your team expands. For greater customization and control, it’s recommended to go with one of their premium plans.

Square Appointments: All-in-one scheduling and payment solution

Square Appointments offers a comprehensive platform for managing appointments, processing payments, and providing exceptional customer service. It simplifies your booking process, allowing you to focus on delivering high-quality services to your clients.

Stay in control with on-the-spot bookings, automated reminders and the ability to send invoices from anywhere with their mobile app. Their online scheduling software for small business is blended through desktop and smartphone.

Key features:

• Payment integration: Seamlessly connect Square Appointments with Square Point of Sale to manage financial transactions effortlessly. Clients can pay for services directly at the point of booking, reducing the need for manual payment handling.
• Automated reminders: Reduce no-shows and keep clients engaged with automated email and SMS reminders. Square Appointments sends timely notifications to clients, ensuring they don’t miss their appointments.
• Team management: Efficiently manage multiple team members’ schedules and availability, making it easier to coordinate appointments for businesses with multiple service providers.
• Integrated solutions: Square Appointments streamlines both scheduling and payment, providing an all-in-one solution for businesses seeking efficiency and convenience.

Plans:

Square Appointments starts with Free plan for a single location. As your business grows, you can upgrade to their Plus plan for more features. Their Premium plan looks to provide a scheduling app for businesses with a more complete booking and staff management experience. 

Acuity Scheduling: Simple customer communication

Highly customizable appointment-scheduling app that caters to businesses of all sizes. Acuity empowers service-based businesses to personalize their reminders and follow-up messages. Set your availability preferences and tailor services offered to match your unique business model.

Easily register your scheduling app for small business using a URL or QR Code and manage appointments while on the move. Check your calendar, tailor schedules and monitor your packages, gift certificates and subscriptions all from your mobile.

Key features:

• Customizable scheduling: Acuity empowers you to set specific availability preferences, appointment lengths, and buffer times between appointments for a personalized experience.
• Group appointments: Easily host group sessions, workshops, or classes with Acuity’s support for group appointments. This feature is particularly useful for businesses offering webinars or virtual events.
• Intuitive client portal: Clients can conveniently schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments via the user-friendly client portal, enhancing customer satisfaction and engagement.
• Seamless integration: Acuity integrates seamlessly with popular calendar platforms and other business tools, allowing for enhanced efficiency and organized workflows.

Plans:

Acuity Scheduling comes with three price plans with various features: Emerging, Growing and Powerhouse. Additional features and functionalities are available with upgraded plans tailored to suit the needs of businesses with different requirements and team sizes.

Appointy: Ideal for large enterprises

Appointy’s appointment scheduling software caters to businesses of all sizes, from solo entrepreneurs to large enterprises. It offers a feature-rich platform that helps businesses stay organized while providing a seamless experience for their clients.

Access essential features, make appointments, and stay updated – all from your mobile device with their app. Stay connected and organized anywhere all the essential features of the desktop platform.

Key features:

• Automated reminders: Reduce no-shows and improve client attendance with automated email and SMS reminders sent to clients before their scheduled appointments.
• Multi-location support: Easily manage appointments and staff across multiple locations from a centralized dashboard, making it convenient for businesses with multiple branches or offices.
• Online payments: Accept secure online payments through integrated payment gateways, enabling clients to pay for their appointments at the time of booking, streamlining your financial transactions.
• Class scheduling: Appointy supports class and group scheduling, making it ideal for businesses offering workshops, fitness classes, or educational sessions.

Plans:

Appointy offers a package to suit various sizes of businesses: Free, Growth, Professional and Enterprise. While they offer solid appointment scheduling for small business, analyze what plan best applies to your brand; look for features, team sizes and benefits that work for you.

SimplyBook.me: Effective small business management. 

A simple appointment scheduling software for small businesses that helps efficiently manage appointments, services and customer reservations. SMEs seeking to showcase their diverse services and individual team members will love the tailored features. 

SimplyBook.me offers a customer-facing and business dashboard version of their mobile app. Customers can download your business app to book appointments while you get the freedom of managing your calendar wherever you are. 

Key Features:

• Booking widgets: Users can embed booking widgets directly onto their websites, making it convenient for customers to schedule appointments without leaving the site.
• Multiple services and team management: Businesses with multiple services and staff members can set up and manage their schedules separately, allowing clients to choose the service and staff member they prefer.
• Automated reminders: The software sends automated reminders to clients via email or SMS to reduce no-shows and help clients remember their appointments.
• Calendar sync: Integration with other popular online calendars helps prevent double bookings and ensures that appointment schedules are well-coordinated.

Plans:

From Free to Premium there are packages that cater to the needs of small business appointment scheduling or those with multiple locations. Explore the available features and choose the plan that best suits your requirements.

What is the best appointment scheduling app for small business owners?

Finding the best small business appointment scheduling software requires careful research. Each software is unique, and what works for one may not suit another. Consider factors like ease of use, integration capabilities and customer support. 

If you’re running a mobile salon you might face certain challenges such as managing appointments on the go while traveling to clients. Avoiding double bookings is a must, so you need reliable software that can confirm appointments for you in the background while you’re cutting bobs or coloring roots. 

More than 80% of customers prefer booking appointments on their smartphones (Zippia). A mobile-optimized Booking Page ensures they can book your time their way. An app that’s responsive to smaller screens guarantees a consistent experience—whether on desktop or mobile. 

Get an app that makes bookings and payments as convenient for customers as it is for you. 

Small business scheduling apps in a nutshell

By making an informed decision, you’ll boost efficiency and enhance your booking processes effectively. Think Setmore is the best scheduling software for your small business? Create your account for free.

Happy scheduling!

by Lee

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