What if I say your business may lose 21% of the yearly revenue due to no-shows!
Yes, businesses that earn more than $120,000 as annual revenue may lose as much as $26000 due to no-shows. That makes owning a dynamic appointment booking tool mandatory.
Though I’ve seen several appointment scheduling apps, they don’t all fit in. This blog will walk you through the top 10 appointment scheduling software.
Let’s start!
What is an appointment booking tool and why it matters?
An appointment booking app or tool is a business tool that enables users to schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments online through a web platform. When a user wants to book an appointment, they access the appointment scheduling interface – a business website, social media page, or any other interface – and choose an available date and time according to their requirement.
Let’s see how appointment scheduling apps work and why they’re important for your business.
On the backend of appointment scheduling apps, you enter parameters about booking a call. For instance, you can set the business hours, dates, staff availability, or other resources available. Such appointment booking apps prevent double bookings, and missed appointments, and provide your team the flexibility to take up calls according to their availability.
Using an appointment booking tool has several benefits. Here are a few that scream how important they are for businesses.
They prevent no-shows.
Did you know that an average relevant team spends only 12.5 minutes on the phone with a client, which is one of the primary reasons for a 40% no-show rate?
An appointment booking app can reduce no-shows by 29% with automated reminders. The tool can integrate with your client’s online calendars and send automated reminders to your busiest clients. Thus, you can expect a surge in attendance and a decline in no-shows.
They can help you rank better on Google.
‘Near me’ searches have increased exponentially in recent years. In 2020, 93% of consumers used online searches to find a local business. Also, local and organic searches make up 69% of overall digital traffic. Hence, a strong local presence is important for all businesses.
Using appointment scheduling apps is one of the best ways to boost your local presence. The best appointment schedulers use the Reserve with Google service to ensure clients can see companies nearby. Thus, the service enables them to book appointments directly from Google.
They help to boost conversions.
Convincing visitors to take up appointments is a challenge. Without a strong and action-triggering CTA, you can miss out on a lot of revenue. On the other hand, a strong CTA can increase conversions in software sales by 32%.
Appointment booking tool links can be integrated with your CTA so that when visitors click, they can directly book an appointment. Further, you can also include the link in your lead nurturing emails, website, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media profiles. This will make your marketing efforts more integrated and boost customer engagement.
10 Appointment Booking Apps to Look Out For
1. RevenueHero: Best for efficient lead and meeting distribution
This appointment booking tool can help you automate everything that comes between form fill-ups and lead meetings. Capture leads, track them, route them automatically to the right sales reps, and schedule meetings instantly. All-in-all, RevenueHero is not just a scheduling platform but also software to route your leads, nurture and respond to them to boost conversions.
Key Features
- Qualify and distribute leads along with instant meeting scheduling
- Personalized templates to send meeting invites
- Automatic lead to account matching
- Monitor conversion metrics in real-time
- Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, Google Calendar, and several others.
Pros
- Instant lead qualifying, routing, and scheduling
- Reduce double booking and no shows
- Easy-to-use interface
- All-in-one lead management solution
- Detailed reports for analysis
Cons
- Initial learning may take some time due to multiple functions
Pricing
- Contact for pricing or get an early access
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2. Acuity Scheduling: Best for individual professionals and newbies in tech
This cloud-based appointment booking tool is like a personal assistant for scheduling that handles everything related to appointment scheduling. With Acuity Scheduling, clients can see your real-time availability, choose their date and time, and make payments in advance via Square, PayPal, and Stripe.
Key Features
- The software offers functions of client and database management and accounting as well.
- Client self-scheduling feature
- Automated meeting scheduling, alerts, and follow-ups
- In-app subscriptions, memberships, and gift certificates
- Set a limit to the number of appointments (like 5 client appointments per week)
Pros
- Payment and scheduling reminders automation
- Easy customization and sync with calendar apps like iCloud, Google, Office365, and Outlook
- Flexibility with scheduling options
- Easy-to-use interface, integrations with Zoom, and payment apps
Cons
- Complex email functionality
- Less responsive and limited API
Pricing
- 7- days free trial plan
- Emerging - $14 per month
- Growing - $23 per month
- Powerhouse - $45 per month
3. HubSpot Meetings: Best for HubSpot CRM users
Enable your prospects to book a meeting with multiple staff of your company easily and efficiently. The HubSpot appointment scheduling tool connects to the HubSpot contacts database and automatically syncs any new user booking an appointment with you.
Key Features
- The software integrates with Google and Office 365 calendars and other business tools.
- Like the rest, HubSpot also enables you to embed your scheduling link on the website.
- Create customized emails with available templates
- Automatic syncing of new contacts or clients who book a meeting for the first time
Pros
- Eliminates double booking risk
- Easy and efficient scheduling
- Easy navigation and intuitive interface
- Email templates available
Cons
- Customization is available when used with other HubSpot software
- Premium pricing
Pricing
HubSpot Meetings is free as it comes with HubSpot CRM software which has the following pricing.
- Starter - $45/ month
- Professional - $1600/ month
- Enterprise - $5000/ month
4. Calendly: Best for user-friendliness & cost efficiency
Calendly is an appointment scheduling tool that’s easy to use. You can simply set the calendar rules, share the link to the scheduling page, and customers can start scheduling appointments. Clients can only see the available time slots and can select the one that fits their schedule.
Key Features
- Appointment scheduling automation for individual professionals as well as teams
- The platform works for scheduling one-to-one meetings and identifying collective availability.
- Adjustment of availability times according to the user’s time zones
- Integrations will be significant business tools like Zoom, Salesforce, Zapier, Stripe, and PayPal for receiving payments.
- Automation sequences and meeting reminders
Pros
- Easy to use with minimal setup requirements
- Several branding and customization options
- Affordable pricing
- Perfect navigation of time-zone differences.
- Automatic synchronization with Google Calendar and Zoom
Cons
- Users may experience synching errors
- Unresponsive page while appointment scheduling
- Slow customer service
Pricing
- Basic – Free version
- Essentials - $8/ seat/ month
- Professional - $12/ seat/ month
- Teams - $16/ seat/ month
5. YouCanBook.Me: Best for automated messaging
If you are a business that sends ‘thank you’ emails to clients now and then, this appointment booking tool will do it for you. The software also streamlines appointment-related messaging, including cancelations, rescheduling, reminders, and confirmations. Overall, the appointment scheduling platform is easy and efficient.
Key Features
- Share your availability slots with clients to book appointments
- Create a scheduling page each for different scenarios
- Personalized emails and notifications
- Integrations with Zapier, Zoom, Google Meet, Stripe, Gmail
- Customize your profile with brand color, logo, and profile image and embed in your website for the best scheduling experience
Pros
- Visually attractive interface and easy to understand
- Easily shareable booking links
- Automatic breaks between meetings
- Enables the creation of multiple event types that can be scheduled.
- Link multiple booking forms to one calendar
Cons
- The system does not recognize former bookings, and there’s no automation surrounding that.
- Initial setup is slightly complex for a few users
Pricing
- Free forever
- Paid plan - $10 per calendar/ month
6. Appointlet: Best for free appointment scheduling service
This appointment booking tool lets clients book unlimited appointments in different languages. Moreover, businesses can book unlimited meetings for free. The software also enables prospects to connect with you directly from your landing pages, sales funnels, and landing pages.
Key Features
- Share meeting availability by generating a link and sharing it across multiple platforms.
- Appointlet automatically schedules and updates meetings in your and your client’s calendars.
- Customization options available for confirmation emails and reminders
- Automatic reminders and notifications
- The appointment booking tool enables you to schedule breaks between events.
Pros
- Easy-to-use platform makes booking meetings easy and efficient.
- Custom availability display
- Create breaks between meetings
- Easy to customize
- Sync with calendar
Cons
- Too many types of meetings may confuse users
- Page loading issues
- Email preview isn’t available
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Premium - $8/ member/ month
- Enterprise – Contact for pricing
7. SimplyBook.Me: Best for international businesses
SimplyBook.me is a simple yet very effective appointment booking tool that can help your clients book appointments 24/7 and receive reminders to prevent no-shows. The appointment scheduling software can book appointments in different languages, making it easier for clients worldwide to book a meeting with you.
Key Features
- The software supports around 14 languages for scheduling appointments.
- Easy-to-use interface with all services, providers, and availability details.
- Online bookings can be done from Facebook, Google, and Instagram pages through a link other than the website.
- Accept bookings 24/7
- Customization options to design your unique booking website
Pros
- Customize all reminders and notifications for clients
- Efficient bookings across several locations or video meets
- Powerful group booking features
- Integrates with Stripe, PayPal, Squarespace
Cons
- Inability to batch edit schedules for multiple services
- Users cannot book multiple time slots at a time
- Does not integrate with an online video conferencing tool
Pricing
- Free plan available
- Basic - $8.25/ month
- Standard - $24.9/ month
- Premium - $49.9/ month
- Premium Plus - $82.5/ month
8. Zoho Bookings: Best for overall business management
Zoho makes your schedule management perfect and helps manage other business aspects. Zoho Bookings works best for those using the other offerings by Zoho. The platform covers different tools, making it robust, intuitive, and a feature-rich tool kit. The appointment scheduling tool integrates with other Zoho apps, including Calendar, Meeting, CRM, Sites, Flow, and Assist.
Key Features
- The appointment booking software integrates with Zoho Calendars, Google, and Office 365.
- The tool automatically marks slots unavailable as they get booked.
- Get an appointment within a set scheduling window, no last-minute bookings or 6-month advanced bookings.
- Set buffer times and session breaks
- Set time off and special hours
Pros
- The UI is easy to understand and navigate
- Affordable pricing structure
- Integrations with Zoom, Outlook
- Personalization for emails
Cons
- The integration process could be easier
- Slight issues with bookings not appearing as activities, tasks, or meetings
- No sync feature with Google Calendars
Pricing
- Forever free plan for one staff
- Basic - $6 (₹360) per staff/ month
- Premium - $9 (₹540) per staff/ month (Additional costs for the extra workspace)
9. Picktime: Best as Free Scheduling App
This appointment booking tool allows you to schedule meetings, classes, and interviews seamlessly. It syncs well with Google, Outlook, Office 365, Exchange, and iCloud Calendars and shows your real-time availability. The appointment scheduling platform is a one-stop solution for your scheduling needs.
Key Features
- Picktime offers 24/7 online scheduling, invoice generation, and team management features.
- Automatic reminders to prevent no shows
- End-to-end comprehensive reports on business activities
- Generation and tracking of invoices, bookings, and refunds
- Collect feedback from customers (launching soon feature!)
- Integrations with PayPal, Stripe, Square, Zoom, Skype, WordPress, Weebly, Zapier, Google calendar, etc.
Pros
- Easy-to-use appointment scheduling tool
- Track all scheduled meetings with detailed descriptions
- All-in-one platform with invoicing, payments, etc. features
- Ability to book appointments directly from Google maps.
- Several integrations
Cons
- There is no way to notify all members about a meeting time or venue change. The attendees can be notified when there’s a cancelation.
- Takes time to learn to use the platform
- Time slots may be confusing
Pricing
- Free plan
- Starter- $9.99/ month
- Pro - $19.99/ month
10. Square Appointments: Best for large businesses
If you are a Square payment software user, check out the Square appointment booking tool for hassle-free scheduling. Using both enables you to simplify the scheduling and checkout process. The appointment scheduling platform has several features and is easy to set up.
Key Features
- The appointment scheduling tool allows clients to book, cancel, and reschedule meetings at any time.
- A feature to display your availability and business hours to block specific times when you’re unavailable.
- Multiple staff and location management in a single place.
- Integrations with Square Payments, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Calendar.
Pros
- Easy appointment management and integrations
- User-friendly interface
- One-click view of the entire business schedule
- Instagram and Facebook integrations
Cons
- Approval text messages
- Limited colors, designs, and brand customization options.
- Character limit on service list
- Errors in sending notifications and reminders to users
Pricing
- Free plan - $0/ month plus processing fees
- Plus - $29+/ month plus processing fees
- Custom – Contact for pricing
Final Note
Whether you are a B2B business or an individual professional, appointment scheduling must not take much of your time. Hence, finding the right appointment booking tool to manage bookings seamlessly is a must.
Get a full-featured appointment scheduling platform to handle your clients well, reduce no-shows, and level-up conversions.
Try out RevenueHero to ensure you have the best of all appointment scheduling apps!
