AV Chartered Accountants | Save Time in Your Small Business with Appointment Booking Apps Article

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Save Time in Your Small Business with Appointment Booking Apps - 16th August 2017

Like other time saving apps, tools designed to automate your booking calendar are a huge boon to busy small business owners.

Put an end to time-wasting telephone tag and those endless back and forth emails with any of these 4 popular scheduling apps.

Calendly

Calendly is a popular app for consultants, coaches, solopreneurs, freelancers and other professionals who regularly book client meetings. With a clean intuitive interface, invitees can choose from a selection of available times; Calendly will instantly add the meeting to all relevant Google, Office 365, iCloud or Outlook calendars.

This scheduling app conveniently integrates with other business integrations, too, including Salesforce, GoToMeeting, join.me, Zapier, Slack, and Mailchimp for a streamlined user experience. Completely customisable and mobile-friendly, Calendly can handle one-on-one bookings or schedule group meetings in a snap.

You can test drive Calendly's Pro features free for 14 days, then downgrade to basic or premium service - or stick with the Pro package for US$12/month. Check out Calendly's complete list of features on the app's website.

Setmore

Service professionals appreciate the simplicity of this handy appointment scheduling app, which allows them to share availability and manage appointments via Android, iOS and web apps and even accept payment upfront, online or in person.

Setmore's automated email and SMS appointment reminders decrease the incidence of no-shows, and users can sync their booking calendar with social integrations like Facebook and Instagram, their website, CRM, and a host of business integrations including Mailchimp and Google Analytics.

Check out this scheduling apps free service, as well as its Premium plan features priced at just US$25/month.

Doodle

A freemium, mobile-friendly scheduling app, Doodle is used by business owners looking for a flexible tool that can support collaboration between both individuals and groups.

Like other appointment booking apps, Doodle syncs appointments to participants' calendars (including Office 365, Outlook, iCal and more) but with Doodle you can create a poll to find the "sweet spot" for the best possible meeting time among multiple users.

Although there are perks to upgrading to the premium version, such as customization and efficiency features, the free version of Doodle is quite sufficient for the average user. The private and business plans cost US$39 and US$69/month.

Acuity Scheduling

A favourite of entrepreneurs, freelancers and creatives, this scheduling app lets users offer gift certificates and packages in addition to schedule management. Another bonus: Acuity Scheduling can sync with your sales CRM and list management software for added efficiency.

Acuity is known for its user-friendly customer support. You can access video tutorials or sign up for interactive webinars to get you up and running with this scheduling app quickly.

It's free to sign up for Acuity Scheduling's most basic "solo" plan, with paid options that can handle up to 36 staff calendars. The "Powerhouse Player" with advanced premium features costs just US$34/month.