The Software as a Service (Saas) market size worldwide has been continuously growing for years now. In fact, it’s end-user spending worldwide is forecasted to reach a whopping number of 171.9 billion dollars next year.
SaaS solutions are tools optimizing businesses’ every day tasks. Those include CRM and ERP software, project management software, expense management software, email marketing and social media management tools.
But what does all of this have to do with choosing an appointment scheduling app?
Given the fact online booking apps are part of the SaaS industry which is growing at a rapid pace, and the fact there are more and more scheduling apps appearing on the market, choosing the best one can be a hard nut to crack.
In today’s article, we’re giving you a hand and we share with you the top 5 features of the best online scheduling apps that you should look for.
Why do you need an online scheduling app?
But first, why would you want an online reservation app in the first place?
“I already have various effective booking ways, like email, telephone and SMS.” – you may be thinking.
If you’re only at the stage of thinking about getting a scheduling app, we have some arguments that will convince you that your business needs one right about now.
#1 Save time
Believe it or not, a good scheduling app will allow you to save loads of time. Here’s why.
An appointment booking app is like a self-driving car. Once you set everything up and turn autopilot on, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy work getting done on its own.
When you give your clients the option to book appointments using an app, the whole booking process takes place without your involvement.
Customers can just pick any day and time based on your calendar availability, choose their preferred payment method and… that’s it.
You don’t need to contact them to schedule a meeting, they don’t have to call you, you don’t spend time writing dates down and sending booking confirmations and reminders. It all takes place automatically while you can focus on other aspects of your business.
#2 Be open around the clock
Moreover, with a reservation app, your business pretty much becomes open 24/7/365 booking-wise. Whether you’re running a dentist office, a beauty salon or any other type of service business, you definitely have certain opening hours during which customers can book with your business.
Now imagine that with a booking app – such opening times simply disappear. Instead, customers can make bookings around the clock, all year rounds – unless there’s some type of a software update going on.
This is great for many reasons: again, you save time, you get more bookings and your customers become more satisfied with your business since they have that convenience of booking whenever they wish to.
#3 Increase productivity
Last but not least, with saved time and your bookings practically managing themselves on their own, you’ll be surprised how fast your productivity levels will skyrocket.
Perhaps now you feel overwhelmed by how time-consuming and distracting managing bookings is. Do they ever get in your way of completing certain tasks with the right amount of focus and precision? Or do you simply get so many bookings that managing them is simply starting to become a full time job?
With a booking app, you can say goodbye to frustration, distractions and finally get your tasks done with peace – faster than ever.
So, what are you waiting for?
Top 5 features to look out for in best appointment booking apps
Going on a hunt for a reliable reservation app isn’t the easiest task on earth. Choosing a solution that will meet all your demands like price, features, user experience and more can be a tough nut to crack.
You will need to be patient because there are many factors to take into account.
#1 Price
Number one feature of a reliable app for managing bookings is its price. The tricky thing about software prices is that they can be low, they can be high… and in fact you don’t know which one is better until you’ve properly tested a solution out.
Our word of advice here is to do some primary research and get a rough idea of the average pricing first. You might want to take a look at websites like G2 and Capterra – software review and comparison platforms perfect for comparing prices and more.
They’ll help you with finding out how much potential apps cost.
A good app shouldn’t cost you a fortune, but it definitely won’t be free of charge. Be aware of highly overpriced picks that will only affect your bank account balance in a negative way and nothing more.
Also, keep in mind that going for a slightly less expensive solution doesn’t have to mean they lack features or won’t deliver. A lot of the time, it’s quite the opposite actually.
While it’s good to have a budget in your mind, try not to be too strict about it and consider various options – from those extremely cheap, all the way up to those “top shelf” ones.
# 2 Variety of features
Moving on, a critical component of a reservation app you need to keep in mind is the list of the available features.
Now would be a good moment for you to take a step back and ask yourself: “What am I looking for in my perfect app for booking meetings with my company?”. And believe us, there are a dozen things to look out for.
A lot of the time, a mobile app goes together with an online booking platform as a whole, providing users with the ultimate package of rich features and settings.
Those include landing page and website builders, SMS messages, email and push notifications. Let’s also not forget about various integrations (like with Google and Facebook tools for example), as well as subscription plans and more.
A good application should offer you a selection of features to choose from, depending on the subscription plan you decide to go for. Usually, the more advanced your plan is, the more features you will have access to.
It is important to remember that developing a very good app takes time, effort and skills, among other resources. For this reason, to access certain features, sometimes you will need a more advanced (meaning expensive) plan.
Again, some research from your side might come in handy.
#3 Customer reviews
Next we have customer reviews – not so obvious topic.
While customer reviews have the power to convince people to buy something, they can also discourage them from doing so.
Many businesses today fail to successfully execute their customer review collection strategies.
They may have a wonderful solution, full of powerful features at a competitive rate, but they don’t necessarily pay attention to showing it to the world. This could be because they don’t know how to do so, they don’t feel the need to do so or simply can’t complain about their growth strategy.
These are so called “hidden gems” that you shouldn’t overlook.
On the other hand, there are numerous companies out there willing to literally buy fake reviews in order to promote their poorly developed tool or software – all to gain customers and lock them up in fixed contracts.
Try to avoid the second type at all costs and don’t be scared to search deep in search for “not-so-popular” options – you may be surprised how great they are!
#4 Technical support
Technical support is something that can turn out very beneficial if you’re not an IT-skilled individual, or you simply don’t have time to set up and integrate an app with your systems on your own.
Some of the most reputable solutions will offer you access to technical support throughout your whole user experience.
From setting everything up, integrating with your systems, showing you the ropes, all the way up to staying with you whenever you need any type of assistance.
Whether you think so or not, it will be very beneficial to have access to this type of help. It’s always better to take advantage of skilled and knowledgeable people in their field instead of wasting time on learning something that’s clearly out of your expertise.
Thus, while you’re on your hunt for the best booking app, do take the aspect of technical support availability into account.
#5 User experience
Last but not least, remember who you’re essentially mostly getting a booking app for – your customers.
Since your customers will be the ones using your app more (to make bookings, finalize payments, check your availability and more), you should take care of their experience in advance.
This means going for a solution that will not only be good for you, but that will also be good, responsive and functional for your customers.
An app worth attention is one that delivers great functionality to all users, not just admins. Here, it may be worth reading past reviews, and specifically, pay attention to what they say about user experience.
Be mindful of your customers and keep in mind that the easier you make it to book appointments with you, chances are that the more bookings you will get.
Another significant thing to remember is that you may have a very varied customer base age-wise. Thus, not all you customers are necessarily digital-savvy and might even struggle with figuring out your booking app.
Because of this, trying to find a solution that will be easy to navigate may be one of your top priorities.
Calendesk for the win
As you can see, there are many significant aspects that come into choosing the best app for managing your bookings: price, range of features, reviews, support and others.
Searching for the creme de la creme can be a time and energy consuming process.
Luckily, you don’t need to look any further – because there’s a solution called Calendesk right here.
Calendesk is the ultimate online booking platform and mobile app perfect for companies of all markets and sizes. Beauty salons, doctors, travel luggage agencies – anything you want. With Calendesk, you can effortlessly accept bookings, handle payments, generate landing pages and just deliver top quality service – automatically.
What else does it offer?
- Access to technical support,
- Affordable price, together with a free plan,
- Rich features,
- Great user experience,
- Satisfied users!
As you can see, Calendesk meets all the requirements. But who are we to tell you this if you can check if we’re saying the truth on your own? Just head over to this website and sign up for free.
Enjoyable mobile app and online booking experience is one click away.
All in all, we hope you liked this article and learned something new. If you’d like to learn more about reservation platforms and mobile apps, as well as their benefits, you can check this website out. Good luck!
