6 Key Features Every Scheduling App Should Have

How long were you on the phone today dealing with booking, cancelling or rescheduling appointments? Probably too long. The solution? An online scheduling app.

Now imagine the same scenario, but with a scheduling app. You would eliminate all of that wasted back and forth on the phone and have more time to spend on doing the tasks that require your attention. Think about all the time you and your customer would get back in your day.

A scheduling app facilitates the booking process by making it easier for customers to schedule time with you by eliminating any unnecessary back-and-forth emails and calls. It also enables you to speed up your sales process by allowing prospective and current customers to schedule appointments based on your availability when it's best for them. 

Key Scheduling App Features

Depending on your business and what kind of booking software you are in need of, you may have specific and more advanced requirements. However, there are a few essential features every scheduling app should have.

Scheduling App Feature #1: Fast and Simple Customer Scheduling

At the very least, a scheduling app should provide customers with a calendar of you and your employee's availability in your organization so they can schedule an appointment or reserve a time slot simply by providing some information. 

This self-service tool reduces the time-consuming task of back and forth phone calls trying to set an agreed-upon date and time as well as the need for the extra phone calls to customers to retrieve missing information to fill in the blanks. 

The scheduling process should be intuitive, easy, and quick for your customers. This also benefits your business because this eliminates removes the room for human error and double booking.

Scheduling App Feature #2: Calendar Management 

Keeping track of your own schedule is hard enough so when you add your employees' schedule and your customers’ to the mix, it becomes nearly impossible. A scheduling app provides convenient calendar management, which enables you to create appointments and meetings on your calendar, show availability, and seamlessly share them with all of your employees and customers. 

This reduces the risk of human error because everyone is given access to the same information that can be accessed anywhere and anytime. It also provides flexibility. Your customers have access to your availability so they can schedule a convenient time that works for both of you.

Scheduling App Feature #3: Automated Messages

Sending reminder alerts are critical. Sometimes we don't have a pen and paper to write the information or maybe we forget to mark down an appointment in our calendar and we end up being late or completely blowing it off — without even realizing it. This happens more than we'd like to admit. That's why sending automated reminder alerts are so critical.

Automated messages enable you to send automatic notifications — through email, phone call, or text message — to customers about upcoming appointments. This saves time through automated booking management and communications. It also helps to provide notice of cancellation or rescheduling, quickly refill empty slots by adding the new available to the calendar, and reduce the number of no-shows.

Scheduling App Feature #4: Real-Time Automated Booking

Unlike bookings that are input manually, when an appointment request is made, the system can automatically confirm or deny it, depending on your availability. This feature is especially helpful for mobile workers.

Any booking made in the field is automatically uploaded to the software where you and all of your employees can view it. Customers can also schedule their own appointments in real-time online or through a mobile app. Modern appointment scheduling software is able to recognize this and scans all of these sources in real-time, which eliminates double bookings.

Scheduling App Feature #5: Mobility

You should be able to access your scheduling app on your mobile device so that you can check your schedule, manage bookings, and take control of your calendar wherever your business takes you. 

An online booking system has to be mobile-friendly for your customers as well. The design has to be mobile-first so that your customers can easily and conveniently book your services on the go using any smart device — without any friction.

Scheduling App Feature #6: Integration with Other Tools

When a customer books a time slot with you, the time is blocked off on your calendar and a confirmation is sent to the prospect or customer who made the appointment. This simplifies the scheduling process so you can make more bookings in less time. 

Your scheduling app should be able to work with your payment processor and your CRM software. You can integrate your payment tool into your booking system to enable customers to pay ahead or put a deposit down which makes payment easier and reduces no-shows.

Your scheduling app should also integrate directly with your CRM system so you can keep track of your contacts and appointments. 

Perks of a Scheduling App

The speed and ease of online bookings save staff time and improves customer service. The convenience of automation that a scheduling app provides is a game-changer for businesses of all sizes. But when you are choosing what scheduling app is right for you, you have to be sure it includes the key features listed above. 

Are you ready to increase your number of bookings and grow your revenue by improving your customer experience leading to happy and loyal repeat customers? If so it's time for you to consider GoSite's Booking tool.

GoSite’s Booking tool integrates with Payments and our CRM software to ensure that you keep your appointment calendar full and your day efficient. Leverage a scheduling app to optimize your time, reduce cost and boost profits to grow your business.