Best Scheduling Software for Small Business: 12 Tools to Consider

Does your to-do list look like this?

Sticky notes are great, but lose their luster once they pile up in bunches. During a busy workday, sticky notes get crumpled, ripped, and lost, resulting in missed calls, no-show appointments, and poor customer experiences.

You need a better way to manage appointments - and scheduling software is an excellent solution. It books appointments and tracks them over time, so you don't have to keep a stack of sticky notes on your desk or in your car. Instead, your scheduling software sends you updates, reminders, and other information that you can use to create a memorable customer experience.

In this post, I'll discuss the best scheduling software for small businesses. I tested several providers, recorded their pros and cons, and curated this list so you can find the best solution for your company.

Below are the top three scheduling tools I recommend for small business owners. You can also use the jump links below to find a specific type of scheduling software:

1. Thryv

Best For: Small Businesses with 1-10 Employees

Thryv is a business platform that offers several solutions for small business owners. Its Business Center provides scheduling software that syncs with your CRM, and your Google or Outlook calendar. It sends reminders to you and your customers, reducing no-shows and keeping the team updated if rescheduling occurs. Customers can book appointments directly from your company's local listing with the "Reserve with Google" feature.

Thryv's scheduling tool works great for events, too. It sends invites, accepts payments, and tracks registrants so you can communicate with them before an event. This tool removes some of the stress of hosting an event while balancing a busy work schedule.

Pros:

• It comes with a CRM.
• You can offer custom promotions and pricing packages to repeat customers.
• It's designed for individual and group meetings.

Cons:

• Large businesses may reach usage limitations.
• You need an online listing to use the "Reserve with Google" feature - learn how to create one here.

Price: $228/month for Plus, $382/month for Professional, $533/month for Unlimited

2. SimplyBook.me

Best For: Businesses Without a Website

My favorite part about using this tool is that I had a fully functional webpage ten minutes after signing up. I used one of its pre-made templates for my home page, selected my availability, and then used an AI assistant to produce an "About Us" section for my site. As someone who has designed websites in the past, I found this to be a quick and easy solution compared to other builders I've used.

Pros:

• It provides real-time customer support via online chat.
• You can create web pages in minutes.
• There are QR codes that direct people to your signup page.

Cons:

• Account settings can be confusing to navigate.
• The calendar interface doesn't have weekly or monthly views.
• There are a lot of cookie tracker pop-ups.

Price: Free to get started; $8/month for Basic Plan, $25/month for Standard Plan, $50/month for Premium Plan

3. Zoom

Best For: Quick Meetings with Clients

Zoom became incredibly popular following the COVID-19 pandemic. Why? Because it provides free video conferencing for up to 40 minutes each call. It's ideal for quick meetings, and you can host as many meetings as you would like with a free account - when one session runs out, you can create a new link for another. The only catch is that you are limited to 100 attendees per meeting, so you'll need to upgrade to use Zoom for bigger online events.

Pros:

• Zoom connects to your Gmail and Outlook Calendars.
• Provides whiteboards that you can edit as a team during meetings.
• There are unlimited meetings each month.

Cons:

• Free plans limit calls to 40-minutes each.
• You can only have 100 participants in each meeting, unless you pay for the Business Plan.

Price: Free to get started; $13/month for Pro Plan, $18/month for Business Plan, $22/month for Business Plus Plan, custom pricing for Enterprise Plan

Free Scheduling Software for Small Business

If you are looking for a free scheduling solution, there are plenty to choose from, but here are my top three.

4. Appointy

Best For: Sales Teams

Appointy is a tool for sales reps who attend several meetings each day. When you open the app, a dashboard summarizes your schedule and makes it easy to see who you need to meet with that day. You can also check in from the same page and view details for each appointment. It's a valuable solution for sales teams constantly connecting with new customers.

Pros:

• It's web-browser-based and easy to get started.
• There are reporting tools for monitoring performance.
• Appointy provides marketing tools and incentives like gift certificates and coupons.

Cons:

• There is no built-in CRM, but it has CRM-like features.
• The free version is limited to 100 appointments each month.

Price: Free to get started; $20/month for Growth Plan, $50/month for Professional Plan, $80/month for Enterprise Plan

5. Calendly

Best For: Booking Meetings with New Customers

Calendly is a handy tool for scheduling one-off meetings. A calendar with all your scheduled meetings appears after selecting the "create meeting" option. From there, you can choose when you're available and send a link that shows your availability. You can also connect tools like Zoom to host video calls directly from your Calendly invite.

Pros:

• There are automation features for sending emails and reminders.
• Calendly provides unique settings for holiday availability.
• You can embed signup forms on your website.

Cons:

• Free plans are limited to one event type.
• You can only connect one calendar and use basic integrations.
• There are limited options for customization.

Price: Free to get started; $12/month for Standard Plan, $20/month for Teams Plan, custom pricing for Enterprise plans

6. Square

Best For: Businesses with Online Stores

Square is a scheduling tool with several features targeted at e-commerce websites. For example, if customers want to book multiple services simultaneously, they can group them into "packages" or create a custom order using "modifiers." Item categories also make navigating your site easier and help customers find specific services they want to book. These features make it convenient to book one or multiple appointments online for companies that provide a range of services.

Pros:

• The free plan provides a lot of advanced features.
• You can put clients on a "waitlist."
• It's compatible with Instagram.

Cons:

• Some features may not be as valuable if you don't have an e-commerce website.
• It can be challenging to navigate at first.

Price: Free to get started; $29/month for Plus Plan, $69/month for Premium Plan

Employee Scheduling Software for Small Business

These tools are excellent for managing work schedules at your business. They ensure you have enough team members to complete a project or meet customer demand.

7. 7shifts

Best For: Restaurants

7shifts is great for restaurant owners who want to manage their team schedules efficiently. It helps you meet customer demand and create schedules based on your business's revenue. You can also collect employee feedback and measure your team's overall satisfaction. That way, you can keep employees happy and reduce turnover at your restaurant.

Pros:

• Great for restaurants with or without a point-of-sales system.
• It has an intuitive onboarding process for new users.
• It provides job-posting features.

Cons:

• Free plans are limited to one location.
• Employee feedback is only available with paid plans.

Price: Free to get started; $35/month for Entrée Plan, $80/month for The Works Plan, $135/month for Gourmet Plan

8. When I Work

Best For: Brick-and-Mortar Retail Stores

When I Work is similar to 7shifts, except it markets to retail shops rather than restaurants. It also has a "WorkChat" feature to message your coworkers in real-time. This feature is useful for reassigning shifts when employees call out sick. There are also payroll tools built directly into the scheduler. These features ensure team members are paid fairly and on time.

Pros:

• Forecasting tools can assist with budgeting.
• WorkChat sends both individual and group messages.
• You can have unlimited users.

Cons:

• Approval is needed to access payroll features.
• There are limited customer support channels.

Price: $2.50/user/month for Essentials Plan, $5/user/month for Pro Plan, $8/user/month for Premium Plan

9. Deputy

Best For: Businesses with Multiple Locations

Deputy is a helpful platform for business owners looking to manage a large team. The "open shift" feature alerts employees when a new shift is available so everyone can request it. There's also an "Insights" tool that monitors labor costs and helps you stay within budget - you won't overschedule your team, but you'll also have enough staff to manage foot traffic in your store.

Pros:

• The free plan supports businesses with multiple locations.
• The newsfeed lets you share updates with your team.
• You can assign tasks to individual employees.

Cons:

• Employee schedule templates are only available with paid plans.
• It may be less useful for smaller teams.

Price: Free to get started; $6/month for Premium Plan, custom pricing for Enterprise Plan

Job Scheduling Software for Small Business

These tools help you book appointments with customers and create landing pages and signup forms for your website.

10. Acuity Scheduling

Best For: Tech-Savvy Business Owners

Acuity Scheduling is ideal for tech-savvy business owners who want to build signup pages. It gives you a template for each page and lets you customize elements like font styles and URL structures. There's also a coding feature that you can use to adjust the design of your page so it looks like the rest of your website.

Pros:

• This tool is very customizable.
• You can create different appointment types.
• You can embed signup forms on your website.

Cons:

• It takes some time to set up.
• Some coding knowledge is required to use the "Advanced CSS" feature.
• It works better if you have a website.

Price: $16/month for Emerging Plan, $27/month for Growing Plan, $49/month for Powerhouse Plan, custom pricing for Enterprise Plan

11. Zoho Bookings

Best For: Businesses with Consistent Working Hours

Zoho Bookings is great for small business owners who work on a fixed schedule and want a low-touch scheduling solution. This software begins by asking you to set your working hours; then, it creates a signup page that you can share or embed into your website. If you want to reschedule or cancel an appointment, you can easily do so through a drop-down menu in the "Status" column. Overall, Zoho Bookings is a simple tool and ideal for business owners who may be new to this type of software.

Pros:

• It's compatible with most CRM software.
• It integrates with video tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
• It can estimate revenue based on appointments/services booked.

Cons:

• There are limited customization features.
• Online payments are only available with the Premium plan.

Price: $6/user/month for Basic Plan, $9/user/month for Premium Plan

12. Reservio

Best For: Businesses with a Strong Social Media Following

Reservio has a built-in CRM that creates new contacts or "clients" as appointments get booked. You can set a "meeting status" and mark whether a client has confirmed their attendance or you're waiting to hear back from them. Its sharing options also make publishing your meeting link to your social media channels easy. While it has many of the same features as the other providers on our list, Reservio is a well-rounded tool that's ideal for most small businesses.

Pros:

• The "Book Now" button can be embedded on your website.
• There are QR codes for sharing your meeting link.
• You can import existing clients via CSV files.

Cons:

• It may have limited features for some businesses.
• The booking page is informative but not very customizable.

Price: Free to get started; $9/month for Starter Plan, $18/month for Standard Plan, $37/month for Pro Plan

What is the best scheduling software for small business?

The right solution will depend on your budget, needs, and the customers that you work with. However, there are some features that you should look for in your scheduling solution.

Your scheduling software should have the following:

• A calendar that shows all of your meetings
• The ability to integrate your existing calendar and meetings
• A landing page where customers can book appointments
• Automated reminders that update you about upcoming meetings
• The ability to sync with (or embed) forms on your website

It's nice if it also has:

• Payment software
• A built-in CRM
• Event registration
• Marketing tools (coupons, promotions, QR codes)
• Employee scheduling features

Pick the Right Scheduling Software for Your Business

It's time to put the sticky notes away - and you won't regret it if you do. If you're unsure where to start, sign up for a free trial and see if you notice the difference. From there, take notes about what you like and dislike, and return to this post (if needed) to find the right solution for your business.

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