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What Is Scheduling Automation? How to Use It for Your Small Business
Automating your appointment scheduling process can save a lot of time, resources and frustration for you while creating a better booking experience for your clients.
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For small businesses, scheduling client appointments can become a hassle quickly. Coordinating availability via email, sending calendar invites, generating video conferencing links and rescheduling last-minute changes manually all take valuable time and attention away from more important tasks.
Scheduling automation solves this problem by eliminating the back-and-forth and simplifying the process for business owners and their clients. Here’s a quick guide to automating your appointment scheduling and how to find the right tools for your business needs.
This article is sponsored by Squarespace.
What is scheduling automation?
Scheduling automation, sometimes referred to as automated scheduling, is the process of configuring a software tool to coordinate and manage your business appointments automatically.
Instead of emailing back and forth to find a time to meet and sending a calendar invitation manually, clients can choose from available time slots in a preset calendar that’s synced with your individual calendar (or multiple calendars if needed).
You can set parameters within the scheduling tool to block out certain days of the week, time slots or date ranges to ensure your clients are only choosing dates that work for you. The system then confirms the appointment, creates a calendar invitation and reminders for guests and generates a meeting link if it’s synced with your existing online meeting software. If a conflict comes up, the auto-generated reminders and invitations include a link for easy rescheduling.
Benefits of scheduling automation
There are virtually no downsides to scheduling automation and plenty of benefits you can enjoy. Here are a few good reasons to consider adding an automated scheduling tool to your tech stack:
- It’s faster and more efficient: Scheduling automation eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and manual calendar updates. Your scheduling software will send a meeting invitation to all parties’ calendars with relevant details like meeting links and agendas automatically. Not only does this save you the trouble of generating these invitations and links yourself, but it reduces the likelihood of link errors or missing information.
- It reduces missed appointments (and potentially lost revenue): Automated confirmations and reminders, as well as a simplified rescheduling process, reduce the likelihood that someone will miss a meeting. For many businesses, client meetings — whether they’re sales calls, project sync-ups or service appointments — translate into revenue, so fewer missed appointments mean fewer lost opportunities.
- It improves the customer experience: Clients can book, reschedule or cancel appointments instantly at their convenience. They don’t need to wait for a reply or confirmation from you or your staff. Automated scheduling also means you’ll never inadvertently double-book your calendar and have to disappoint a customer by moving their appointment time at the last minute.
Cris Gordon, founder and president of CB Communications, said scheduling automation is “a total game-changer” for business productivity and professionalism.
“Instead of trying to coordinate calendars … or loop in my assistant, I can just send [contacts] my [scheduling] link,” Gordon told business.com. “They book the time, the Zoom link is automatically created and it’s locked into my calendar. That immediate automation helps us capture interest in real time and keeps my days running smoothly.”
This type of tool can also help increase the efficiency and capabilities of individuals who are running a one-person business.
“I wear every single hat,” said Kimberly Blair, a solopreneur and founder of The Guides Holistic Therapies. “[Scheduling automation] empowers my clients to book their appointments easily and independently of a receptionist, which frees up my time to allocate to other business needs.”
Scheduling automation tools for small businesses
If you’re ready to reap the benefits of scheduling automation tools, here are some of our top picks for small businesses, including use cases and key features.
Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling from Squarespace offers an all-in-one scheduling automation solution for businesses of all sizes. With Acuity, you can embed your booking page directly into any web platform, making it simple for customers and clients to self-book. The software features workflow automations that let you send out email and SMS booking confirmations, along with short message service (SMS) reminders, to reduce the likelihood of no-shows.
“Acuity Scheduling [is] hands down my favorite tool for setting meetings and managing my calendar,” Gordon said. “It links directly to my calendar and integrates with Zoom, which makes it incredibly seamless.”
Small business owners especially appreciate Acuity’s affordability and ease of use.
“I use Acuity Scheduling for all of my appointments,” said Katya McEwen, a business coach and founder of Oracle Cards Magic. “It’s inexpensive, integrates well with my calendar and is simple enough for one-off calls as well as ongoing group events.”
One especially useful feature for service and e-commerce businesses is Acuity’s built-in payment processing. The platform manages payments from Square, Stripe and PayPal and offers subscription setup and management for recurring purchases.
Calendly
For small businesses looking for a straightforward automated scheduling solution, Calendly is a top contender. It connects your business and personal calendars to auto-configure your availability or you can set specific blocks of available time. Calendly is particularly beneficial for booking one-off appointments where you don’t need to collect payment or additional information in advance, such as discovery calls.
Jobber
Designed specifically for field service businesses, Jobber simplifies the processing of booking leads, scheduling customer visits and assigning employees to those visits. With Jobber, customers can request an appointment directly from your business website, social media profiles or Google page. The software also sends out automated visit reminders to customers, as well as mobile push notifications for employees on the go.
SimplyBook.me
SimplyBook.me offers a complete scheduling automation solution for various service-based industries, from fitness to healthcare to events and entertainment. Clients can book via your business website, a separate booking website or your social media profiles and receive automated appointment confirmations and reminders through email, SMS and Telegram. SimplyBook.me also offers online payment processing, as well as both a client-side and admin app, which makes it ideal for businesses with recurring appointments.
Thryv
Thryv makes it easy to book (and keep) both client-facing and internal team appointments, thanks to its automated calendar syncing and ability to sync multiple user accounts. Once a customer books an appointment via your website or Google page, they’ll receive automated reminders and can change or cancel their booking ahead of time. Should they miss an appointment, the software also gently nudges them to reschedule.
Zoho Bookings
For small business owners who work fixed hours, Zoho Bookings provides a free, user-friendly option for scheduling automation. Add your calendar and work schedule to the platform, and it will create a custom booking link with available appointment times. Customers can then book their appointments in a few clicks. Zoho Bookings also integrates with various other apps and services, from payment providers to video meeting software.
What to consider when automating scheduling
If your business has decided to automate scheduling, you’ll want to consider the following before committing to a system.
Consider your business’s specific needs
Before you choose a service, determine what scheduling type and automation capabilities your business needs, as different schedulers are better suited for different business types. This understanding will guide your decision as you explore various options to find the best-suited tool for your business.
For instance, businesses that operate in the healthcare industry or offer healthcare-adjacent services will want to consider specific regulations and compliance obligations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) laws.
“For a service-based business, the features to look out for have to be HIPAA compliance, automated emails with liability and intake forms and both mobile and desktop views,” Blair said.
Understand its integration capabilities and additional features
Make sure the automated scheduling tool you implement can easily integrate with your existing tools and platforms. Squarespace’s scheduling tool, for example, enables businesses to embed schedulers directly onto their websites to facilitate appointment bookings, taking payments and managing clients.
“Tools like Acuity allow you to set up paid bookings for one-on-one strategy sessions or package offerings, so you’re not just automating scheduling—you’re also automating revenue,” said Gordon. “People can book and pay for their time with you all in one place and you don’t have to lift a finger.”
Tyler Dorsey, an automation expert and owner/operator of fractional chief marketing officer service Viibrook, advised considering a tool that lets you set up workflows when a customer or prospect contacts you.
“What I can do [with workflows] is if someone calls my business number and the call [is] missed, it will text the customer saying. ‘We’re busy helping someone right now, [but] if you’d like to schedule, I can send over some times [when] I’m available,” said Dorsey. “It’s the best feature ever for businesses that get a good amount of inbound calls.”
Set up intake surveys to collect relevant details ahead of your appointment
One simple way to make your meetings and video conferences more effective is to ask clients for key information in advance. With scheduling automation tools, you can create and share intake forms tailored to the appointment type, so clients can share what they hope to get out of the meeting.
“I have all of our calls set up with pre-meeting forms so I know exactly who I’m meeting, what they’re looking for and how I can prepare,” said Gordon. “This way, I’m never going into a call cold — I can show up as the best version of myself, ready to offer value.”
Streamline your scheduling process to save time and frustration
Rather than wasting your precious time going back and forth with your customers about appointment times, give them the option to book online, any time, using scheduling automation. It’s a simple upgrade that can elevate the customer experience while freeing up your staff to focus on what matters to your business.