Most booking tools assume every job is the same length, in the same place, and that anyone can do it. Real diaries have travel time, gaps between jobs, two-person jobs, equipment, deposits and a cancellation policy that needs to be followed.
This is usually where off-the-shelf tools fall short, and why the phone keeps ringing.
Two jobs twenty minutes apart can’t be booked back to back. If the system ignores the drive, you end up with a diary nobody can actually work to.
Skills, tickets, licences and who the customer saw last time all matter. Not everyone can fill every slot.
Rooms, chairs, machines and vehicles get booked too. If two bookings need the same one, only one of them can go ahead.
Setup, the job itself and pack-up. The length changes depending on what was booked, rather than being a fixed half hour.
Taking a deposit or full payment when the booking is made is the best way to cut down on no-shows.
Free cancellation up to a point, then a fee, handled by the system so nobody has to have that awkward conversation.
Customers only see times that actually work, once travel, gaps, skills, equipment and opening hours are taken into account.
Customers choose a time, pay the deposit and get a confirmation, all without a phone call.
Emails and texts sent when they work best for your customers, with a link to reschedule so they don’t just not turn up.
Customers can move their own bookings whenever your policy allows it.
Bookings go straight into the calendar your staff already use, and anything blocked out there won’t be offered to customers.
See today or the week by person and location: who’s where, what’s next and what hasn’t been paid yet.
How busy you are, your no-show rate, revenue per booking, and which times of day are costing you money.
Plenty of businesses are well served by an existing booking tool, and there are good ones for clinics, studios and consultants. If your needs are simple, we’ll tell you to use one.
It’s worth building your own when your rules aren’t simple, when the cost per staff member has got out of hand, or when bookings need to connect to the rest of the business, like jobs, invoices, stock and staff.
Tell us what’s going on in your own words. We’ll usually come back to you within one business day with a clear next step, and if it turns out you don’t need us, we’ll tell you.