TFC#10: Hassle-Free Appointment Scheduling

Cabinetmaker: "Hello, this is John from John's Cabinets. How can I help you today?"

Customer: "Hi, John. I was wondering if I could schedule a consultation for a custom cabinet project I have in mind."

Cabinetmaker: "Absolutely! I'd be happy to schedule a consultation with you. What days and times work best for you?"

Customer: "Well, I'm pretty flexible, but I'm only available on weekdays."

Cabinetmaker: "Great. How about next Wednesday at 2 PM?"

Customer: "Sorry, I can't do Wednesday afternoons. How about Friday morning?"

Cabinetmaker: "I'm afraid I'm booked on Friday mornings. How about Tuesday at 10 AM?"

Customer: "No, I have a meeting then. Can we try for the following week?"

Cabinetmaker: "Sure, let me check my schedule. How about the week after next?"

And so it goes on and on, back and forth, with the customer and cabinetmaker trying to find a mutually convenient time to meet. It's frustrating and time-consuming for both parties, and there's always the risk of miscommunication or double booking.

But what if there was a better way? What if scheduling appointments could be quick, easy, and hassle-free? That's where online calendars come in.

The cabinetmaker can simply share their availability, and the customer can choose a time slot that works for them. No more phone tag or email chains – just a simple, streamlined scheduling process that saves time and reduces stress for everyone involved.

Read on to find ideas on how to start using online calendars and what tools work best.

What is an online calendar?

There are two different types of calendars I am going to be referencing in this article.

First, is your private calendar. This is where you add appointments, meetings, and out-of-office days.

Examples of this type of calendar are Google Calendar and Office 365/Outlook Calendar.

The second type of calendar is your online calendar or your public calendar. This calendar will not show details of what is on your private calendar, but it will show people when you are available to meet.

Examples of this type are Calendly, Appointlet, and TidyCal. There are 100s of options that are available.

I have tried several different ones and I always end up back on Calendly.

You can check out my online calendar here to get an idea of how it works.

Best practices for starting with online calendars

The following tips will be beneficial to help you maximize your online calendar experience.

Maintain an accurate calendar

I didn’t keep an accurate calendar until 3-4 years ago. The only thing on my calendar was the invites people sent me. The huge majority of my day according to my calendar was “free”.

Maintaining an accurate calendar is important when you start using online calendars because if your calendar isn’t up to date, people can book meetings with you when you already have something planned.

Most people now use Google calendar or Office 365 calendar so it is very simple to maintain your schedule right along with your email.

If you use a different email provider, I would recommend creating a free Google account and using Google as your calendar because Google calendar integrates with almost every online calendar available.

Publish your appointment link

There are several ways to publish your calendar so people can easily find it.

• add a link in your email signature (ex: book a meeting with me)

• add the link to your social accounts

• embed it on your website

• send the booking link directly to people

Limited Availability

I don’t recommend allowing yourself to be available 24/7.

I don’t even recommend allowing bookings every weekday.

This is a bit of personal preference but I find I am most productive if I have a set day/time for each type of event.

For example, I will allow website meetings on Monday and Wednesday, and Cabinet Vision consulting on Tuesday and Thursday.

Now obviously, I will adjust that if I need to, but on my public calendar, I want to limit which days people are able to book me for certain types of appointments.

This helps me stay focused on that type of event for the entire day without switching back and forth a lot.

Online calendar use ideas

It can be hard to imagine where an online calendar fits into your business.

Here are a couple of ideas for you to consider.

Design consultations

Online calendars are a perfect solution for cabinetmakers who sell directly to homeowners and need to make design meetings with each customer.

Instead of dealing with the back and forth, shoot them your calendar link and let them pick the time that works for them. Or, they can book a meeting directly on your website.

Meetings with dealers/contractors

You can still use online calendars even if you don’t sell to homeowners. There are plenty of meetings with your dealers or contractors to schedule.

Repeat customers will especially appreciate the no-hassle scheduling.

Initial sales call

You don’t always need to have a sit-down meeting in order to use an online calendar. Give your potential customers an easy way to book a phone call with you to learn more about your services.

This also be a good alternative to a boring website contact form.

For example, on your “become a dealer” page, you could put your calendar link instead of the typical submit request form.

Or, you could put a “book a call” button on your website to give your customers more options than simply leaving their information and waiting for you to contact them.

Scheduling meeting for completed project photos

If you are a shop that likes to take pictures of your completed jobs, you can make use of an online calendar to get a date scheduled with ease.

Simply email the customer a link after the project is completed and they can pick a time that works for them.

Online calendar examples

I love trying out new tools. I especially love to find tools that work well, for free. Below are some of the calendars I have used over the years.

In no particular order.

Calendly

Calendly is the most well-known calendar with the best integrations. They were on the scene early and they have kept up their innovation. It is a great product. The only downside is they limit you to one event type on their free plan.

Appointlet

I used Appointlet for several years because they have a much better free plan than Calendly. I would have no trouble recommending this calendar. Easy to set up and very nice dashboard.

Microsoft Bookings

If you are using Office 365, Microsoft Bookings is included in your plan. It used to have a really clunky interface but they recently relaunched the layout. It is definitely usable. I will probably take another look at it in the future.

Hubspot Calendar

I used Hubspots free CRM (customer relationship manager) and I tried out their scheduling tool. It worked very well. If you are using Hubspot as a CRM, it’s a no-brainer to use this.

TidyCal

TidyCal is an interesting project. You can buy a lifetime plan for $29. I tried it out but never committed to using it. This could be great for someone who needs a lot of event types and doesn’t want to pay a monthly fee.

Vyte

Vyte has an interesting approach. I like the way they can suggest certain meeting times and how they do group scheduling.

There are so many options to choose from, it can be overwhelming at times.

The primary things I look for in scheduling software are:

• does it sync with my private calendar? (google, office 365)

• how many event types can I create?

• can I adjust my available working hours?

• does it include a dedicated booking page I can link to?

Conclusion

Online calendars can make scheduling appointments easier, streamlined, and hassle-free.

It eliminates the need for phone tag, email chains and saves time, and reduces stress for all parties involved.

Give it a try.

1. Choose a calendar software

2. Create an account

3. Create an event type (15 minute phone call)

4. Sync your calendar (avoid double bookings)

5. Send the link to someone to test it out (try mine)

Happy scheduling.

Have a great weekend!