What is Appointment Scheduling? Definition, Examples, & Apps

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Business ownership takes place in a fast-paced, changeable landscape. 

As time can be a more valuable asset than money, taking charge of your schedule is of great importance to the success of your business. 

If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur of any kind, learning to organize your appointments and master your schedule will take your client relationships to the next level. 

In this article, we’ll cover

  • The basics of appointment scheduling
  • The utility of appointment scheduling software
  • The benefits of appointment scheduling.

Hopefully, you’ll feel more equipped to create your own schedule once we reach the end.

Let’s dive right in!

Key Takeaways

  • Appointment scheduling is the backbone of organized meetings in a business structure.
  • Business owners can benefit from using appointment scheduling software.
  • There are many advantages to appointment scheduling, such as real-time availability management and meeting reminders.
  • Several appointment scheduling software and app platforms are available for businesses to use.
  • Appointment scheduling software is a game-changer for virtual businesses!
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What is Appointment Scheduling?

Appointment scheduling definition

Appointment scheduling is the act of allocating blocks of time to business activities in an organized fashion. 

Appointment scheduling also provides an active view of your availability to your colleagues and clients alike.

Calendars and appointment schedules have been kept since the Sumerians existed around 5,000 years ago. 

However, appointment schedules received a major upgrade when we entered the digital revolution in the 1970’s. 

Digitizing appointment schedules led to a reduction in errors and an increase in productivity for all workers. 

The practice of scheduling has been kept alive for millennia and is considered to be the most efficient way to make the most of one’s time. 

Although the mode in which time is viewed has changed, the practice of organizing our lives so that we may capitalize on it has not.

Related: How to schedule appointments effectively

Why should a business owner use an appointment scheduling software?

A business owner should use appointment scheduling software for efficiency, organization, and accessibility. 

In terms of efficiency, appointment scheduling software reduces the endless hours spent on manual scheduling. 

It is also very efficient to be able to readily view, edit, and cancel any appointments during your day.

Additionally, appointment scheduling software is accessible to everyone in your organization.

If you organize a meeting quickly, your employees will receive a notification and can join you.

Examples of Scheduling Appointments

Say that you want to schedule a meeting with a very important client. In other words – this is a meeting that you do not want to miss!

If you schedule a meeting virtually, you can set up digital reminders of the appointment that notify you one week, one day, and one hour in advance. 

To provide another example: If you work in (or own) a large organization, appointment scheduling is paramount for productivity. 

Virtual calendars can be allocated to all employees and shared within the company, so finding a time for a company-wide meeting where everyone is free should become much more efficient.

Benefits of Appointment Scheduling

Don’t think scheduling appointments is that important? Learn the key benefits that might just change your mind.

Get reminders of meetings

It’s easy to forget about meetings that were scheduled last month. 

Fortunately, if you input all of your meetings into an appointment-scheduling app or software, the technology can send you reminders of your upcoming engagements!

Create and schedule events in real time

At the end of your meetings, the next meeting can be scheduled in person while everyone is still together (or virtually). 

Even if the meeting time has to be moved around before it’s agreed upon, it’s seamless to do so using appointment scheduling software.

Integration with other software and apps

If you’re the kind of person who likes to see all events (personal, business, etc.) in one place, you can sync your business appointment scheduling software or app with your phone or another platform. 

For example, all of your events related to the business can be in blue, your personal items in red, and miscellaneous in green.

Sometimes, it’s nice to see everything in one place to give yourself a greater sense of your upcoming workload!

Organize group activities

As mentioned earlier, setting up meetings (or business events) when your organization contains many busy people is a challenge. 

With most appointment scheduling software, you can send a proposed date for a group activity out to your company in the form of an email, and people can RSVP in real time.

Make reservations for webinars, conferences, and other online events

Most online conferences and webinars are RSVP-based and are usually able to be responded to after you’ve shown interest. 

Once you RSVP to the event, their app may have the ability to sync with yours and upload the event day/time into your calendar.

Direct meeting website scheduling

If you need to schedule a one-on-one meeting with one of your employees or clients, there is likely a section of your appointment scheduling software that allows you to send a direct email to that person with a direct meeting invitation (as well as a link to the meeting if it is taking place online).

Manage your availability in real-time

As an entrepreneur (or an employee), your availability is constantly subject to change. 

Thankfully, appointment scheduling software changes with you; as soon as you update your availability, the next person who views your schedule will be made aware of any new openings.

Appointment Scheduling Software & Apps

Below is a list of my favorite appointment scheduling softwares and apps.

Calendly

Calendly homepage

Calendly is an appointment scheduling software that is free and easy to use!

Calendly integrates with other appointment-scheduling software, making it a great choice for businesses that interact with a variety of clients and organizations.

Google Calendar

Google Calendar homepage

Google Calendar is a well-known appointment-scheduling app that is designed for better time management. 

Google Calendar is often chosen for its proximity to Gmail, as that mailing service is the most popular on the globe.

Microsoft Bookings

Microsoft Bookings homepage

Microsoft Bookings (along with Microsoft Teams) have been adopted by businesses in particular. 

Microsoft Bookings is part of the Microsoft Office package, which can be accessed through businesses and institutions at a reduced rate (or for free). 

Microsoft Bookings is simple and clean-looking, and its calendars are transferable to all other software.

Conclusion

This concludes our tour on the benefits of appointment scheduling! Integrating new forms of technology into a business can be confusing at first, but all challenges can easily be overcome with practice and patience. 

If you have more questions, don’t forget to check out the FAQ section at the end of this article.

Enjoy incorporating appointment scheduling into your business!

FAQs

How does appointment scheduling software work?

Depending on your software, you may need to download it. The download should be specific to the operating system (Mac OS, Windows, Linux, etc.) that you’re using. 

Alternatively, many of these software have apps associated with them that can be downloaded from your device’s store (App Store, Google Play Store, etc.)

What is an online appointment scheduling system?

An online appointment scheduling system works by taking an inputted appointment into your schedule and providing you with a schedule. 

Online appointment scheduling systems can remind you of upcoming appointments, warn you if you have clashing events, and enable real-time updates of your appointments as you go.

What is the role of an appointment scheduler?

Appointment schedulers manage the schedules of people within a company to ensure that meetings and events run smoothly.

Appointment schedulers are needed in almost every industry!

Acuity Scheduling

Flexible scheduling software designed to help you grow — because booking time should never get in the way of success.

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Donny is the founder of SMB Guide. He is a seasoned small business owner and entrepreneur, with over 17+ years of experience growing and building companies. He is a well traveled and multi-faceted individual with several successful six figure business exits.