Ever met a small business owner who doesn’t have several subscriptions to tech tools that help run their business? Yeah, me neither.

I recently shared one of my favourite tech tools I was using on my Instagram and I had lots of messages asking “what do you think” “would like work for me”. So, I popped up a poll to see if you wanted to learn more. It was a resounding HECK YES. Cue my new blog series on tech tools that are going to save you time and level up your service.

This blog is for you if you offer services to your clients that require making bookings of classes, appointments or meetings. You’ve got lots of moving parts with each project so managing the booking process is vital for a smooth process. A system that not only works for your customers but also makes sure you aren’t tearing your hair out whilst trying to keep on top of everything.

Heads up, some of the links in this blog are affiliate links which means I make a little bit of commission at no cost to you. Trust me, these items only make it if they’re products I truly love and want to share with you.

how a client booking tool is going to transform everything

It was one of the first things I invested in for my business for a million reasons. Here’s 5 of my favourites:

✨ It can be connected to your calendar so no back and forth 'hmm how about this? No? What about this? Half an hour earlier? Sorry, it's booked now...'⁠

✨ Connect to Zoom or your video conferencing software so links can be automatically sent out to your clients and popped straight into your calendar without needing to lift a finger. ⁠

✨ Ditch the back and forth emails saving everyone time and energy - including handy reminders and follow up automation emails⁠

✨ Effortlessly take payments at the same time so you're not running around in circles chasing your overdue payments⁠

✨ Add in a custom form so you can learn as much as you need about your client before you even hop on a call⁠

Convinced it’s going to help out in your business yet? Check out my faves below 👇

1. Dubsado

I’m kicking this top 3 off with the tool I use. Dubsado is so much more than a scheduler.

In fact, I could probably write a book or create a whole course around the platform. (Hey, if you’re interested, let me know - could this be my next project?).

Dubsado is a one-stop-shop for improving your client experience when working 1:1. We’re talking invoicing, automated emails, canned email templates, client portals workflows, forms, contract management, payment plans… Oh, and you can book appointments and meetings through it. It has the power to help organise you by streamlining and automating your client process. I can feel another blog coming on.

We can even embed a lead capture form into your Squarespace website so all the data is collected from your contact page and could possibly lead to an automated workflow to send them a link to book in a call with you. From here you can send across a proposal, contract and invoice to seal the deal. During your project you can use automated emails and a client portal to keep track of everything/

And this is all the basics. We can dive a whole layer deeper to look at things like expiring invoices and smart fields. Dubsado is every systems nerd’s dream come true! It’s a little bit more techy to get set up (I’m 100% here to help if you’re interested) but once it is, you might not have to lift so much as a pinky.

Fancy 20% off your first month or year? Use code eleanor20.

2. Squarespace Scheduling

The second is an absolute winner with my clients. I don’t know the exact figures off the top of my head but I’d say it was well over half of the clients I work with go the extra step and we work together on getting Squarespace Scheduling set up to compliment their gorgeous new site.

At the end of the day, a website is about more than something that looks good. It’s about bridging those gaps between you and the customer/client in as many ways as possible. Having everything under one ‘Squarespace’ shaped roof makes this add on a firm favourite with clients.

Now, Squarespace Scheduling doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles that Dubsado does when it comes to managing your client process beyond the essentials, but this gem is a low cost alternative that seamlessly fits into your Squarespace account.

Squarespace scheduling is a brilliant option for group classes and managing appointments with limited resources like rooms.

Did you know? Acuity and Squarespace Scheduling are essentially the same thing!

3. Calendly

Calendly is another big player in the world of appointment booking and scheduling. Much like Squarespace Scheduling, Calendly is a go-to. In particular, Calendly tends to be used by non-Squarespace sites as it sits completely apart from the website building platform.

With Calendly you can book any type of meeting, from a 1:1, to group, as a collective team or a round-robin. This means it’s a great choice for larger operations where many people need to be considered.

Another favourite tool is Calendly’s ability to send automated follow up emails to thank participants in a powerful way without using up your time and energy. These little tasks can quickly add up in our working week so I’m always looking for ways to streamline our time and preserve our energy. Calendly does just that.

Ready to level up your experience, not just for you but for your clients too? YES PLEASE 🙋‍♀️

Well, Dubsado, Squarespace Scheduling or Calendly? Which is it to be?

PS. I also offer services to get you set up with the tools above. If you’re excited to save time and your energy, please do reach out to get chatting about how we can team up.