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Reasons to Make Microsoft Bookings the Scheduling Software for Your Business
Give Microsoft Bookings a serious look if your business involves scheduling appointments with clients. It simplifies the process of setting and managing appointments with clients. Consultants, medical offices, auto shops, law firms, hair salons, and advisors among others will find Microsoft Bookings a great deal of help. Your customers can set up appointments themselves or you can do it for them. Bookings cuts down on the back and forth of setting appointments by simply publishing your calendar and allowing potential clients to find available slots.
Microsoft Bookings is included in the Office 365 suite, and the calendar is made publicly available so anyone can come along and book an appointment. This particular tool serves well small business customers as well as enterprises.
3 Primary Components of Microsoft Bookings
- An online bookings page: This page can be used as a stand-alone page or it can be integrated into your website and also works on desktop and mobile devices. Here customers can schedule appointments with you or specific staff.
- An online backend: You can view and manage appointments, set schedules, and staff list, specify your services and pricing, customize how the service works and record client preferences
- A mobile app: Use the mobile application to view and manage bookings and access client information from just about anywhere so long as you have an internet connection
How It Works
Multiple Businesses can be set up within a single tenant. This means external-facing teams can have their own setup, and different users can be assigned. A Bookings calendar has different options such as lead time (notice period), time increments, selection of specific team members, business hours, logo and theme, and language and time zone. Events in the Office 365 calendar can be allowed to affect availability.
Reasons to Use Microsoft Bookings
Microsoft Bookings has appealing capabilities. Let’s take a detailed look at why you should make it the scheduling software for your business.
Customize Booking Page
Your booking pages need to positively reflect your brand. It should look and feel like an extension of your business. To help achieve this, Microsoft Bookings provides options to customize your booking page. You can choose to show your business logo, the main color for your booking page, among others. Click the ‘Booking page’ in the left navigation list to start the customization process. Once you’re done, click ‘Save and publish’.
Add Buffer Time between Appointments
Some businesses require back-to-back appointments. Furthermore, some businesses require preparation beforehand, travel, and clean-up and travel time once the service is delivered. It’s for these reasons that buffer time is added to give you more options to customize the services you deliver.
Add buffer time by clicking the ‘Services’ tab in the left navigation column and either edit a current service or create a new one. Click the ‘Buffer time your customers can’t book’ for selections that can be applied before and after the service appointment. Those are times clients can’t book an appointment before and after an appointment.
Add Office 365 Calendar to Bookings
You can add events from Office 365 calendar to Bookings. There is integration between calendars to help avoid booking client meetings during the time you’ve set for personal appointments, partner meetings, staff, or other aspects of running your business. Click the ‘Staff’ tab on the left navigation panel to add office 365 calendars to Bookings. Use the ‘Staff details page’ to select the ‘Events on office 365 calendar affect availability’ checkbox.
Office 365 automatically fills in busy times on the Bookings calendar and on the self-service Booking page your clients see — so you won’t get double-booked. For clients also not to get double-booked, add their Office 365 calendars.
The App is available for mobile devices (iOS and Android) for you to keep up with your business while you are away from a desk. Microsoft Bookings is designed to captivate clients, simplify scheduling, and free time so you are on top of your business wherever you are.