If you use Microsoft 365, you may be interested in finding out more about its Microsoft scheduling software. This online booking and scheduling tool is well suited for small businesses and, no surprises here, is easy to access through Office 365 Business.
Like other scheduling software, it’s designed to make your load lighter when handling appointments and scheduling. Although it’s super simple to navigate and integrates easily into MS Office, other scheduling platforms, including Book Like A Boss, pack a more comprehensive solution for booking meetings.
So, how does Microsoft Bookings compare to other scheduling solutions on the market today?
What Can Microsoft Scheduling Software Do?
First, let’s take a look at what Microsoft’s scheduling software has to offer.
Integrations
With the solution, you can integrate your Microsoft 365 or Office 365 calendar, syncing your calendar's automatic updates, email confirmations, and reminders. You or your customers can easily cancel or rearrange appointments, and you get greater visibility over your time with real-time appointment availability.
If you want to save your appointment history for reflection or data collection, you’re in luck with Microsoft’s offering. It has an appointment history feature that saves your data from the past 60 days to the upcoming 60 days.
With its ability to integrate to Outlook, it’s no stress to sync your teams’ calendars as well. This makes it easy to manage your employees and schedule internal meetings for maximum efficiency.
On the downside, if you are interested in advanced integrations to help with aspects of payment processing, marketing, or productivity, for example, you will have to look outside of Microsoft’s limited connections.
Customization
Of course, every business or entrepreneur has specific scheduling needs. On this appointment platform, you can create and amend multiple bookings, giving them unique parameters.
Microsoft Bookings’ customization features also make it easy to tailor appointment management to the specific needs of each department in your company.
You get access to customizable booking pages that allow customers and colleagues to see your availability. Each calendar or booking page can have its own unique format, and you can add important information, links, attendee details, etc.
Although the features are there, they are basic. To get custom URLs, form design, profile photos, about us section, and video features, look to option B, Book Like A Boss.
Communication & Notifications
With SMS and email notifications, you can stay in the know about your upcoming bookings and never miss an appointment. Microsoft scheduling software will give you automatic notifications for every new update to your calendar.
The platform also sends out notifications and reminders to meeting attendees to minimize no-shows and ensure you get the best out of your time.
Microsoft Teams
Virtual meetings have become an essential part of business management, and Microsoft is at the forefront of this move. User stats as of Q2 for 2021 state that Microsoft Teams has 145 million users, and it’s growing exponentially by the minute. With Teams, you can create and manage virtual meetings for your company, making it easy to connect no matter where you are.
Microsoft Bookings works hand-in-hand with teams to help you schedule and manage virtual bookings. Every appointment created as an online session comes with a Teams meeting link that attendees can use to join the appointment.
You can also use the Bookings app in Teams for scheduling, calendar management, and assigning staff to appointments.
Accessibility
Microsoft Bookings is accessible through many different channels. If you have the right Microsoft account (Office 365 Business Premium, for example), this platform should already be available to you as part of the package.
The app version of Bookings is also available to use on any device. Simply download it and enter your details. Customers can also self-book appointments online with a personalized link made available via the app. All you have to do is share the link with your customers, and they can use it to make their bookings.
You can also embed your calendar into your website. That way, your customers can see your availability right from your website and make a booking whenever they need to.
Affordability
If you've already signed up for Office 365 Business Premium or Microsoft 365 Business, you're automatically signed up for Microsoft Bookings.
If you’re not, you can opt for the basic plan that starts at $12.50 per month.
What Can The Competition Do?
We’re in 2021 – there are several great appointment scheduling platforms on the market. They’re loaded with features and functions and are anything but ordinary.
Book Like A Boss (BLAB)
If you want a supercharged alternative to Microsoft Scheduling, BLAB is great for solopreneurs and hugely successful companies. Our platform is a booking pages builder that offers:
- Customizable booking pages
- Unique booking links for each of your services or departments
- Booking customization like setting meeting length, maximum attendees, appointment approval, and more
- Payment integrations like Stripe, Paypal, and Square
- Integrations with platforms like Zapier, Zoom, Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, WordPress, and more
CalendarHero
CalendarHero is all about simple time management. With its easy-to-use platform, you can:
- Schedule remote/online meetings
- Integrate with various video platforms like Zoom or Webex
- Manage your whole business’ appointments, no matter the size
- Create reusable custom meeting templates
- Track attendance and other stats with daily meeting briefings
So… Does Microsoft Scheduling Software Compare?
Well, that depends. If the goal is to find straightforward, clean-cut appointment scheduling software, this will work.
It gives you flexibility in scheduling appointments, no matter the type of business or service you offer.
But, if you’re looking for added integrations and customization, you will find it falls short. In that case, never fear. Book Like A Boss has all the integrations you need and more. We’re a landing pages builder with a calendar that’s more like the VA of your dreams.
For an adaptable, scalable, and comprehensive scheduling solution, contact us today.
