Microsoft Bookings

Vital for distributed teams with multiple systems

Opmerkingen: We have people all over the country using many different systems to book time with our staff. Bookings takes the guess work out and allows users to control their calendars more effectively. If someone is attempting to schedule a meeting and isn't on the network, we immediately provide the link to our Bookings page and make it easier on everyone.

Pluspunten:

There are many tools that provide the same type of service as Bookings but the security of the Microsoft suite was important to us. We've previously used other tools but we were able to get everyone into Bookings which made training and troubleshooting easier for the entire staff. Our recruiters are asked to meet with students daily and rather than emailing the student their available times, recruiters can simply provide a link to the calendar which allows students to pick an available time simply. We work with several partners who don't have visibility to calendars when scheduling meeting. Access to the individuals' bookings page makes scheduling easier and reduces the chances of people getting double booked. Meetings booked through a Bookings page is moved over to the Outlook calendar with a notification. Cancellations are also updated in Outlook and the attendees are notified.

Minpunten:

The customization opportunities are limited. Users can set things like email reminders and calendar invites, and modify color schemes and logos. Would like to see more integrations with other MS products. For example, if a meeting is booked that is going to require a conference call or an online software. It would be nice to automatically have a Microsoft Teams meeting and invite created and emailed to the participants. Ability to create a one-time bookings page that incorporates the calendars of several people would be a nice addition to the product.

Convenience and functionality that work for us

Opmerkingen: Overall for us Microsoft Booking works quite well and is a very helpful tool to make sure we get appointments scheduled quickly and have additional tools for the functionality of the booking system that make it very simple to use.

Pluspunten:

The convenience of being able to sync calendars, create recurring appointments and send and get confirmation through the booking systems connection to our outlook, makes Microsoft Booking a highly effective and very necessary part of our tools and systems. Clients can confirm within the email and we get that confirmation as well as regular reminders on the appointed day. Fewer missed appointments by our clients because they also get SMS reminders making it really convenient for us. I also like that it integrates with zoom and teams to have additional functionality to what appears to be a "simple" scheduler.

Minpunten:

I don't like that getting paid for appointments is still not a simple as some of their competitors who have their standalone booking systems that also allow for payment within their software.

It might be worth it if your needs are super simple and you don't need to charge for your bookings.

Opmerkingen: I had used Calendly and tried to move everything to Microsoft Bookings. It was difficult, the software is cumbersome, not very flexible, not easy to use, and even though they changed their layout to something better, it is still not really up to par with the competition.

Pluspunten:

It was free with my Microsoft 365. Honestly that is probably the one thing I liked.

Minpunten:

If you don't want or need Microsoft 365, or if you want your clients to pay when they do the booking, this software doesn't even come close to the features and flexibility of Calendly or Squarespace (formerly Acuity Scheduling). Microsoft charges over $20 a month in order to have this simple feature...

Time to Meet

Pluspunten:

The online booking feature is the most impactful. Bookings syncs with a calendar to allow prospective clients the opportunity to view open time slots to meet.

Minpunten:

The integration of Bookings into my daily routine required effort. The platform would do well for a barber or any professional who charges a fee for their service or time. Bookings needs some polish for those of us who meet and provide a service which may be offered free of charge. Those in a non-profit industry may find that extra time is needed to tailor Bookings to our specific needs before deploying.

Great Feature with Microsoft 365

Pluspunten:

I like how it integrates seamlessly into Microsoft 365. It has a lot of functionality for very little cost

Minpunten:

It is a little more difficult to set up than other products