Business scheduling has become increasingly complicated, as companies now have employees who work off-site and, in some cases, even freelancers who work remotely. Trying to stay ahead of appointments and deadlines and coordinating schedules has become complex, which is why many employees now use a personal scheduling service and why many companies are implementing scheduling services.

By using a service, scheduling becomes simpler and more integrated. Some types of services include scheduling software, which makes setting appointments and deadline reminders a breeze. Some scheduling services even allow you to view the schedules of other employees so that you can set up meetings easily. A good appointment scheduling service allows you to:

1. Schedule events for yourself and your team members;

2. Set deadline and event reminders;

3. Coordinate all employee schedules.

Although scheduling services often come with a software program, many of today’s services are web-based so employees can coordinate schedules and make changes online. This is what sets today’s scheduling services apart from the non-web-based software planners of yesterday.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Select an integrated service scheduling software to manage various tasks and employees

Integrated business scheduling services combine scheduling capabilities with other applications, such as email, work tickets, maps, billing, accounting and other programs. These programs allow you to easily manage regular employees, as well as contractors and freelancers. They can also take more time to learn, and you may have to replace some of your existing scheduling software with products that overlap with the new scheduling service software.

I recommend: WhenToWork is an online integrated service scheduling program that makes it easy to schedule multiple shifts, even of employees in different locations. BlueFolder is a professional scheduling dispatch and scheduling service. In addition to helping your business manage the schedules of regular employees, technicians and subcontractors, the service includes an integrated work ticket, billing and map system.

Choose stand-alone service scheduling software to get the most scheduling-specific features

When comparing online scheduling services, there are many stand-alone programs that focus on scheduling without integrating billing and other software. Such programs are often more feature-rich and more powerful, since they do not include many secondary programs and instead focus on scheduling. These services, which often act as sophisticated and feature-rich planners, are ideal for companies who have complex schedules and many employees.

I recommend: MultiCalendar is a stand-alone personal scheduling service and planner. The company also offers business scheduling software for company use. The Calendar Planner is a high quality stand-alone program that effectively tracks all employee schedules.

Expedite and improve customer service with an online appointment scheduling service

If you have a business that requires clients to make appointments, select a scheduling service that lets your customers book their own appointments online. Such a service makes your clients happy, since they gain more control over choosing appointment times and since they can make appointments whenever they wish. It also reduces the amount of time your team members must spend booking and re-booking appointments.

I recommend: AppointmentQuest Online Appointment Manager has many client self-service capabilities. hitAppoint is another service that lets customers book their own appointments online.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Be sure to look for business scheduling solutions that allow you to schedule internally and externally. That is, look for services that allow you to schedule appointments with clients and also allow you to manage the schedules of your team members.