What should you look for in an appointment scheduler?
An online appointment scheduler should make things easy for your customers and save you no-shows. Look at reminders, deposits and where your customers' data is stored.
Price per employee or calendar
Schedulers charge per employee, per calendar or per location. If you work with several practitioners, that soon adds up.
Ask the vendor
Do I pay per employee, per calendar or per location, and do text message reminders cost extra?
Sort by lowest price11 of 12 tools have a public price
Deposit with iDEAL
A deposit when booking helps against no-shows. Dutch customers prefer to pay it with iDEAL.
Ask the vendor
Can customers pay a deposit with iDEAL when booking, and what does that cost per payment?
Show tools with iDEAL3 of 12 tools meet thisMore about iDEAL and Wero
Reminders by email and text message
A reminder the day before prevents forgotten appointments. Check whether text messages are included in the price or charged per message.
Ask the vendor
Does the scheduler send reminders by email and text message, and what does a text message cost?
We do not have a filter for this yet. Ask the vendor.
Free plan for one calendar
If you work alone, a free plan with one calendar may be enough. There is often a limit on the number of appointments, or reminders are missing.
Ask the vendor
How many appointments per month can be booked for free, and are reminders included?
Show tools with a free plan6 of 12 tools meet this
Data processing agreement
The scheduler stores names, phone numbers and sometimes the reason for an appointment. The vendor processes that for you, and the GDPR then requires a data processing agreement.
Ask the vendor
Do you offer a data processing agreement, and can I decide myself how long customer data is kept?
Show tools with data in the EU and a data processing agreement5 of 12 tools meet thisMore about the data processing agreement
Integration with your calendar and till
If you do not see your appointments in your own calendar, or have to take payment separately after the treatment, you are doing double work.
Ask the vendor
Does the scheduler sync with my Google or Outlook calendar, and is there an integration with my till or accounting?
Sort by most integrations10 of 12 tools list integrations
Booking page in Dutch
Your customers see the booking page and the confirmation email. If they are in Dutch, they book more easily.
Ask the vendor
Are the booking page, the confirmations and the reminders fully in Dutch?
Show tools with an app in Dutch4 of 12 tools meet this
Frequently asked questions about choosing appointment schedulers
What should you look for in an appointment scheduler?
Look mainly at price per employee or calendar, deposit with iDEAL, reminders by email and text message, free plan for one calendar, data processing agreement, integration with your calendar and till and booking page in Dutch. For each point we explain why it matters and which question to ask the vendor.
Which questions should you ask a vendor of appointment schedulers?
Do I pay per employee, per calendar or per location, and do text message reminders cost extra? Can customers pay a deposit with iDEAL when booking, and what does that cost per payment? Does the scheduler send reminders by email and text message, and what does a text message cost? How many appointments per month can be booked for free, and are reminders included?
How many appointment schedulers in the guide can you use or try for free?
Of the 12 appointment schedulers in our guide, 6 have a free plan and 8 can be tried for free, according to the vendor's site.
Sources
- Betaalvereniging Nederland: iDEAL and Wero (in Dutch)
- Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens: Data processing agreement (in Dutch)
Texts and sources checked on . The counts follow from the facts in the guide. Rules can change; the source prevails. This is an explanation, not legal or tax advice.
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