Phone tag is killing your business. A customer calls, you're busy. You call back, they're busy. Three days later you finally connect. Here's how to let customers book themselves online, anytime, without a single phone call.
| Tool | What It Does | Cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calendly | Online booking page where customers pick their own time slot | Free (1 event type) or $10/mo | Sign up → |
| Google Calendar | Syncs with Calendly so double-bookings never happen | Free | Sign up → |
What to do: Go to Calendly and create a free account. Sign in with your Google account to automatically connect your calendar.
Why you’re doing it: Calendly gives you a personal booking page where customers can see your available time slots and book without contacting you. It syncs with your calendar so you can never be double-booked.
What to expect: Signup takes 3 minutes. The free plan gives you one event type (e.g., “30-Minute Consultation”) which is enough to start.
Common mistakes: Not connecting your Google Calendar right away. Without the calendar sync, Calendly doesn’t know when you’re busy and could book someone during an existing appointment.
What to do: Create your first event type. Set the name (e.g., “Free Estimate,” “Initial Consultation,” “Haircut”), duration (15, 30, or 60 minutes), and add a description of what the appointment is for.
Why you’re doing it: This tells customers exactly what they’re booking. Clear descriptions reduce no-shows and wrong bookings.
What to expect: Takes about 5 minutes. You can always edit this later.
What to do: In the event type settings, set your available hours. You can set different hours for different days. Add buffer time between appointments (15 minutes is standard). Set minimum scheduling notice (e.g., “at least 2 hours before”).
Why you’re doing it: This prevents customers from booking at 6 AM Sunday or booking an appointment 10 minutes from now when you’re not ready.
What to expect: 5 minutes to configure. Think about your actual workday, not your ideal one. If you never take appointments before 10 AM, don’t offer 9 AM slots.
Common mistakes: Not adding buffer time. Back-to-back appointments with no break between them is a recipe for burnout and running late.
What to do: In the event settings, add custom questions that customers answer when booking. Examples: “What service do you need?” “Briefly describe the issue.” “What’s the best phone number to reach you?”
Why you’re doing it: You’ll know what the appointment is about before the customer walks in (or before you drive to their house). No more showing up blind.
What to expect: Add 2–3 questions max. Don’t make the booking form feel like a tax return.
What to do: Copy your Calendly link (looks like calendly.com/yourname) and add it everywhere: your website, email signature, Google Business Profile, social media bios, and text message auto-replies. If you have a website, embed the Calendly widget directly on your Contact page.
Why you’re doing it: Every place a customer might look for how to reach you should include a self-service booking option. The easier you make it to book, the more appointments you get.
What to expect: Takes 5–10 minutes to add the link to all your channels. Calendly provides embed code for websites if you want the booking calendar built right into your page.
Common mistakes: Only putting the link on your website and nowhere else. Put it in your email signature — every email you send becomes a booking opportunity.
What to do: Calendly automatically sends confirmation emails when someone books. Enable reminder emails (sent 24 hours and 1 hour before the appointment) in your event settings.
Why you’re doing it: Reminders reduce no-shows by 30–50%. The customer gets a reminder, you get a reminder. Everyone shows up.
What to expect: These are on by default in most Calendly plans. Just verify they’re enabled.
This workflow is Beta — Based on Best Available Knowledge. Calendly is one of the most widely used booking tools and the setup process is well-documented. Alternatives include Acuity Scheduling (more customization), Square Appointments (free, great if you use Square), and Cal.com (open source, very flexible).