In recent years, there has been a rise in customers using online booking software to book appointments and prepay for services. Booking software is efficient, and convenient, helps increase revenue, improves customer satisfaction, and helps you save time. It has helped owners save time by not having to schedule appointments on behalf of clients. Additionally, it helps businesses avoid double bookings by not allowing customers to book appointments in time slots that are already filled. Lastly, customers prefer online booking and even seek out businesses that offer scheduling software that allows them to prepay for your services. 

It's easy to see that online booking software has numerous advantages! Check out different scheduling software to see which is right for you. 

Client Management:

Schedulicity and Vagaro provide centralized client information with client cards on file and have the option to import old clients and invite new ones on the booking software. Both Vagaro and Schedulicity offer automatic notifications and reminders of client appointments. In addition, Vagaro’s customer management features include tagging so you can add keywords to customer profiles to identify them and designate them to specific profiles, patient charts that are essential to assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients, and verified customer management. Also, starting at $10 a month you can purchase Vagaro Drive to securely store photos and files relating to your clients for future reference.

Brand Management:

Schedulicity offers personalized email marketing where you can add your logo to pre-designed email templates. These email campaigns allow you to offer special promos, and classes and show clients your new products. Vagaro also offers email marketing with 1,000 free custom emails to send each month. Additionally, for an additional $10 a month, Vagaro Marketplace will feature you so you get noticed by new local clients. Also, Vagaro offers a branded app, for an additional $200 a month to amplify your brand using a custom app that clients can book from. 

Appointments:

24/7 booking online is made easy with Schedulicity and Vagaro. To make sure you have a constant flow of appointments, Schedulicity gives you the option to waitlist clients when appointments become available and schedule recurring appointments. Vagaro and Schedulicity offer Streamlined booking and can be integrated with Google, Instagram, Facebook, and more. Additionally, Schedulicity and Vagaro offer additional security when booking appointments by taking prepayments, blocking repeated no-show clients, and tweaking appointments. Yet, Vagaro has a Check-In App ($10/mo) as a self-service platform allowing clients to check in for classes, book future appointments, and purchase memberships. Vagaro’s calendar offers customizable features that allow you to manage time off, holidays, lunch breaks, and special meetings while maximizing customer service. Vagaro’s appointment-schedule app allows you to see the details of appointments or classes with their dates, durations, type of services, and the employees providing the services.

Business Management:

When it comes to business management, Vagaro offers a vast variety of premium features to help things run smoothly at your business. For $10 a month, you can create custom forms, surveys, and waivers that you can send to customers or require at the time of booking. You can also send customers digital form links, keep track of electronic signatures, and select templates to build forms that fit your business needs. For $10 a month, you can expand your sales with an online store where clients can purchase, 24/7, directly from the Facebook account, Vagaro website, and Online. For $10 a month, you can use Vagaro’s website builder to design a custom booking page for your business. Like Vagaro, Schedulicity allows availability and booking management along with the option to include multiple locations as well as customizable documentation. Schedulicity also offers class management features.

Payment Processing:

Schedulicity offers a built-in payment processor w/ a 2.5% processing fee + 15¢ for all transactions. Vagaro’s payment processing includes a free credit card reader and will help your business process payments with a processing fee of 2.2%. Both software provides the option for contactless payments, and prepayments and will auto-charge no-shows.

Marketing Tools:

Both booking software offers robust marketing tools to help engage customers and promote your business. Vagaro Marketplace is free and allows you to list unlimited daily deals and bookings. You can create your Custom Booking Page that allows you to choose templates and easily add your own branded images and content. Through Vagaro’s Daily Deals, you can promote discounts. Vagaro allows you to offer perks and loyalty programs that can increase your online bookings and ensure clients' return. Additionally, you can add up to 3 images in Vagaro’s Portfolio to showcase your services and promote your business to attract new online customers. For $20 a month, Vagaro will help you set up text campaigns. This Text Marketing Feature allows you to send one-time text marketing campaigns to customers. You can also send Automated Messages, including recurring birthdays, lost customers, before the visit, and follow-up or thank you marketing campaigns. Schedulicity’s marketing tools, on the other hand, provide the option to market special offers, discounts, and custom package deals. In addition, this software allows you to encourage clients to invite friends with the option of Group Bookings. It also offers a tool to let you add your own branded business listing to its marketplace which includes over 25 million clients. 

Target Market:

Schedulicity is directed towards a variety of businesses including acupuncture, auto, barbers, beauty, biz services, body art, chiropractors, cleaners, counselors, dental, education, film, government, hair stylists, health, integrated medicine, lashes, life coach, massage, medical spas, music, nails, other, personal training, pet care, pilates, retail, skincare, social, spa, spiritual, sports, travel, voice/dance, wellness center, yoga. 

Vagaro is for small businesses and sole proprietors including barbershops, chiropractors, dance studios,  martial arts, medical spas, physical therapy, salons and spas, yoga/pilates studios, and many more. 

Pricing:

Schedulicity’s pricing is simple with Solo Provider Unlimited ($34.99/month), Growing Business Unlimited ($44.99 - $84.99/month depending on the number of providers at your location), Big Business ($94.99/month with 7+ providers), and there is also a free option for up to 10 appointments.

At Vagaro, the profits are all yours. They take $0 for your online booking & all revenue you make from the Vagaro Marketplace. You keep all the money you make from any online booking and there are no fees for new customers acquired. Vagaro's pricing is simply based on the number of users at your business that will be using Vagaro for their booking and what premium features are required for your business including text marking, branded app, website builder, creating forms/surveys, and more. Additionally, there are no long-term contracts so you aren’t locked in forever. Finally, there are no contract fees, cancellation fees, setup fees, signup fees, or PCI compliance fees. Here's an outline of Vagaro’s pricing structure: 1 user: $25/mo, 2 users: $35/mo, 3 users: $45/mo, 4 users: $55/mo, 5 users: $65/mo, 6 users: $75/mo, 7+ users: $85/mo.

Regardless of which platform you choose, you’ll still need your phone calls answered and Lovage is the best choice! Lovage works with both Schedulicity and Vagaro.