Square Appointments

Pros

I set up a client appointment, and the automatic reminder made sure they showed up on time without me needing to manually send messages.

Cons

When I needed detailed sales reports, I realized I had to upgrade to a more expensive plan to access those features.

Pros

Square Appointments is the best option for independent hairstylists. Not only is it affordable, but it's straightforward and easy to use. I have tried many of the other appointment booking services out there and I find Square to be the most reliable.
They have great features like processing times which allow you to double book, online booking, an online waitlist, and an app for clients to use. They also have Square Online which allows you to sell products online to your customers with the option for shipping or curbside pickup.
I also love that Square has a savings account option so you can easily set aside a certain percentage of your sales for taxes or general savings.

Cons

Currently very happy with the service and I appreciate the efforts they are making to continually improve their product.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Square Appointments

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

Overall, Square Appointments has been leading the industry with features and integration. For the most part, it's easy to use and has been the benchmark by which all other platforms measure their offerings to their clients.

I've been using Appointments for 6 years. There's a (few) reason(s) why.

1. POS Integration - no need for a separate processor; invoicing and various forms of payment flexibility.

2. Free Plan Option - solopreneurs can get their business up and running without feeling like they have to "pay to play"

3. Built-In (paid) Marketing Tools & Loyalty - email and text campaigns, unique discounts, track customer engagement, get people back to your business, help clients feel special on special days like birthdays, anniversaries, etc.

4. Booking Website Included - also easily integrates into Google, Instagram, and Facebook to use their "book now" features

5. Inventory

6. Employee Management, Location Management, Tip distribution, and Payroll capabilities

7. No-Show and cancellation protection

8. Detailed reporting capabilities

9. Waitlist

Cons

Although there is great progress and development within Appointments, there are still some VERY key features (BASIC NECESSITIES) that have been HIGHLY sought after for years and they're still not implemented.

Also, do people that utilize Appointments not utilize anything else? Do we not sell retail? Do we not ship things out? Do we not have massive salons, businesses, etc. that would benefit greatly from restaurant capabilities?

Let me ask it a different way. Let's create a story.

You book your quarterly haircut. Got confirmation and everything synced and integrated into your calendar. Yay!
Oh but what's this? Before I finalized my appointment, I was asked what new product I needed since the shampoo I purchased last time is almost out. Not only that, I could send a message to my stylist, giving some details about how my scalp is feeling this time and asking if I should stick with the same product.
Oh my gosh....my stylist responded, gave great advice, and NOW they want to know if they should ship to me so I get it sooner or if I want to pick it up (prepaid) when I come to my appointment. SUPER cool!

Fastforward to the day of my appointment and I'm getting a reminder that not only includes my appointment details, but it also includes confirmation about the retail I wanted, asks if I wanted to do any last minute appointment add-ons upgrades (even knows to already check my stylist's calendar so I know it won't back them up and have them rushing to complete the upgrade appropriately), AND sends whatever drink/food item I'd like to have ready for me when I arrive.
Best. Service Provider. Ever.
Top to bottom.

Wouldn't you want to experience that?

I recognize that ALL of those features probably can't exist...but what if they could??

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

Square appointments is great for my little skincare studio and boutique. I like seeing all my appointments in one place. How easy it is for clients to book/change/reschedule themselves with an account. It was easy to incorporate my reports, marketing and social media with Square Appointments. Plus, I can check clients out from the calendar and keep track of all their previous purchase and recommendations in one place.

Cons

I'd like more charting abilities and notes for clients' services.

Pros

I loved how Square has a free version that integrates with Google Business Page and my clients can set their appointments simply through my Google page. This was very convenient and made running a lash business so much easier

Cons

I didn’t like the fact that I had to download different Square apps for different functions that I needed. For example I had to have Square Appointments setter installed and Square Payment Processor installed separately. It would be nice to do multiple functions on one Square app instead of having to install different apps every time. Also, the appointment setting section did not have a place for client to pay deposits. This was very critical for me to have, and was the main reason why I started looking for other apps that had this functionality working better on their platforms. Square said they had it but every time I tried to set it up, it didn’t work.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Square Appointments

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

Quick and easy to sync with Google Calendar. We use it for multiple appointments.

Cons

We cannot edit outgoing text messages. I wrote this and when I checked, Square has updated and made custom SMS a reality now!
The Customer database exporting is not great into Google Contacts.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

I love how seamlessly I can schedule things , invoice, collect client information, and even see reports of your sales all on one easy to use app

Cons

I believe the processing fees are average, I wish it could be more competitive.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

Took a long time to set things up and me not being very web savvy extra effort from me to have to get done

Cons

the live chat service. very non-helpful and rude

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

Its connected to my square account which I use often and can see my appointments when they are booked.

Cons

I do not use it a lot and would like to use it more with my clients.

Pros

I really liked this system it was so easy to use and a great help in my business

Cons

There was nothing to dislike it was a very good product

Pros

Square Appointments is a thorough appointment scheduling program that provides a number of features to aid businesses in streamlining their appointment-making procedures. Businesses may easily manage employee schedules, set up their scheduling preferences, and provide online booking to their customers with its user-friendly interface. Additionally, this software allows for a great deal of customization, including the ability to program automatic appointment confirmations and reminders via email or text message.

Cons

One downside of Square Appointments is that it can be relatively expensive, particularly for small businesses or independent professionals. Additionally, some users have reported issues with the software's mobile app, including slow loading times and glitches.

Pros

Square is one of the first POS systems that I used so I’m very familiar with it. It integrates easily with many different applications and has a fair amount of necessary features.

Cons

I pay a lot of money to use square for appointments square for payroll square for POS square for marketing etc. etc. I hate that every part of Square has a different app I wish I could all just be in one and I hate how they charge for every little thing, boy they make a ton of money off me and their customer service is horrible

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Square Appointments

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

-Easy to use and navigate
-Basic features that are essential for Massage Therapy business

Cons

Free system was great and then they removed the calendar sync function, unless you upgraded.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Square Appointments

Pros

I love that I can complete transactions and book the same client all in one place! I’m a one man show so this makes life easy and helps me retain business!

Cons

I don’t have many complaints with square appointments. It’s worked well with keeping my schedule intact.

Pros

Square schedules appointments, takes payments and keeps track of customers all in one place at no additional charge.

Cons

It took a while to figure out. Start and end time feature on the appointment would be great.When making an edit in the auto text feature, I noticed the customer gets the default message & not what I changed it too, which enables me to not be able to use that feature.

Pros

I really enjoy Square for appointment scheduling and calendar management.

Cons

I do not like that you cannot allow for double booking in the free version.

Pros

The mobile app was great for checking my appointments for the day and booking clients in no time. I loved the automatic reminders; this was a huge time saver for me. So easy to use, worth the money!

Cons

Square Appointments was free for some time but then they started charging--I feel like they got me hooked on it and then I had to pay monthly. But, still worth it for all the time it saved me and with how easy it is to use.

Pros

This was very user friendly software. Easy to use.

Cons

It wasn’t great for a busy spa. Cashing out multiple services done with several service providers on one transaction wasn’t available. Reporting wasn’t strong enough either, keeping track of GCs was okay but not great.

Pros

It works seamlessly, and allows me to give my clients a Covid message, and a link to my client/practitioner agreement before they even book their session. I love that it integrates Square software and my Google Calendar, so there is no duplication of effort. Though I do not use the feature, it's brilliant that it will allow me to accept payment through Square at the time clients book an appointment.

Cons

Some of the backend features could use some tweaking. Given how many of us work from home, there should be an option for a client to choose a remote session, not just their home or my office. I always have to contact clients to find out if they want to meet at my office or work via Zoom. That choice should be one that clients can make clearly at the time of booking their session.

Pros

User friendly, easy to edit, easy to customize in general appointments. Individual appointments are easy to customize but a little more time needed.

Cons

The app glitches when it comes to the required cc on file. Even if that option is selected in settings, some clients somehow still bypass it. This is a big deal when they are new clients and end up being a no show.

Pros

I like it's easy to set up and not expensive to start with just personal (no timeworker) use. No monthly fee is my most like part . It comes with a good monthly report for your business.

Cons

There's one thing I don't like is the 2.6% processing fee on credit cards payment . For a small business , it's too much for personal use.

Pros

It was free to Square users and synced to Google calendar.

Cons

It is no longer free to square users and is NOT good for a mobile service business if you need to book longer arrival times. You can only book exact times which is almost impossible to keep when each job is different.

Pros

It's free... but incredibly easy to use! It works well, syncs with my google calendar and makes scheduling appointments easy for my clients! Moving things around and editing services is easy too which is HUGE!

Cons

I wish they had a more user friendly interface with more options when it came to storing client info. I'd love more detailed options for notes as well as a way to store images and view them side by side for before and afters- it was almost a deal breaker. They have said this will come in the future as a LOT of people have requested this but nothing has been done.

Pros

My page was nice looking once I was able to get some help through tech support for the page. I was able to ad some pictures to personalize it more.

Cons

I had some challenges getting changes made and also when I attempted to add content to the mobile and web version I had to call tech support or chat with them.

Pros

I have used this scheduling software as a client (booking services through someone using Square) many times, and it's very versatile. I've easily booked hair appointments to doctor's appointments through my phone. This not only saves me the hassle of calling and waiting on hold, as well as saves businesses valuable time--when otherwise they'd be answering phones.

Cons

For clients who are using this software for scheduling for their own business, it's important to always keep your appointments up to date. Nothing could be more frustrating than booking through this program, then finding out it was an incorrect appointment slot.