Software > Wellness ERP System > 102.3 - Calendar
We currently use the Google Calendar for our scheduling.
Benefits
Benefits not always found in other solutions
Drawbacks
Benefits
- Generally speaking it's easy to use and easy to access on all devices.
- The act of setting up appointments is easy.
Benefits not always found in other solutions
- Custom coloring comes in very handy for those who offer multiple types of services
- It can be shared with others (one of the biggest benefits)
- The ability to overlap appointments is supported (and this is NOT common in many other systems). This is a critical feature for some acupuncturists who allow patients to sit unattended.
Drawbacks
- There is no easy way to associate appointments with a patient database when creating appointments. This makes the idea of appointment reminders much more complex -- it also makes things like automatic customer ticklers for those who have not returned recently more difficult. Both of those can be worked around with some scripting and some relatively manual processes, both of which might actually make those business processes better and more personal (if you think about all the details of a custom service as opposed to presuming ticklers should be sent out to all...)
- Accessing patient contact information and other data requires a calendar lookup and then a separate lookup in a different window for other data. Nothing is just a link click away...
- Google enables public posting of calendar slots, but only google users can see them and schedule in them... so great for internal org type scheduling but a no go for dealing with public appointment scheduling..
The Calendar -- The single largest system design decision..
Now that you see the pros and cons of the Google Calendar, it becomes far more apparent why most SAAS solutions revolve around a calendar module. In their world, that calendar drives everything... where as in our world, it is the piece that schedules appointments, and that is all...
Learning to cope with the Google Calendar or a Gsheets contrived solution like the outline of one below is the decision that can save most folks the need for another scheduling system that often runs $50 to 500/month, so there are financial reasons why one should try to make this work.
Learning to cope with the Google Calendar or a Gsheets contrived solution like the outline of one below is the decision that can save most folks the need for another scheduling system that often runs $50 to 500/month, so there are financial reasons why one should try to make this work.
A Spreadsheet??
This may seem hokie or old school, and we have not implemented one of these in a wellness practice yet, but a spreadsheet similar to below is in fact simple to use and there are many things that could be integrated with it once it's connected to the Patient Database. In fact, this would be more powerful than some of the Calendars we've seen in the larger CRM modules that don't offer robust outbound email features.