Did you know that inferior in-branch experiences and long wait times for service cause 10% of consumers to walk out? Well, now that you do, you’re probably wondering what you can do to prevent this. The first step is to deploy one of the best Appointment Scheduling Apps in your banks as soon as possible.
How to find the best Scheduling Software
Providers of Scheduling Systems use different names around the world. To streamline your research efforts, use the following top Google search terms:
- Scheduling App
- Booking Software
- Online Booking app
- Click to Shop
- Video Appointments
What are the benefits of using an Appointment Scheduling Platform?
The main benefits of upgrading to an Appointment Booking System across your online and physical branches include:
- Higher footfall: Customers who are looking for a particular service or product are frequently deterred from coming in-branch by concerns that they’ll waste a trip. After all, what can be more inconvenient than arriving at a branch to find a long queue for the particular service you require. For that reason, when retailers offer appointment scheduling, they can alleviate this concern and bring more customers to branch.
- Fewer no shows: When retailers don’t have a system in place, customers have to go through the rigmarole of calling up the branch to cancel. With the right Scheduling App, the customer can reschedule or cancel their appointment within seconds. As such, the no show rate drops significantly when retailers use an Online Scheduling Software.
- Deeper data insights: Branch associates can track service time, fill out service outcomes and send after-service surveys to customers through the best Booking Platforms. Retail leaders can then use this vital information to make more informed decisions about their business strategy.
What are the benefits of using an enterprise-retail specific Appointment System?
Using an enterprise-retail specific Appointment Calendar Software has some extra advantages for global brands:
- Centralized management of appointment, queuing, event, click and collect customers
- Additional interfaces for branch teams, head office and call center teams
- Rapid software deployments across many branches around the world
Which features do the best Appointment Scheduling Software providers offer?
We know that picking the best Online Booking Software can be quite a complicated process. That’s why we’ve already rounded up our top 10 Appointment Scheduling Software providers for banks. Compare their features below.
Qudini | JRNI | Clientela | Qmatic | Engageware | Better Branches | Squarespace | Timify | Brickwork | Calendly | |
Retail & Banking Sector Specific | ||||||||||
360 Retail Choreography Suite (e.g., Click and Collect, Queuing, Events and other solutions) | ||||||||||
In-Store and Virtual Appointments | ||||||||||
ISO 27001 Accredited | ||||||||||
Offers VPC Hosting Options for Enterprise | ||||||||||
WCAG 2 Accessibility Compliant Customer Interfaces | ||||||||||
Single-Sign-On Integration | ||||||||||
Flexible settings that HQ can Fully Control | ||||||||||
Rich Data Capabilities with Option to Create Custom Dashboards | ||||||||||
Staff Interface on Any Desktop Browser and IOS or Android Device | ||||||||||
Customer Check-in Kiosk on IOS & Android | ||||||||||
TV Display App that Works on Any Screen | ||||||||||
Online Booking Interface with UTM tracking, Demand, Source APIs and Google Analytics Style tracking | ||||||||||
Call Centre Interface | ||||||||||
Flexible Appointment Time Slot Options | ||||||||||
Automated Appointment Reminder and Post-Visit Emails & SMS and Manual Alternatives | ||||||||||
Rich Customer Question Capabilities | ||||||||||
Sales Outcome Reporting | ||||||||||
Key CRM and Calendar Integrations and Ability to Build Tailored Integrations | ||||||||||
Tailored Notifications and Alerts |
What is the best Appointment scheduling App?
After extensive research, the following Online Appointment Apps made it onto our top 10 list (with the most relevant enterprise systems appearing first).
While we’ve been able to gather a significant amount of information on each provider, we were unable to attain costings as enterprise software providers only share their costs upon request.
1. Qudini
Enterprise-grade Retail Choreography company Qudini has the largest solution offering on our list which is why they’re the best suited for large banks and financial institutions.
Overview
- Calendar integrations: On top of their CRM integrations, Qudini is one of the only Online Booking Systems on our list to offer all five essential calendar integrations.
- Extensive language options: Qudini has 12 preset language options, including English, French, German, Italian and Arabic.
- Multiple solutions: Qudini has an integrated platform for Appointment Scheduling, Event Management, Virtual Queuing, Click and Collect, Clienteling and many more software solutions.
- Security: Qudini is ISO 27001 certified and regularly carries out CREST penetration tests to ensure full data security.
- Additional features: The cloud-based software company also has key features like a fully customizable booking widget that you can embed into your website, multiple ways to book (e.g., via QR code, store host or kiosk), email and SMS booking and reminder messages and staff interfaces on desktop, with IOS and Android apps. They even have a completely hardware compatible kiosk app that you can use to check customers in for service.
- Clients: Burberry, Nike, Pandora, Samsung, Meijer Pharmacy, Tesco, IQOS, NatWest, Benefit Cosmetics, Currys.
- Available since: 2013.
2. JRNI
With a focus on the public sector, JRNI has a growing solution suite and a top Scheduling System.
Overview
- Fixed system: JRNI settings are mostly fixed so you won’t need to spend time enabling and disabling settings. Likewise, they’ve simplified the customization process.
- Security: JRNI has a secure system with a high uptime.
- Clients: Co-op, Levi’s, Kingfisher, Jojo Maman Bébé, KBC and Bed Bath & Beyond.
- Available since: 2012.
3. Clientela
With a primary focus on midsize businesses, Clientela has one of the best Appointment Scheduling Systems and a wealth of functionalities to offer.
Overview
- Key features: Clientela integrates with your CRM, embeds into your website, and sends out email notifications to customers to confirm their booking.
- Clients: Gucci, Cartier, Topshop, Bally and MaxMara.
- Available since: 2020 (earliest we’ve seen their Event App promoted on their website).
4. Qmatic
Many of the Appointment Scheduling Softwares mentioned above are already fully hardware compatible. Nevertheless, Qmatic is still one of the best appointment scheduling providers and their hardware has become increasingly popular in the public sector.
Overview
- Software release expected: Qmatic is releasing a new cloud-based Scheduling App in the near future which is expected to work in tandem with Qmatic kiosks.
- Hardware repairs: If Qmatic kiosks malfunction, you can ship them to Qmatic’s repair center in Sweden and they’ll be returned once repaired.
- Clients: Manchester Metropolitan University, SNCF, Capitec and Telia Company.
- Available since: 2016.
5. EngageWare
Trading since 1999, Engageware (previously known as “TimeTrade”) has engineered a single-solution Appointment Tool. Primarily, EngageWare works with financial organizations, although they also share their solutions uniformly across multiple industries.
Overview
- Staff interfaces on desktop: EngageWare don’t have staff apps for IOS or Android but their standard appointment interface works on all desktop browsers.
- Customer check-in IOS app: EngageWare has a kiosk app which IOS smartphone users can use to check-in for their appointments.
- Appointment-specific: Engageware doesn’t offer Virtual Queuing, Task Management or Event Booking Software solutions. Their key focus is on expanding the feature set for their Appointment Scheduling Software and virtual appointment capabilities.
- Clients: Clarks, BestBuy, Cambridge Trust, Logix and Del-One.
- Available since: 1999.
6. Better Branches
Better Branches is a finance-sector centric software provider with a well-established and incredibly secure Booking System.
Overview
- Data security: Better Branches encrypts all personal customer data and uses local servers to promote security.
- Calendar integration: Better Branches integrates with Outlook–one of the five essential calendars your system needs to integrate with if you want to maximize appointment bookings.
- Clients: Travis Credit Union (CU), First Community CU, and SVP Ideal CU.
- Available since: 2019.
7. Squarespace
Squarespace primarily offers their Booking App to small and midsize businesses although they’re beginning to expand their focus in the enterprise banking arena.
Overview
- Email reminders: No-show customers can really hurt your shopfloor resource allocation. Squarespace is aiming to reduce how many customers don’t turn up for appointments with their email booking reminder feature.
- Customization: The last thing you want is for your appointment booking widget to stick out for all the wrong reasons on your website. Squarespace has a few customization options to encourage brand consistency across your booking widget and website.
- Clients: Wattpad, Avocode, Yummly and Focus21.
- Available since: 2006.
8. Timify
Timify is a single-solution appointment scheduling provider with several different subscription options available to small business owners.
Overview
- Booking journeys: Timify enables customers to schedule an appointment via Reserve with Google, booking widget or QR code. Moreover, while they don’t have live video chat capabilities, they do offer virtual bookings.
- Free trial: Timify offers a limited-timed free trial. You can use a restricted version of their Appointment Booking App to see if they cater to your business use cases.
- Clients: Marc O’Polo, Fieldmann, Sonova, Intersport and s.Oliver.
- Available since: 2012.
9. Brickwork
If you’re only looking for an Appointment Scheduling Software (i.e., you don’t need event management or virtual queuing solutions), consider DevHub company Brickwork.
Overview
- Embeddable widget: Brickwork lets you embed your appointment booking widget into your website.
- Calendar integration: As previously mentioned, there are five important calendar integrations your Scheduling System needs to have. Brickwork offers one of these–iCalendar.
- Clients: Urban Outfitters, J.Crew, Bonobos and Kate Spade.
- Available since: 2013.
10. Calendly
Personal Scheduling App Calendly was created in 2013 in Atlanta. Without a doubt, it’s the best Online Booking App for individual usage.
Overview
- Multiple languages: Calendly can translate your appointment scheduling pages’ content into a few different languages.
- CRM integration: Calendly integrates with Salesforce CRM so data you collect in either system syncs into the other.
- Clients: Twillo, Dropbox, Lyft, Compass, eBay and Vonage.
- Available since: 2013.
Should Banks Build or Buy Appointment Scheduling Software?
We recommend buying rather than building in-branch software. It’s typically far more expensive to build an Appointment Scheduling System from scratch than to buy one from a SaaS company that’s already done all the hard work.