Online Appointment Scheduling Software: Vagaro vs. Square Appointments

Streamlining your business’ processes can improve productivity, increase performance, reduce lost revenue, and improve customer satisfaction. One process service providers and appointment-based businesses can improve is how they allow clients and customers to schedule appointments. With technological advancements, efficient business scheduling software can improve your client’s experience as soon as they decide to book an appointment.

Two popular appointment scheduling software we’ll be taking a look at today include Vagaro and Square Appointments and answer the question: Between Vagaro vs. Square Appointments, which one is better? Both are good options for many businesses of various industries and sizes, so it’s best to weigh your options and see which ones can give you the best value. 

Vagaro vs. Square Appointments

Vagaro software is an all-in-one salon software solution for businesses in the beauty, wellness, and fitness industries. Their online booking software caters to salons, barbershops, spas, and fitness centers. Their scheduling software allows clients to book from social platforms like Instagram and Facebook and then send automatic reminders through SMS, email, and push notifications to remind customers. On top of scheduling, Vagaro Merchant Services also provides a wide range of tools to run the auxiliary operations of your business, including additional features like product inventory management, employee payroll report, credit card processing, website building, marketing, invoices, and more.

Square Appointments is one of the products offered by Square. Square originally provided small to large businesses with hardware packages and payment processing options, allowing all businesses to handle credit card transactions and other forms of cashless or contactless payments. Since then, it’s expanded its products to provide businesses with more auxiliary business hardware and software, including advanced features like invoices, payment processing, product inventory tracking, marketing tools, loyalty programs, gift cards and gift certificates, website templates, payroll tool, and more.  

Comparing Vagaro vs. Square Appointments

Which One Should You Choose?

Benefits of Operating with Online Scheduling Software

More businesses are seeing the benefits of replacing paper records with online scheduling software. By making your schedule and booking available online, you’re providing your business with the added advantages of the following:

•  Fewer errors compared to paper records. Paper records are more susceptible to human error and limit how much can be done automatically. First, if you have multiple business locations to manage, you’ll need at least one person in each location to manage writing down bookings. Second, paper records can risk double bookings and date and time errors from your business’ end. This can result in wasted time, lost revenue, and unhappy customers.
•  Reduced cases of no-shows. With paper records, it can be difficult for your business to constantly remind all your customers of their appointments. With scheduling apps, these reminders are automated and can be set to send client appointment notifications through various available methods. Some scheduling apps can also allow you to create cancellation policies and charge no-show fees for those who do not reschedule or cancel in time. This can help reduce the rate of no-shows while also freeing up appointment slots to other clients.
•  Helps your business make better decisions. Business scheduling software can help you make better business decisions on top of your analytical tools and other specialized tools. Getting a better picture of what your business operations look like, your busiest times, and how many clients book appointments per week can help you find opportunities to grow your business. For example, can your business benefit from hiring extra staff? How long do typical customers book? Should you open up more slots at certain times where clients are frequently booking? Can you offer unlimited booking, or is the no-show rate so high on most business days that it’s in your business’s best interest to install a stricter scheduling policy? These are some of the questions you can ask when you have this data.  
•  Improved customer satisfaction. Having a more efficient booking process can make your customers happier from the moment they book. They can easily book an appointment if they find you on social media or sites like Yelp that feature customer reviews. Rather than going back and forth looking for common free times, they can easily see all your business’ free periods and find an appointment slot that best works for them. Efficient scheduling can reduce the chance of overbooking, longer waiting times, and delays. For multiple appointments, you can use business scheduling apps to effortlessly book months in advance.

Improve Your Business Operations with the Right Scheduling Tool

Vagaro and Square Appointments are both good business scheduling software that can improve your operations’ efficiency and productivity. However, it’s important to research these two (or many other software providers you might be considering) to see which one gives you the best value.

For beauty and wellness businesses that want customization and expanded reach through various platforms, Vagaro is the way to go. On the other hand, business owners who want to adapt to cashless and credit card processing through various POS hardware while looking for more cost-effective solutions may want to consider Square Appointments.

Calysta is the all-in-one EMR solution for aesthetic practices and dermatologists. We cater specifically to businesses within our industry to provide relevant advanced features that can improve operations and increase customer satisfaction. Contact us today to learn more about our 30-day free trial period. 

Learn More: Online Scheduling Software: Vagaro vs. Mindbody