How helpful is Microsoft Bookings?

Oluwafemi Smith
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1.3K Views
Jan 13, 2023

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What is Microsoft Bookings?

Microsoft Bookings is a scheduling and appointment-booking tool that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite of products. It allows businesses to easily create and manage appointment schedules and lets customers book appointments online.

What can Microsoft Bookings do?

With Microsoft Bookings, businesses can create a customizable online booking page that customers can access to view available appointment times and book appointments. Businesses can also set up automatic email and text message reminders to customers to reduce no-shows. Additionally, Microsoft Bookings has a mobile app that allows customers to book appointments on the go.

Bookings also allow businesses to integrate appointment data into their calendars, such as Outlook, to stay organized and keep track of their upcoming appointments. It also allows them to sync with teams and other office apps.

Who needs Microsoft Bookings?

Microsoft Bookings remains an essential tool for all; however, small and medium-sized businesses that seek to streamline their appointment scheduling process and provide a convenient online booking experience for customers would find the application more resourceful.

Is Microsoft Bookings free?

Microsoft Bookings is included as part of the Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, and Office 365 E1, E3, and E5 plans. However, not all features of Bookings may be available depending on the specific plan you have.

If your organization already has one of the above plans, then Microsoft Bookings is available to you at no additional cost. If your organization does not have one of these plans, then you will need to purchase a plan that includes Bookings to use it.

There is also a free version of Microsoft Bookings called "Microsoft Bookings Basic," which is a scaled-down version of the full service. It's limited in functionality, but it gives you the ability to create a booking page and let customers book appointments online with the basics feature. But you will miss some of the more advanced features, like integration with other Microsoft apps, automated notifications and reminders, and the ability to sync with Outlook or your team's calendar.

What are the shortcomings of Microsoft Bookings?

Limited customizability: While Microsoft Bookings allows businesses to create a customizable online booking page, the level of customization is limited. Some businesses may find that they are unable to fully customize their booking page to match their brand or specific needs.
Lack of Payment integration: Microsoft Bookings does not include the ability to take online payments for bookings, so businesses that require payment at the time of booking would need to look for external options to fulfill this.
Limited integration with other tools: While Microsoft Bookings can integrate with some Microsoft apps like Outlook and Teams calendar, it doesn't have much integration with other tools like CRMs, inventory management software, and invoicing software.
Limited reporting and Analytics capabilities: Although it gives you the ability to check upcoming appointments and staff schedules, it lacks advanced reporting and analytics capabilities to track and measure the performance of the business.

Conclusion.

Microsoft Bookings remains a useful tool for businesses that helps streamline the scheduling process and provides a convenient online booking experience for customers. However, like any software, it has its own set of limitations.

It's important to note that these limitations may or may not be a problem for you, depending on the specific needs of your business. Evaluating the tool and comparing it to other similar tools on the market can help you make the right decision.

It is also recommended that you check out the Microsoft website for more detailed information and pricing plans that suit your organization's needs.