The challenge is no longer to make an appointment. It is not to lose an opportunity.
For years, online appointment software was limited to synchronizing agendas and sending reminders. This is no longer the case. The market has evolved into multifunction solutions, capable of structuring customer journeys, qualifying leads or collecting payments. A discreet but strategic transition, which transforms these tools into key bricks of marketing stacks, dirty and ops.
A switch to the “all-in-one”
The rocking point came from the need to automate the post-reservation steps. Calendly, Doodle and Acuity were the first to enrich their offer: workflows, CRM integrations, reporting. Others like Calendesk or Thryv have gone further: invoicing, creation of sites, customer messaging.
We no longer choose an appointment tool, but a conversion tool.
Strategic comparison table
| Tool | CRM integration | Online payment | Auto allocation | Multilingual | Notable features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calendly | ✅ (Hubspot, Salesforce…) | ❌ (via zapier) | ✅ (Pro version) | ❌ | Workflows, branding, zoom/team integrations |
| Hubspot | ✅ (native) | ❌ (via Stripe Third Parties) | ✅ (native) | ❌ | Alignment CRM + Meeting, monitoring of opportunities |
| Chilipper | ✅ (strong) | ❌ (focus lead) | ✅ (real time) | ❌ | Dynamic qualification, scoring, routing |
| Simplybook.me | ✅ (via zapier) | ✅ (Stripe, Paypal…) | ❌ | ✅ | Multilingual, social networks, EU accommodation |
| Pleyo | ❌ (API module) | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | Dynamic prices, quota management, complete API |
| Calendesk | ✅ (strong) | ✅ (native) | ❌ | ✅ | White marked mobile app, invoicing, subscriptions |
Increasingly specialized uses
-
- Independent : Acuity, Resaclick – For personalization and lightness.
- SME : SimplyBook.me, Calendesk-For multi-user, payments and growth.
- Dirty teams : Chilipiper, HubSpot – For responsiveness and qualification.
- Tourism, leisure : Playo – For slot management, complex pricing.
A current platform effect
The growth of these tools follows a well -known SaaS scheme:
-
- Free entry via appointment
- Range via integrations
- Horizontal extension: invoicing, CRM, reporting
Calendesk Pushes this logic to offer personalized mobile applications. Thryv Integrates a website, quote management and messaging. The appointment becomes a Acquisition pretext.
The heart of the reactor: data
The central asset remains the transactional data. These tools record:
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- The moment and the frequency of appointments
- Entrance channels
- The presence or cancellation rate
- Customer typologies
- The responsiveness of your teams
Connected to a CRM or a reporting tool, this data makes it possible to predict conversions, to optimize the teams, to control the campaigns.
