The problem: Appointments come in by phone, WhatsApp and Instagram, which means double bookings, missed calls and a calendar nobody trusts.
Most booking services charge per month, per user or per booking. That feels small until you work it out over a year. And you are there on their terms: their screen, their emails, their brand under your appointment, and your client list on their servers.
Your own system runs on your site, under your name. You decide which services there are, how long they take, how much time goes between them and when you are unavailable. You pay nothing per booking, however many there are.
What the difference is
| Off-the-shelf package | Bespoke | |
|---|---|---|
| Per booking | A fixed fee or a percentage | Nothing |
| A busy month | A bigger bill | No difference |
| Under whose name | Theirs, with your logo tacked on | Yours |
| Your client list | On their servers | In your database |
| Your rules | Whatever their settings allow | Whatever you decide |
| Reminders | Often a pricier plan | Simply built in |
Work it out yourself
Fill in how much you book and what it costs you per booking or per month. If you pay monthly, set the bookings to 1 and enter your monthly amount.
€1,250 is the starting figure for phase 1. If you pay a fixed monthly fee instead of per booking, set the bookings to 1 and enter your monthly amount as the cost per booking.
What you get
- A calendar that only shows what is genuinely free
- Services with their own duration, price and preparation time
- Opening hours, breaks, holidays and exceptions
- Confirmation by email, and a reminder before the appointment
- An admin side where you move, cancel or block out time yourself
- Several staff or rooms, each with their own calendar
- An overview of who is coming, today and this week
Connecting to what you already have
A booking system that is not in your own calendar is one you will never trust. A connection costs €190 each.
- Your calendar, so a booking lands in it straight away
- Payment up front or a deposit through Stripe or Mollie
- Your accounting, so an appointment can become an invoice
- Your website, so booking happens without leaving the site
How it runs
In phases, so bookings can start quickly and the rest follows.
-
1
Mapping out 1 week
Your services, your hours and your rules. What is allowed and what is not. -
2
Phase 1 3 to 5 weeks
Booking, confirming, managing. Enough to get going. -
3
Phase 2 per part
Reminders, payments, multiple staff and the connections. -
4
After that €45 per month
Hosting, updates, monitoring and small changes.
When not to do this
Sometimes an existing service is simply the better call.
- You have a few appointments a week. Then a shared calendar is enough.
- Your clients find you through a booking platform. Then you are paying there for the traffic, not for the software.
- You work in a sector with strict cancellation or refund rules that an existing package already covers.
- You do not know yet what your schedule looks like. Settle that first, or you build a rule that is wrong next month.
Frequently asked questions
What does a booking system cost?
From €1,250 for phase 1, then €45 a month for hosting and maintenance. You pay nothing per booking, however many there turn out to be. A connection to your calendar or a payment service costs €190 each.
Do I pay commission per booking?
No. That is the whole point. A bespoke system costs a one-off investment plus hosting and maintenance, and after that every extra booking is free.
Can clients pay in advance?
Yes, in full or with a deposit, through Stripe or Mollie. That is also the best way to cut down no-shows.
Can I move or block an appointment myself?
Yes. In the admin side you move, cancel or block out part of your day, and the client is notified automatically.
Does it work with several staff?
Yes. Every member of staff has their own calendar, their own hours and optionally their own services. A client picks who they want, or leaves it to the system.
Does it send reminders?
Yes, by email as standard. A reminder by text or WhatsApp can be added, though that does come with the cost of an external service.
Can I move my existing appointments across?
Usually, yes. Nearly every system exports to CSV or iCal, and that import is part of phase 1.
Platforms I built
Two sites where appointments and enquiries are the whole point.
Carizma
A barbershop in Lokeren you do not visit just for a haircut. That feeling had to be online.
Guntro Group
Car wrapping and van fit-outs in Lokeren. One main site and three sub-sites, all rebuilt in the same style.