Stop the Back-and-Forth: Automate Your Client Bookings with Ease
If you’ve ever lost time to a “what time works for you?” email chain or been back and forth in the DMs to finally agree on a time for that call then this is for you.
One of the most underrated time-saving tools you can have in your business is an automated booking system. Whether you’re running 1:1 sessions, discovery calls or group events having a simple way for people to book directly into your diary can seriously free up your time and take care of one of those necessary admin jobs.There are so many reasons why automating bookings is such a useful thing to do for your business and if you read on I’ll also share why I love using TidyCal to automate booking in my own business.
Why Automate Your Bookings?
There’s nothing wrong with organising meetings over email, DMs or the phone, we’ve all started out that way. But if your business involves regular client calls and online meetings those back-and-forth messages can become a massive time drain.
And let’s be honest, it’s not just about time.
When clients can see your availability and book straight in, it:
- Makes your business look more professional
- Removes the mental load of trying to coordinate calendars
- Ensures you’re only booked when you actually want to be
- Set up reminder emails for you and your clients to cut down on late arrivals or no-shows
Plus, if you’re anything like me and your work hours flex around family life, it’s even more important to let people see exactly when you’re free to chat.
What Can an Online Booking System Actually Do?
Modern booking tools don’t just let clients choose a time. With the right setup, they can also:
- Automatically create a Zoom or Google Meet link
- Add the booking to your Google Calendar (or whichever calendar you use) and your client’s calendars
- Send confirmation emails and reminders
- Let you collect key information upfront with custom questions
- Block out buffers between meetings so you don’t get overwhelmed
It’s like having a virtual assistant managing your schedule, without the ongoing cost. And the best part? If you update your schedule, say an appointment for the kids pops up or you just need a quiet morning to catch up on client work, your booking system automatically updates to reflect your new availability.
If a time becomes free again, it’ll show as available the next time someone tries to book.
You can set up multiple booking types for different events from 15-minute chats to all-day training and events each with their own links you can share on even embed the whole calendar into your website.
What Tools Can You Use?
There are a few popular tools that do this really well:
- Calendly – One of the most well-known tools, easy to use and comes with a free plan for a single meeting type. If you want to add multiple booking types and take payments then you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Acuity Scheduling – A powerful platform, ideal for coaches and therapists but a bit pricier
- TidyCal – My personal favourite! It’s super affordable with a one-time lifetime fee, and it also allows you to take payments with ease.
Why I Switched from Calendly to TidyCal
To start with I used Calendly and it served me well for a while but I had to pay yearly for all the features I needed such as multiple booking types and taking payment.
Then I discovered TidyCal, and honestly, I haven’t looked back since.
Here’s why I made the switch:
- One-time payment: TidyCal has a lifetime licence for just $39 (as of May 2025. No monthly fees, no hidden costs. Just a one-and-done payment. For that price, you really can’t go wrong. No monthly costs are eating into your income, and it does everything I need.
- Import from Calendly: You can import your existing booking types directly from Calendly, which makes switching super simple, no need to start from scratch.
- Takes payments: You can connect Stripe or PayPal which means you can charge for certain booking types right at the point of booking.
- Multiple booking types: Want to offer free discovery calls, paid coaching, and workshops with multiple sign-ups? You can set up as many types as you like, whatever your business needs and each one can have its own availability and setup.
- Calendar syncing magic: Calendar syncing magic: My absolute favourite feature! If I update a booking in my Google Calendar, it automatically updates in TidyCal and lets the client know, no extra steps are needed. My whole life runs via Google Calendar so this makes rescheduling meetings super easy and helps me stay organised.
It’s simple, professional, and saves me time every single week perfect if you’re juggling calls, clients and a family calendar.
Want to See TidyCal in Action?
If you’re curious to see how it works and how you could be using it in your business, join me for this month’s free This Mum Loves Tech masterclass:
🎉 Tidy Up Your Time with TidyCal
I’ll walk you through:
- How to set up your booking system from scratch
- Connecting your calendar and video calls
- Customising your availability so your time is protected
- Sending booking links to your clients and adding them to emails, website or social media
📅 Masterclass Date: Thursday 22nd May
⏰ Time: 1 pm
👉 Sign up for the free masterclass here!
Say goodbye to the scheduling chaos and hello to more time, more ease, and a more professional booking experience for your clients.