PROGRAMS FOR ARRANGING CONSULTATIONS
Programs for arranging consultations
The work of a Virtual Assistant is inevitably connected with holding many meetings – both with team members and clients or regarding potential cooperation. Therefore, tools for arranging online consultations make the work much easier and more efficient and save time. In this post, I will present the ones I have had the opportunity to use or amusing, as well as the most recommended ones.
One of the most popular online calendars, which I use daily, is not only for business activities but also for private ones. It is the kind of tool I can no longer imagine functioning without. Simple and intuitive. It is like a wall calendar but displays on a monitor or phone screen.
- Possibility to set notifications so that you don’t miss any appointments.
- It synchronises with your devices – you can have it everywhere – in the office on your desktop computer, laptop, tablet or cell phone.
- Google Calendar can integrate the GoTO app (https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/goto_for_google_calendar/973900122739), and you will have your centre for managing your calendar and appointments. However, I will admit that I have yet to use the integration.
- possibility to integrate with other calendars
- option to create shared calendars for several people,
- opportunity to integrate with various applications, e.g. asana
The tool I currently use on my site. It is available in Polish, which gives it a significant advantage over other popular devices. You can provide your clients with consultations of different durations. I chose three options: 30, 60 or 90 minutes. It offers free transfer from Calendly and integration with Google Calendar or Outlook and uses Zoom or Google Meets for meetings. It has many exciting and useful features:
- Making appointments via a link to your calendar,
- Advance scheduling – the ability to specify how many days in advance to schedule a meeting. You can minimise the risk of sudden overnight appointments if you can’t afford them.
- Define rules for postponing meetings. You can set restrictions, such as the possibility of a maximum number of reschedules or the inability to reschedule, for example, two days before a meeting,
- Email and sms notifications before or after the meeting with personalised content,
- integration with PayU and PayPal.
- This is a development tool, currently free in all plans.
A tool I used before switching to Zencal. This tool is available in English. There is no Polish version, so that it may be a barrier for some. Calendly in the free option allows:
- One calendar connection per person. You won’t integrate two calendars, e.g. private and corporate, but if you have a google account, then the integration just needs to be done inside mail and calendly will see the blocked appointments.
- You can set only one-time slots, e.g. 30 minutes or 60 minutes, so you have to choose and specify the duration of most of your appointments in advance. But then, internally, you can always change the time to the right one in your calendar.
- Integration with Google Calendar or Outlook. It uses Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack for online meetings, among others.
The free plan is a great version to start with, but after time it needs some functionality that is only in the paid version. We are talking about the integrated payment system for consultations, the ability to set a cancellation policy for meetings or sms/e-mail notifications available in paid plans. In the paid version, you can also select more calendars and the length of the appointment. A plus is the phone app and the ability to book an appointment directly on your website.
Available in English, the tool does not have a free version but provides a 14-day trial period. A simple and mega practical application for scheduling meetings if more people are to attend. An exciting option is a poll, where we can set several time slots, and then the other people mark those dates that suit them too. This way, the date that suits everyone best will be selected. A person doesn’t have to vote for just one term. He can mark all the terms convenient to him. The application integrates with the most popular programs like Outlook, Google Calendar, Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. In addition, there is a phone app available.
A Polish-language alternative to Calendly, fully adapted to the Polish market. A paid tool, but with a 14-day trial period available. It has functionalities available in most paid programs – i.e. reservation system, notifications, and online payment option. However, its ability to integrate with programs such as Invoice, Messenger, Skype or WhatsApp, and even Przelewy24 or BLIK sets it apart. In addition, of course, it connects to the most popular tools like Google Calendar, Google Meet, and Zoom. Finally, there is a mobile application available.
And what, have I convinced you to use any of the above apps? Of course, it’s not that you necessarily need to use an app to make appointments. On the other hand, if you want to automate your activities and not bounce emails repeatedly to set a specific appointment, then one of these apps might be the perfect solution for you. You set your availability on the calendar, and the system already sets the appointment for you according to the needs of the potential client or colleague.
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