Formerly an independent enterprise named BookFresh, the (relatively) small program was acquired by merchant services provider Square in 2014, and has since been rolled into that company’s infrastructure. now serves primarily as a landing page for Square Appointments, an application that functions within the larger framework of Square’s SaaS offerings.Although Square Appointments is part of a larger integrated platform meant to address a broad swath of business needs, it’s still possible to sign up specifically for the booking features without purchasing the entire platform. This is mostly a welcome feature, but it does have some drawbacks in the sense that it will often feel like some features are just out of reach of your plan.Of course, having the potential power of the entire Square platform available to you at a simple up-charge has its advantages. If you’re a company that anticipates growth and expansion, you may just fall into Square Appointments’s sweet spot.One of the more jarring changes returning BookFresh customers will encounter is the serious increase in costs associated with the booking software.
Luckily, you can sign-up for a 30-day free trial to get a sense of whether Square Appointments is worth the steep price of admission.There are still three plans, however, each of which offers the complete suite of scheduling features (but not total functionality, see below). The lower tiered plans cap the maximum number of staff who can access the account.You can see some residual influence from BookFresh in Square Appointments’ design. The modern fonts, clear graphics and simple color scheme ease any sense of computer or Internet anxiety, key for many professionals new to SaaS (software as a service). When you sign up, you’ll have a refreshingly small number of parameters to fill out: the name of your business, the services you offer, the length of time required for the service, and the fee for your service, if applicable. You’ll then be dropped into an Overview, which features a number of clickable pop-ups recommending some actions to get your started. These are very welcome considering the left-hand sidebar, which is full of words to click on.
Here’s where things start to get a little dicey. Many of those pesky sidebar features are lurking behind a paywall, so if you’re just trying to learn the appointment functions, things will look a bit cluttered at the outside. Do yourself a favor and just stick to the appointment tab at first. Here’s what you’ll find under it:If you were frustrated by BookFresh’s limited phone support, you’ll be happy to know that Square offers a bit more in terms of customer service.As Square Appointments lives inside the larger Square framework, it’s a bit harder to isolate reviews of its functionality. Former BookFresh users have voiced some concerns on forums.Square is well-liked program, garnering an impressive 4.4/5 stars on G2 Crowd. The latest version of the Square Appointments app has also been well-received at 4/5 stars on iOS. Users liked:Square Appointments is only one of the vast array of merchant services integrated into Square’s broader SaaS platform. You can access this additional functionality through the massive sidebar at the left side of the screen.
A number of these other merchant services come at additional cost, however.Square was processing payments long before it acquired BookFresh, so if you’re planning to take payments through your booking software, you’ll be able to leverage Square’s considerable expertise in that area. There’s no additional monthly fee for using the sale services, but Square takes a 2.75 percent cut of swiped and online/invoice transactions and 3.75 percent plus 15 cents on every keyed-in transaction. For more comprehensive look at Square’s PoS functionality, check out our review.Square’s security policy is what you might expect for a company that holds sensitive information and transfers payments. It adheres to PCI security standards and features encryption, segregated networks, and payment encryption. You can read more about their security policy here.As feature-rich as Square is, it’s quite expandable. Among the integrations available for it are:BookFresh is dead, but its ghost will lead you to Square Appointments.
And despite the fact that it functions as a successor to BookFresh, Square Appointments is a very different program serving a different niche.As part of a larger, integrated merchant services platform, Square Appointments can provide established small businesses with just about everything they need to run their digital infrastructure at a very reasonable price. On a less substantive note, Square brings a high degree of polish to their products. If you like clean, visually pleasing UIs, you’ll be pleased with what Square has to offer here.All of this, of course, assumes that you need and will use everything Square has to offer. If you only need to book appointments, this service a bit too rigid in the customization department to justify its hefty price tag. Those lighter users can find what they need in cheaper (even free) competitors. 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Get A Merchant Cash Advance Merchant Cash Advances: Are They Right For Your Business? Why Use A Customer-Facing Scheduling App?
Square Appointments VS BookingBug Acuity Scheduling VS Appointyis now Square Appointments Thousands of business have already signed up with Square Appointments freeing them to spend more time with their clients and less time scheduling appointments. Allow customers to book online 24/7, send automated text and email reminders and sync with your existing calendar with online scheduling from Square. “Online scheduling simplifies things for me and my clients. It takes the back and forth out of scheduling and the frustration out of calendaring.”No more phone tagLet clients book the service, staff member, and time that works for them—Square’s appointment scheduling software stays open, even when you’re closed. Seamlessly check out clientsSquare’s scheduling software syncs with Square Point of Sale so you can seamlessly check out clients, accept payments, or send invoices all from the same device. Reduce no-showsPrepayment and automatic text and email reminders ensure clients always remember their upcoming appointments.