Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Web
  3. News

Small business owner? Manage your appointments better with Microsoft Bookings

Lulu Chang
By

microsoft bookings worldwide screen shot 2017 03 21 at 12 43 34 pm
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Small businesses in North America have the option of managing their customers’ appointments and schedules through Microsoft’s Bookings, and now the Seattle-based tech giant announced the service is being rolled out to Office 365 Business Premium subscribers.

“Bookings is designed to delight your customers, simplify scheduling and free time for you to be on top of your business wherever you are,” Microsoft said in a blog post announcement. Along with the global release, Microsoft has also introduced a number of new features to their handy app, which will hopefully make it easier still for you to run your business like a well-oiled machine.

Recommended Videos

Per user feedback, Microsoft has added your Office 365 calendar to Bookings, creating a seamless integration that blocks off times in your public Bookings page when your calendar says you’re busy and vice versa. Simply click on the Staff tab on the left navigation panel to enable this new feature and select the Events on Office 365 calendar affect availability checkbox.

Related

Microsoft Bookings also now allows you to add buffer time before and after your appointments, so you don’t have to worry about having back-to-back-to-back meetings scheduled with no time to breathe, so if you need some time to travel, prep, or set up before or after an appointment, you don’t need to feel rushed.

And because we live in a mobile world, Microsoft also made it possible for you to book an appointment, contact a customer, or check a staff member’s appointment from your iOS or Android device. You will also be able to get directions to your next appointment and directly access your customer list on the go. Finally, you now have the ability to customize your Bookings page, because as Microsoft notes, “Your Booking page should look and feel like an extension of your business, and it needs to positively reflect your brand.” You can now set a new main color for your page, display a business logo, and more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Lulu Chang
Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Use Office? Your PC could be at risk due to this Microsoft change
Computer user touching on Microsoft word icon to open the program.

If you're using Microsoft Office on your Windows PC, then you might want to keep your eye out for potential new security issues.

Microsoft has just backtracked on a decision it made earlier in 2022, and will no longer be blocking Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros in Office files by default across Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, and Visio.

Read more
The best accounting software for your small business

Being a small business owner can be rewarding in many ways, but tasks like maintaining budgets, ensuring invoices are tracked and paid, and managing accounts payable can be difficult. Without the proper software to get the job done, it’s entirely possible companies can fall into disarray. To address that problem, many small business owners turn to dedicated accounting software, programs that usually run in the cloud and have the ability to handle all of the accounting needs of the operation.

In fact, this software virtually takes on roles like controller, chief financial officer, and accounts payable manager that you’d find in larger organizations. But before you set out to find the best accounting software for your business, check out the guide below. The following six solutions are the best accounting software and each one offers a diverse set of features, reasonable pricing, and everything else you need to manage your small business more efficiently.
QuickBooks Online

Read more
Hackers can now take over your computer through Microsoft Word
A dark mystery hand typing on a laptop computer at night.

A new zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Office could potentially allow hackers to take control of your computer. The vulnerability can be exploited even if you don't actually open an infected file.

Although we're still waiting for an official fix, Microsoft has released a workaround for this exploit, so if you frequently use MS Office, be sure to check it out.

Read more