Hey WordPress agencies and freelancers, I’m talking to you! Pick up your phone and open your calendar app. I’m guessing you’ve got more meetings this week than cups of coffee. Each time one of those meetings is scheduled, there’s usually an email exchange. While it’s awesome to have a conversation via email, instead, you can leverage those interactions to send more traffic to your website. Train your clients, prospects, and vendors to find the information they need on your site by embedding a meeting scheduler! Not sure where to start? Below are the best meeting schedulers I’ve found that integrate magically with WordPress.
Let’s talk about meeting scheduler etiquette for a second
Has meeting scheduler etiquette ever been discussed before? Probably not. But here’s the thing, how you present a feature can make a big difference. Here’s what I mean…
Here’s my scheduling link, go ahead and book some time on my calendar!
-Well-meaning person with a scheduling link
I don’t know about you, but unless I either appreciate how busy the person is or have an existing relationship with them, I don’t like it when people tell me to “book time on my calendar”. There’s just something about it that feels a little standoffish, especially if the person sending the link is the person requesting the meeting. Especially if it’s a sales call. You can send me the fanciest, best meeting scheduler link in the world, and I’ll probably be annoyed if you position it as a convenience for you, and a task for me. Here’s another way to say the same thing…
Here’s a booking link for my calendar to help coordinate a time. If it’s easier to negotiate a time via email, just let me know!
-Conscientious person with a scheduling link
In this example, the conscientious person is giving their invitee some options! In this situation, I’ll happily pick the scheduling link every single time. It’s easier and faster, and there’s no more communication needed. This message communicates that, “I’m sending you a link that should make things easier for both of us, but if it’s not easier for you, no problem, we’ll do it the old-fashioned way”.
So what are the best meeting schedulers?
When it comes to schedulers, there are a lot of options. Some are free, some are paid. Here’s what’s important though — as a WordPress developer, agency, or freelancer, the solution you choose should work nicely with WordPress so it can be embedded. So, here are my 3 favorite meeting schedulers that integrate well with WordPress.
Simply Schedule Appointments, best overall integration with WordPress
If you’re not a fan of iframes and want a tight, feature-rich integration with WordPress, Simply Schedule Appointments is the solution. With recently-added integration for auto-creating Google Meet URLs (or optional, manual Zoom URLs), this meeting scheduler is easy to set up and developer friendly. And, because it’s a WordPress plugin, SSA’s data is wholly contained within your WordPress environment.
Simple Schedule Appointments has other powerful integrations, too. Whether it’s paid meetings, Google Analytics, or Zapier compatibility, the team at SSA is continuously improving the product.
TidyCal, most economical
TidyCal looks like a scheduler that’s been on the market for a long time. That’s because the crew over at AppSumo borrowed some of the best features from other calendar apps and created a simple yet elegant scheduler. Their approach is interesting, iterative, and quick. For a solution that’s only been on the market for a few months (as of this writing), it’s pretty impressive.
TidyCal is straightforward, integrates with Google Calendar and Google Meet, has promised support for Microsoft 365 + Apple accounts, and easily works with Zapier. TidyCal calendars can also be embedded!
Calendly, best Zoom & Microsoft Teams integration
Ah good ol’ trusty Calendly. If you’re looking for a meeting scheduler that integrates directly with Zoom and/or Microsoft, Calendly is a good bet. It’s been on the market for a long time, and the feature-set is mature. That said, Calendly has a mature price point as well.
If Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams integration is important, go for Calendly. If not, grab one of the other two options. They’re easier on the pocketbook! Oh, and Calendly is also embeddable.
Whatever meeting scheduler you choose, remember to choose one that can be embedded for a quick and easy way to drive more traffic to your website. And, if you’ve got a favorite scheduler that’s not in my list, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!