Booking by phone usually goes like this: the caller asks for a time, you check your calendar, you offer two times, they check theirs, and someone has to call back. It takes a while, and it's easy to lose the booking somewhere in between. With Cally, the caller books a free time during the call. To set it up, you connect your calendar and add a few rules about your hours and job lengths.
Where booking by hand goes wrong
Every back-and-forth is a chance for the caller to give up. They're busy too, and while they wait for your call back, they might book with whoever answers first. Calls after closing make it worse, because nobody can book anything until the next morning.
Doing it by hand also means doing the math yourself. You work out how long each job takes, check for gaps and send the confirmation. On a busy day, that's where double bookings happen.
How it works
- A caller asks for an appointment.
- Cally checks your calendar for free times.
- Cally offers a few times that fit.
- The caller picks one.
- Cally books it into your calendar and sends you the booking by email.
Cally only offers times when you're free, so the calendar stays the way you'd keep it yourself.
$99 a month. Cancel anytime.
What you need
- A calendar Cally can see. Google, Outlook, iCloud and more. See integrations.
- Your bookable hours. For example, weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, no Sundays.
- Job lengths. A quote might be 30 minutes. A full service might be two hours.
- Gaps you want to keep. Lunch, travel time, room for emergencies.
Booking by phone vs by hand
| By hand | With Cally24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Caller waits for a call back | Yes | No, booked during the call |
| Double bookings | Possible | Only offers free times |
| Booking at night | No | Yes |
| Right length for each job | You work it out | Set once, used every time |
| Confirmation | You send it | Sent to you by email |
When the caller wants a time that isn't free
Cally offers the closest free times. If none of them work, it takes the caller's details and the times that suit them, and sends it all to you as a lead. You decide what to offer.
When the job needs a quote first
Some jobs need a look before you can book them. Tell Cally which ones, and for those it books a quote visit or a call instead of the full job.
An evening booking
It's 9:00 PM and a homeowner remembers the job she's been putting off. She calls, and Cally answers in your business's name. She asks for something tomorrow morning, so Cally checks your calendar and offers 8:00 AM or 10:30 AM. She takes 10:30 AM, Cally books it with the right job length, and the booking is in your email before she's put her phone down.
She hung up with a time, while she was still thinking of it. You didn't have to call anyone back.
Start small
You don't have to open your whole calendar on day one. Many owners start with one kind of booking, like quotes or first visits. Once they're happy with how it works, they open more. Read more on appointment scheduling.
What it costs
Booking is part of every Cally plan. Cally starts at $99 a month with 240 minutes included, and extra minutes are $0.29 each.
Booking setup checklist
- Calendar connected
- Bookable days and hours set
- Job lengths set
- Lunch and travel gaps blocked
- Jobs that need a quote first, listed
- Test booking made from your own phone
Want to hear a caller book with your business? Hear your own receptionist, built from your website in 30 seconds, or see pricing.
Common questions
Which calendars does Cally24 work with?
Google, Outlook, iCloud and more. See the integrations page for the full list.
Can callers change a booking they already made?
Cally takes the change request and sends it to you, so you stay in control of your calendar.
Will Cally book appointments outside my business hours?
No. Cally only offers the times you set as open.
