Every now and then someone asks us to build them a booking system. Most of the time we'll suggest something else. It's a preference, not a rule, but here's why.
Someone has already done it. For holiday stays there's Hospitable, which keeps your calendars and rates in step across the places you list. For clinics there are clinic booking systems made for appointments and reminders. The people behind these products work on them every day, and they've usually met the odd problems you haven't thought of yet. If one works properly, the price is usually reasonable for what you get.
Building your own usually isn't worth it
A custom system can look cheaper at the start, but building it is only part of the job. Someone has to keep looking after it too. Things change, things break, and it tends to happen when you're busy. For most businesses, that just doesn't add up.
What we'd rather do
We'd rather help you use a good one properly. That usually means:
- Picking one that suits how you actually work.
- Connecting it to your website, so booking is easy.
- Getting your availability, prices and policies right.
- Making sure enquiries reach the right person.
For a holiday stay, that might be a website with Hospitable behind it, so guests can book direct and your calendars stay in step.
If you already have a booking system, we can help you get more out of it. If you don't, we can help you choose one.
We still build other things when a business really needs them, like a client portal, a dashboard or a staff tool. And if you've got a need no booking system can handle, tell us and we'll talk it through.