ISO: WP Appointment Plugin or SaaS with a Twist

January 10, 2017 6:53 AM

I've searched high and low for an appointment/calendar plugin or online platform that simply offers to book weekly time slots (e.g. Wednesday at 4:00 pm) if available. Tracking specific dates (e.g. January 10) doesn't matter. Have you run into something that does what I need?

The goal is to allow site visitors to book available time slots, while the actual appointments and billing is handled by software already in use for nearly a decade. Ideally, the plugin would support multiple calendars/people and is simple to update by non-technical folks. In some cases the time slots are like Wednesday at 4:00 pm for 30 minutes, while in others it is "red" days at 10:30 am for 30 minutes. Having to tie specific dates (e.g. January 10) to time slots is unnecessary and beyond my needs.

I'm comfortable modifying WP plugins/databases to maintain synchronization, but I really don't have the time available to build something from scratch. Is there something you've encountered that might do some or all of the above? Thanks so much!

posted by agnielson to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

Instead of looking for a Wordpress plugin, which will really limit your pool, I'd look at booking web applications in general. Find one with the features you want that can also be embedded in any web page. I haven't shopped around for this so my knowledge of the space is limited, but for a quickly googled example, YouCanBook.me offers the ability to embed in any web page.
posted by beyond_pink at 8:26 AM on January 10, 2017

I also agree that you should just use a booking/scheduling app that syncs with your calendar of choice. I go to a healthcare provider who uses Full Slate and he really likes it. It's very easy from the appointment-booker perspective. It's possible that something more basic like Doodle or Calendly would also fit the bill.
posted by radioamy at 10:15 AM on January 10, 2017

My therapist uses acuityscheduling.com which does what you have listed.
posted by softlord at 5:09 PM on January 11, 2017