Timely

Pros

Ease of use - very easy for our non technical staff to get using it. Simple UI makes it like other familiar software. I love the integration with Google Contacts and Google Calendar - our clients are impressed when we answer phone calls using their name.

Cons

- They recently introduced packages - but they can't yet be booked online by clients. We have a work around in our setup - but it causes a bit more admin work. - I'd also like to see more options for the rules around when consult forms are sent out. - International clients have trouble booking with us - since you can only allow clients with the same phone country code as the business to book in online. - Having some difficulty with Mailchimp integration - we've switched to Timely > Zapier > Mailchimp instead of Timely > Mailchimp directly.

Pros

It does everything my small business needs

Cons

When the updates happen as I'm a bit slow to adjuy

Pros

I like it because it is cheap but that reflects on the issues that they have with their system.

Cons

You can get hold of anyone for help. They won’t speak to you on the phone unless you are an upgraded member. They did regard that there is an issue with the system and come back with slow, stupid responses and then close the chat claiming that you haven’t responded, leaving you with an un resolved issue. I am loosing out on money and bookings because of this.

Pros

Timely's automated time tracking has greatly benefited the management of research projects, allowing me to precisely track time spent on various grants without the hassle of manual entry. This has boosted my productivity and improved the clarity and accuracy of our grant reports. The platform's easy-to-use interface helps me see how I divide my time among teaching, research, and administrative tasks, supporting a healthier work-life balance.

Cons

Timely struggles to capture the blurred lines between different academic activities, like when a casual chat with a colleague unexpectedly leads to a research breakthrough.

Pros

Timely has been super easy to use, the help guides are very explanatory. I think I have only had to contact the timely team 2 or 3 times in the 3 years I have been using timely. It has made my business work so much more smoothly with less admin required from me (I have a hard enough time keeping up with all the other admin work there is)

Cons

I cannot think of any right now but I love that you have feedback links handy so if something feels like it could be improved the button is right there. I don't have to stop what i'm doing to let you know what my thoughts are.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Timely

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to Timely

Pros

Timely has been instrumental in my business becoming more serious and structured. I love timely in all aspects but the ones that stick out to me are TimelyPay - it is so seamless and gives me peace of mind if a client no shows, my clients also find it so handy when they don’t have to bring their purse. I also love all of the reports, it helps me with my tax return at the end of the year and the Future Value report is great for seeing what you will be earning that month. I also love the timely aesthetic it’s clean simple modern and fresh.

Cons

I wish with the reports where you can chose what length of time you want to see we had a “Next Month” option instead I have to use “Specific Date Range”. Other than that one issue I don’t have anything bad to say about timely!

Pros

We love that the online booking is easy and seem less for clients with step by step customisation. From packages to individual treatments & gift vouchers the set up of each part is easy. The tracking & reporting is clear & gives insight to everything we need.

Cons

Would love easier integration with Xero - each sale is forwarded as it’s own invoice - would love just the daily totals to be integrated.

Pros

It's the calendar syncing. Please work on better syncing with Outlook Calendar.Other than that, Timely is very user-friendly. The mobile app is not so much, one needs to navigate through several screens to find the necessary tools. There a lot of options on the app you can explain better how to be used

Cons

I am missing the synching with the Outlook Calendar. Sometimes, the program doe not run fast enough when prompted initially. Also, some lagging occurs from time to time. There is a delay sometimes in connecting via the app too but not too often.

Pros

There is honestly so much to love. I think it's all seem less and therefore everything together is just great

Cons

One thing for me is that I wish I could choose to have deposits taken for only new clients when they book online, not every client when they book online, as once they are on my books and a regular I don't have a need to charge the deposit

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Timely

Pros

Everything is online. Can manage my business well from home and easy for team to use

Cons

Very expensive and price has gone up significantly since I started using it in 2015

Pros

Easy to set up, easy for clients to use

Cons

Takes a while to set up at the start, calendar syncing took a while to sync at the start also

Pros

The integration is easy, customer service is great

Cons

It’s not as customisable as I would like, it was be great to be able to make certain times of the day only bookable for vip clients and also have an add on section that pops up to prompt clients to add on an extra treatment etc

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Timely

Reasons for Switching to Timely

Pros

Neatly done and can accommodate you in timely manner

Cons

Sometimes loading problem or it is just the network error.

Pros

Would hands down bleed timely! Ease of use, log in from anywhere, online bookings, value for money.

Cons

reoccurring multiple treatments, sms templates, more colour options for different treatments

Pros

Timely is super straight forward and easy to use and teach the team, love the online booking, deposits and easy service grouping

Cons

The only thing I would love to see added is tiered pricing for service groups as well as individual services

Pros

We can allocate time where necessary.
helps businesses of all sizes allot and schedule tasks to team members.

Cons

Too expensive.
Not very user friendly.

Pros

It is pretty user friendly and easy to schedule appointments.

Cons

It takes a little while to set up appointments correctly.

Pros

Like any calendar, the reminders pop up for you so that you are aware if you have meeting, event etc. i liked the color coordinated system as well

Cons

It would freeze a lot, had issues linking it to my phone calendar, reminders would not pop up

Pros

The software offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to access all the features and functions. The platform allows seamless integration with other productivity.

Cons

No cons from my side. I would like to add that Timely's analytics feature provides detailed insights into the time spent on tasks, projects, and clients. These insights enable users to make informed decisions and optimize their productivity.

Pros

Integration with our current process and systems was easy. It actually made it more efficient. It is user-friendly and employees/clients find it to be "high-tech"

Cons

Sometimes the software lags (rarely) and requires us to stop and refresh/restart the program. The cost is reasonable but we wish it was slightly cheaper.

Alternatives Considered

Pros

The absolute best part of this software, that sooooo many companies are missing, is the ability to set up your appointments for double-booking/power-booking/piggy-back appointments. Whatever you want to label the method of scheduling, it is a method that almost every single successful hair stylist uses so we can take an appointment during the time that hair color is processing. These guys also make it very relaxing if you plan to have more service providers in the future. You will not need to calculate a higher rate when the big day comes. That one is also a rare and beautiful gem in the world of salon software! The online booking widget and mini-website are customizable, look sharp and they optimized for mobile websites. It even works with WIX!They also have email campaigns, reminders via email and SMS/ text messages. You can decide at what time intervals your messages go out. This is super handy if you tend to goof up when rescheduling a client. The default is set for 10 minutes and I think it's perfect. If you accidentally put someone down 15 minutes later than intended and move it when you realize 3-4 minutes later, your customer will only get one notification. The correct one. Very cool!

Cons

There isn't anything that I "dislike" about the software. There are a couple of things that should be implemented that are a bit mind-boggling as to why they are not already. Such as tips... That is probably the most annoying thing I have found. You have to create a product named "Tip" and add it every time that your customer tips you, which is every single sale. It's not a huge problem when you are checking the customer out. The headache comes later when you are doing your accounting and you have to do separate calculations, rather than just sending it straight over to your accountant. The last booger is that the texts/SMS are not included in the plan price. You must purchase them separately. However, this could be a "pro" for those that don't want to use the SMS feature. Surely the price would be higher if they were included.

Pros

This software was pretty easy to setup and in the beginning it did most things well however....

Cons

Bugs and feature requests took waaaay too long to fix or be considered.
Timely went down the "salon" route meaning it no longer suited my needs.
They only implemented IOS updates and disregarded Android. Their response was "we don't feel developing for Android is worth it, buy an ipad", which is just mind boggling

Pros

It has made life so much easier for me and my clients and has helped to give my business a much more professional feel. It's very easy and logical to use and to amend and add to. The linked invoice system is excellent and again helps a small business to give a professional feel. It has also easily allowed me to add in extras like package deals and to invoice for products that I sell. The help is good too - there are lots of help documents available along with videos which often answer my question. When they don't, I've found the customer help very responsive. Sometimes they get back to me within an hour or two, sometimes it will be the next working day. Having the option to 'talk' to a human is reassuring. I very much recommend Timely to other small businesses, and whenever I struggle to make an appointment for myself with someone that doesn't have an online booking system I am always grateful that I followed a recommendation to give Timely a go!

Cons

There's not much I don't like. I've had some issue with the appointment confirmations and reminders going straight to junk folders instead of inboxes which is a bit of a pain. If I've booked in a new client myself, and then the next appointment they do it, I end up with two client profiles which is also a bit of a pain. However there is a 'merge client' option which deals with this quite easily.

Pros

Automatically sending out reminders via email and text makes me more profitable with less downtime.
Online booking is like having someone book all your appointments for you, except without the cost.
And considering 10-12 years ago hairdresser computer/software packages could cost you up to $12000 in upfront costs, Timely has a price I couldn't refuse.

Cons

The only thing I could think of would be to have a 'Next in line' or waiting list cue via the software to make it easier then writing them down manually and then booking them in.
I think the Check out transaction area could be tweaked a little. When processing a sale it defaults to 'On Account' which is one extra click that I with I didn't have to do. If it was defaulted to Credit Card it would save the extra click on 70% of my transactions. Doesn't sound like much but it all helps.

Pros

Ease of use. This is what I always look at when availing or using products. As a busy individual, I would want to use something that does not require so much of my time. Timely helps me with my time management, Helps me book appointments with ease with zero to no errors.

Cons

At first, I struggled using timely as it was my first time using scheduling software and I had limited technical experience

Pros

The reduction in the amount of no shows. This helped keep our business running seamlessley and capture deposits easily.

Cons

It did take some adjustment using this tool rather than our standard calendar/meeting invite functionality.

Pros

It’s easy to use and the clients really like it. Lots of functions are automated

Cons

It’s missing some good features that could make it really great and much easier for the business and clients.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing Timely

Switched From

Pros

For someone who isn’t very technologically savvy, overall the system is easy to use, looks neat and tidy and has some great features to help keep track of the financials. The support is great but I am on the highest tier of payment so I’d definitely expect that.

Cons

A couple of the features seem to be better in theory than practice but a phone call to the help desk usually helps work out how fix a problem. However, Timely are great at taking feedback when something could be done better from a working point of view. The transaction fee for online bookings and stored credit cards is high which is not favourable. I don’t know the overall costings of other software companies but I wouldn’t say what I pay monthly is ‘average’ from talking to other business owners but I s’pose you pay for what you get.

Pros

I love everything about timely. I find it so easy to use, so easy to navigate. I use it every single day. My clients also find it super easy to book using the online booking feature. I take payments using an external add on and it all works seamlessly

Cons

I have a couple of things I would love if timely could improve on. 1. I need a function to be able to open my online booking to a certain date. For example I want to be able to open it to the last day of September. At the minute I can only open it X weeks or X months in advance. 2. On my iPad I have a button to quickly take me back to todays date which is great. But the iPhone app is missing a button like that. I find this a time consuming process to track back to todays date during an appointment when I’m trying to see how much of a deposit someone has paid me With these two improvements I think timely would be much more user friendly & I honestly think it would be seedless

Pros

Timely has no nonsense features and it’s very simple and easy to use. Attention to detail and the ever HELPFUL, question mark icon ? But also the back up supportive communication Timely is Professional in all aspects.

Cons

Timely is a complete computer orientated database, so there’s no bells and whistles and hairy, fairy flowery stuff for my hairdressing industry

Pros

Ease of use for clients allows me to get on with my day while clients book online and captures booking fees

Cons

Would like to add self employed staff on to manage diaries or even employed gets costly adding them on if they are only in a few days a month

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Timely

Pros

Ease of use Consultation forms Features at the time offered more than other systems

Cons

Sometimes has glitches with square Price point for large teams is too expensive, okay when 1-2 staff No tiered timings for different staff No add ons No photos on booking platform …I could go onWe are considering leaving for these reasons

Pros

Amazing booking system Which has massively reduced the amount of time spent dealing with client enquiries. Our clients find it easy to use and are able to find out relevant information such as services offered, pricing & availability

Cons

Consult forms are not simple to set up, more templates for the beauty industry would be helpful as aimed more at hairdressers

Pros

It is user friendly, has a nice interface and a lot of useful features

Cons

I find the marketing link to mailchimp isn’t as user friendly and that I need to just manage my email marketing in mail chimp directly. I found it difficult to transfer my mailing list over. Cost increase between 1 and 2 users is nearly double which is quite significant for a small business and other systems do not charge as much for additional users.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to Timely

Pros

Easy of use, friendly customer supports and education

Cons

Need for more hands on training opportunities

Pros

We particularly love the ease of use for both staff and clients. The reports are great, perfect to help keep the business on track.

Cons

we can find it tricky with refunds and credits on account.

Pros

Its easy to navigate around The colour coding is good The reports are great

Cons

I would like to have multi bookings for the same app be able to be put through on a recurring app. And also, when their next app comes up after finishing their payment, I would like to be able to click on their next app and be taken to the calendar at this point. I would like to be able to write notes in their appointment on the calendar.

Pros

I love the ease of use with Timely as I am not very good with computers and technology so I find the system pretty easy to navigate and work out

Cons

I would like a loyalty scheme to be available. Some things are o my available to higher levels and as I am a sole trader I am on the bottom level

Pros

Very easy product for scheduling your meetings etc.....very easy to navigate

Cons

Software update happens quite often which leads you to learn again about new features.

Pros

I use to write down all my bookings in a big day planner, going back and fourth with clients to communicate a suitable time... this was VERY time consuming. A friend mentioned she used Timely for her business and I was very keen to try something new. Im extremely happy I switched to Timely as its honestly saved me sooo many hours and admin each week! It just makes sense!

Cons

Im happy with everything Timely has to offer, I havent had any issues with it!

Pros

I fine timely most beneficial for my company.most of all I find it easy to use and saves me alot of time in everyday tasks....

Cons

The only thing I can think of that could be beneficial to add would be more options under the reoccurring appointment option

Pros

I like how easy it is to use now that I know how to work it.

Cons

The recent price rise has me looking at Fresha.It's almost impossible to change the emails and texts that go out automatically

Pros

Great for keeping track of the time you spend working. Plan and be alerted. When you're a freelancer like me, you don't have to waste time writing time reports.

Cons

I think all this data generated by the software can be used to develop other, cooler features. For example, it could be used to issue invoices directly when working at an hourly rate.

Pros

Calendar, message reminders for clients

Cons

It's time consuming to go into the client to delete or change. I'd like to be able to quickly scroll through and then return back to where I was not back at the A's

Pros

Ease of calendar and booking system..

Cons

Reports are not clear and precise. Too expensive if want to add another column for led lounge. No room allocation.

Pros

Easy to use, helpful and support staff. Stress free system

Cons

Some times when cashing up. It logs itself out at times when cashing up.

Pros

Online bookings, deposits, easy to use!

Cons

No consultations form options for less pack

Pros

Very easy to use! I love all the customisations you can do and the customer service is very responsive.

Cons

I do find the pricing is a little expensive, especially for a solo operator of a small business.

Pros

East to use for not myself and my clients

Cons

Expensive, I use basic functions and use it daily but I would think a cheaper plan might be helpful