If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed with scheduling meetings, keeping track of your calendar, and juggling different tools, then FluentBooking is the tool you need.
I tried this plugin as I wanted to see if it could help me simplify my life with its unlimited calendars and easy integration with tools like Google Meet and Zapier.
To find out how it works for someone like me, who isn’t a tech wizard, I went in for an in-depth test drive. Here, I’ll share my experience with FluentBooking and whether it’s as user-friendly as it claims.
Find out if it can save you time and headaches!
What is FluentBooking?
FluentBooking is a super handy plugin for organizing your appointments, made by WPManageNinja, the folks behind all those “Fluent” and “Ninja” plugins.
It’s like a one-stop shop for sorting out all your scheduling needs.
With FluentBooking, you can create as many calendars and meetings as you want, line up your events with your appointments, and even link up with important tools like FluentCRM, Fluent Forms, Google Meet, Google Calendar, and Zapier.
It’s a do-it-all scheduling plugin that makes life a whole lot simpler. Plus, it’s easy to use, so even if you’re new to this, you’ll get the hang of it in no time.
FluentBooking Features
Here are some of the key features of FluentBooking that I liked the most:
Unlimited Calendars
Each person in your team can manage different types of events. You could offer different services or events like workshops or webinars.
FluentBooking lets you create as many calendars as you need for all these activities. It’s like having an unlimited number of diaries for different purposes, giving you the freedom to organize diverse events without any limits.
Get Paid for Your Time
If you’re offering a service that people should pay for, like a photography session or a special class, FluentBooking links up with Stripe.
This means your customers can book and pay you directly through the system. It’s convenient because it ensures you get paid for your valuable time and services.
Unlimited Hosts
This feature of FluentBooking allows multiple individuals within a single organization to have their own separate booking calendars without incurring additional fees.
Typically, in many scheduling systems, each user or ‘host’ managing their bookings would need a separate account, often at an extra cost.
However, FluentBooking simplifies this by offering a single payment plan that includes the ability for an unlimited number of hosts within the same organization to each have their own booking calendars.
This is particularly cost-effective for larger teams or organizations, as it eliminates the need for multiple individual subscriptions.
Essentially, it’s a more economical and efficient way to manage appointments across multiple personnel within the same group.
Collect Information
Before your meetings or appointments, you might need some information from your clients. FluentBooking lets you add questions to your booking form.
This is like having a mini-interview before the actual meeting, helping you prepare better and offer a more personalized service.
Schedule Meetings Online or in Person
Whether you prefer online meetings through Google Meet, Zoom, or face-to-face appointments, FluentBooking supports both. It’s adaptable to whatever your meeting style is, offering flexibility for both you and your clients.
Integrate With Everything
FluentBooking connects with many apps and services like Google Calendar, Google Meet, and even Zapier. This integration means you can link FluentBooking with almost any tool you already use, making your life easier by having everything connected in one place.
Mobile Friendly
In today’s world, people do almost everything on their phones. FluentBooking works great on mobile devices, and you can even accept mobile payments like Apple Pay or G-Pay.
This feature is super handy because it lets your clients book and pay on the go, anytime, anywhere.
Reduce No-Shows for Meetings
Nobody likes it when people forget about meetings. FluentBooking sends email notifications and will soon update with SMS reminders. This means your clients get reminders about their appointments, reducing the chances of them not showing up.
The Interface is Easy for Clients to Use
When you set up a calendar in FluentBooking, it looks clean and straightforward on your website.
Clients can easily see available dates and times and even adjust for their time zone. It’s user-friendly, ensuring your clients have a hassle-free experience booking with you.
How to Install & Activate FluentBooking?
Downloading and Installing
Once you purchase the plugin, go to WPManageNinja and log in with your account credentials. Your purchased product will be visible in the dashboard along with the license key and download link.
You will be able to download FluentBooking Pro in .zip format after you click the “Download” button.
Now, go to your WordPress dashboard and head over to the plugins page.
On the Plugins page, click on Installed Plugins, Add New, and Upload Plugin.
Click on “Choose File” and select fluent-booking-pro.zip from your downloads. Then, click on “the button that says “Install Now,” as shown below.
Well done! Your domain has been successfully installed with FluentBooking. Select the plugin from your plugin list and activate it.
Activating the License key
From the WPManageNinja dashboard, copy the license key. Paste the license key into “Global Settings” -> “License,” and click “Verify License.” That’s it! The license has been activated, and a notice will appear.
FluentBooking Dashboard
FluentBooking plugin users and administrators will find the Dashboard the first thing they see after logging in.
Using the Dashboard, you can view detailed information about your meeting activities, booking statistics, and completed bookings.
Let me walk you through the four main sections.
1. Overview
In this section, you will find the total number of booking types. Reports can even be viewed by choosing a specific date range. Every report section includes a percentage compared to the previous month.
Here you will see:
Date Range Selection: At the top right of the report section, there’s an option to select a specific date range. This feature allows you to generate reports for a particular period of your choice, giving you flexibility in analyzing your booking data.
Total Bookings: This section displays the total number of bookings you have. If you’ve selected a specific date range, it will show you the number of bookings made within that period. This gives you a clear idea of how busy you’ve been or how popular your service is during specific times.
Completed Bookings: Here, you can see the number of bookings that have been successfully completed. Like with total bookings, you can filter this data based on the date range you’ve selected. This information is useful to understand how many of your bookings are actually turning into completed appointments or events.
Canceled Bookings: This part of the report shows how many bookings have been canceled. Again, you have the option to specify a date range for this data. Tracking canceled bookings helps you understand patterns or issues that might lead to cancellations, helping you to possibly mitigate them in the future.
Total Guests: This section provides a report on the total number of guests or clients you’ve had, covering all the time since you’ve started using FluentBooking. This overall guest report can be a valuable metric for understanding the reach and impact of your services or events over time.
2. Booking Trends
There is a line chart in this section showing the trend of the number of booked, completed, and canceled reservations. Select a specific date range in the top right corner to customize your dashboard’s reporting.
3. Next Meeting
Your Upcoming Bookings short descriptions can be found in the Next Meeting Activities section.
4. Latest Booked Meetings
Here, you can find the ‘short description’ of the most recent meetings that have been booked.
How Does It Work?
FluentBooking simplifies the process of setting up and managing appointments, and here’s how it works in detail:
Setting Up Your Availability
First, you specify when you’re available for meetings, calls, or appointments. FluentBooking allows you to easily mark these times on your calendar.
What’s great about this is that FluentBooking automatically handles time zones. This means if you’re in New York and someone in London wants to book a time with you, the system adjusts for the time difference, ensuring no confusion over meeting times.
Creating a Booking Page
Next, you create a custom page where your clients or colleagues can see your availability and book appointments.
FluentBooking provides tools to personalize this page so it matches your brand or style. You can add this booking page to your website using a simple piece of code called a shortcode.
This makes it easy to integrate the booking system into your existing website seamlessly.
Collecting Attendee Information
When someone book an appointment, you might need some information from them beforehand. FluentBooking lets you add questions to your booking form to gather this information.
This could be anything from their contact details to specific requirements they have for the meeting.
If you need more complex forms, FluentBooking integrates with form builders to make data collection even more streamlined.
Connecting Your Calendar App
Finally, you link FluentBooking with your preferred calendar application, like Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook.
This integration means that whenever someone books an appointment with you, it automatically shows up in your calendar.
This feature keeps your schedule up-to-date and can also send you reminders for upcoming appointments. It ensures that all your appointments are in sync, reducing the chances of double-booking or missing a meeting.
FluentBooking Integrations
FluentBooking offers a range of integrations that enhance its functionality and make it a versatile tool for scheduling and managing appointments. Here are some of the integrations that you might find useful:
- Google Calendar
- Google Meet
- Zoom
- Fluent Forms
- FluentCRM
- Stripe
- And more…
FluentBooking Pricing Plans
FluentBooking has some fantastic lifetime deals on their appointment booking system, which means you pay once and get to use it forever without any recurring fees. Here’s what each plan offers:
1. Super Saver Offer
Originally $499, but now at a 50% discount for $249. This is great if you have up to five websites because it includes a 5 Site License.
Plus, you get lifetime updates for the plugin and priority support, which means your plugin will always be up-to-date, and you’ll get help whenever you need it. And, of course, you get all the features FluentBooking offers.
2. Expanded License Offer
If you have more websites, this one might be for you. It’s normally $999, but now you can get it for $499, which is also a 50% saving.
This package lets you use FluentBooking on up to 50 websites. Like the Super Saver, it includes lifetime updates and priority support, along with full access to all features.
3. Single Site License
For those who only need FluentBooking for one website, this deal is perfect. It’s half off at $99, down from $199. You get everything the other plans offer – a 1 Site License, lifetime updates, priority support, and all features – but just for one website.
All these plans are a one-time payment, so you don’t have to worry about monthly or yearly fees.
This makes FluentBooking a cost-effective solution for managing your appointments, whether you’re a solo entrepreneur, a small business, or managing multiple sites.
FluentBooking Pros & Cons:
Pros:
- Create as many calendars as you need.
- Multiple users can manage their own bookings.
- Caters to various meeting or event needs.
- Sync seamlessly with Google Calendar.
- Pay once and enjoy lifelong usage.
Cons:
- Relatively New Plugin
- Currently lacks a feature for users to subscribe to a downloadable calendar of events, similar to what AddEvent offers.
Conclusion
FluentBooking is a handy plugin you can add to your WordPress website for booking appointments and stuff. What’s cool is it doesn’t cost as much as some of those big, fancy booking websites.
It’s really fast and simple to use, too. You can easily tell when you’re free for appointments.
And if you’re charging for events or services, it works with Stripe to handle payments, which means your business can make money any time, day or night.
I totally think FluentBooking is a smart choice for small or medium businesses that use WordPress. It’s worth taking a look.
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