Booking software setup: the tool is the easy part
Buying a booking tool takes ten minutes. Setting it up so customers can finish a booking, staff are not double booked and the rules are clear takes more care. That is the job we do. We set up the tool you use, or help you choose one, and connect it to your website.
Magnet Mint is a Boston studio, and this page is Step 3 of our ladder, part of online booking, reminders and follow-up. You choose every step.
Which booking software for which business
Tools fall into three groups. Examples only; we do not rank them.
General scheduling: Square Appointments, Acuity Scheduling and Calendly. They fit consultants, coaches, studios and small shops. Square Appointments sits inside Square, which helps if you already take card payments there. Calendly is simple for meetings and short appointments.
Salons, spas and wellness: Vagaro, Fresha, GlossGenius, Boulevard and Mindbody. They are built around staff calendars, client history, services with several steps and retail. Plans, size limits and features differ a lot between them, so we compare them against your staff count and services.
Home services and jobs: Jobber and Housecall Pro. They combine requests, quotes, scheduling, dispatch and invoices, so an appointment is a job, not just a time slot.
For detailed comparisons, see Square vs Acuity vs Calendly, salon and med spa booking software and field service scheduling software.
What we set up, step by step
- Choose or review the tool. We ask how you take bookings now, how many staff you have, whether you need deposits and what you already pay for.
- Enter services and staff. Names, durations, buffers, who can do what, prices or “call for a quote”.
- Set the rules. Booking window, how far ahead and how late, cancellation window, deposit and no-show fee if you want them. They are shown to the customer before they book. For wording, see the no-show policy template.
- Add booking to your website. A booking widget on a page, or a button that opens your booking page, plus the same link on your Google Business Profile and social profiles.
- Check messages. The confirmation and reminder emails and texts the tool sends. We add more in appointment reminders.
- Test. We book, move and cancel a test appointment on a phone, and book an overlapping one to see that the calendar blocks it.
- Hand over. A short written guide for you and your staff.
Square Appointments, Acuity, Vagaro, Jobber: what we check in each
We do not promise features a vendor does not offer. Before we recommend or configure a tool, we check its current plan page for the things you need: deposits, number of staff, text reminders, waitlist, payments, and whether it connects to your website. These change often, so we look on the day.
Common problems we fix in existing setups
If you already have a booking tool, it is often half set up. These are the usual problems:
- Double bookings because staff calendars and the main calendar are not linked, or buffers are missing.
- Wrong durations, so the day runs late.
- Booking page not on the website or Google profile, so customers cannot find it.
- Cancellation rules hidden or not shown before booking.
- Reminder messages left at defaults, with the vendor’s wording and no reschedule link.
A review of your current setup is part of the work, and we tell you what to change before we touch anything.
What it costs and what is not included
Booking setup is from $600 and takes 1-2 weeks. Prices are as of October 2026. Scope, price and timeline are agreed in writing before work starts.
Not included in any price: domain and hosting, new photography, third-party software subscriptions (billed at cost), SMS carrier registration (A2P 10DLC) and message fees, and AI usage above the plan allowance. The booking tool’s monthly fee goes to the vendor.
Who this is for, and who it is not for
For owners who take appointments and want customers to book online without calls back and forth. If you have a simple calendar and a handful of bookings, a free plan and a link may be enough, and you can set it up yourself. We are useful when you have staff, deposits, several locations or a tool that is already half set up and causing double bookings.
How to start
Call 617-991-9912 (our AI assistant answers and passes your request to the team) or ask for a free demo. Tell us which tool you use, or what kind of business you run, and we will tell you what we would set up first.
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