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Appointment scheduling software has become a necessity for service-based businesses looking to maintain a competitive edge. If you're weighing Boulevard vs Square Appointments, you're considering two leading options—each offering unique advantages that could revolutionize your booking management and client relationships.
Let's explore which platform might better suit your specific requirements, including how Boulevard's AI integration with Goodcall can elevate your customer communications.
Boulevard focuses exclusively on beauty and wellness businesses with its patented Precision Scheduling technology. This smart system fills the best gaps in your calendar first, maximizing staff time and reducing those costly empty slots between appointments.
The Front Desk View shows you exactly who's waiting, being served, and checked out—all on one screen. Salon staff can manage customer flow efficiently without jumping between different applications.
What sets Boulevard apart is its specialty focus and integrated marketing tools that let you target specific client segments with custom emails. The platform also connects with Goodcall AI phone assistant to provide 24/7 automated customer support, access appointment data in real-time, and book clients automatically.
Square Appointments comes from the same family as the popular payment processing system, which gives it a major advantage—seamless connection with Square's payment processing, point of sale, and e-commerce tools.
The platform offers sleek payment hardware that creates a professional checkout experience, perfect for businesses that sell products alongside services.
Square recently added Square Go, a free marketplace app where clients find businesses through verified ratings and can search by service and location. According to research, this makes it much easier for new customers to discover and book with you.
The platform grows with your business—start simple and add features as needed. This extends to team management, with optional add-ons for payroll and loyalty programs. For businesses selling products, Square's inventory management capabilities create a unified system for both service and retail operations.
Let's dig into what each platform offers to help you make the right choice for your business needs.
Both Boulevard and Square Appointments are user-friendly but are designed with different priorities in mind. Boulevard's interface caters specifically to salon and spa workflows. The Front Desk View gives staff complete operational oversight—who's waiting, being served, and checked out—all at once. This comprehensive approach might take a bit longer to master, but it offers powerful functionality.
Square Appointments features a clean, modern interface that matches Square's overall design style. If you're already using other Square products, you'll feel right at home. The professional client-facing interface creates a great impression on customers, too.
Boulevard's Precision Scheduling technology fills the best gaps in your calendar first, maximizing staff time and minimizing empty slots between appointments. The Front Desk View works alongside the calendar screen to show client status throughout the day, making it excellent for complex multi-service bookings and businesses with intricate scheduling needs.
Square Appointments offers straightforward calendar management with color-coded appointments and customizable service durations. Its Square Go marketplace helps attract new clients through verified ratings. It makes it easy for customers to find you by searching for specific services in their area, creating a seamless booking experience.
Boulevard includes a powerful marketing suite that segments your client base using their data. This lets you create targeted email campaigns for specific client groups based on visit history, purchase behaviors, and service preferences. The platform also sends automated appointment reminders via email and SMS, helping reduce no-shows and maintain client relationships.
Square Appointments integrates client communication within Square's broader ecosystem. You get customizable appointment reminders, booking confirmations, and follow-up messages that maintain your brand identity. The Square Go feature makes rebooking easy, helping with client retention and encouraging repeat business.
Boulevard's pricing starts higher but includes comprehensive features from the outset. Their tiered structure scales based on business size and needs, with premium features available at higher levels. While more expensive initially, the all-inclusive approach means fewer surprise costs as your business grows.
Square Appointments offers a free plan for individual providers and affordable team pricing that increases with staff count. The base platform is budget-friendly, but costs can add up when incorporating additional Square ecosystem tools. This flexible pricing works well for businesses starting small and scaling gradually.
Boulevard's mobile app allows staff to manage appointments on the go, though some users report occasional bugs. The interface adapts well to mobile screens, enabling schedule adjustments, client communications, and payment processing from smartphones or tablets, keeping your team connected even away from the front desk.
Square Appointments excels with its highly-rated mobile functionality across both iOS and Android devices. The intuitive mobile interface mirrors the desktop experience, allowing full business management from anywhere. This mobility particularly benefits providers who work across multiple locations or offer on-site services.
Boulevard offers integrated payment processing with competitive rates and supports multiple payment methods, including credit cards, gift cards, and digital wallets. The system handles complex transactions like package sales, membership billing, and split payments, with detailed financial reporting to track business performance.
Square Appointments leverages Square's renowned payment infrastructure with transparent, predictable processing fees. The system accepts virtually all payment methods and includes elegant hardware options that create a professional checkout experience. For businesses already using Square payments, this seamless integration eliminates reconciliation headaches.
Boulevard provides comprehensive business intelligence with customizable reports on service popularity, staff productivity, inventory turnover, and client retention. The platform's analytics help identify booking patterns and revenue opportunities, with visual dashboards that make complex data easily digestible for busy managers.
Square Appointments includes robust reporting tools that track appointment volume, client frequency, and sales metrics across both services and products. The system generates insights on peak booking times and staff utilization, helping optimize scheduling templates. Reports integrate seamlessly with Square's broader business analytics for comprehensive financial oversight.
Boulevard partnered with Goodcall to offer an AI-powered virtual assistant that provides 24/7 automated customer support. This assistant can access appointment data in real-time, schedule appointments, and handle customer questions without human intervention, as described by Goodcall.
Boulevard also connects with Zapier, letting you create automated workflows between Boulevard and hundreds of other business tools through Zapier's integration platform.
Square Appointments benefits from being part of the Square family. It connects seamlessly with Square's payment processing, point of sale, team management, payroll, and loyalty programs—creating a unified business management system.
Boulevard offers basic inventory tracking that monitors product usage for services and retail sales. The system can automatically flag low stock items and track product performance, though its inventory features focus more on service-related products rather than comprehensive retail management.
Square Appointments includes powerful inventory tools that sync across in-person and online sales channels. The system tracks product variants, manages SKUs, and handles complex retail operations alongside services. For businesses with significant product sales, Square's retail-grade inventory capabilities create a truly unified management system.
Boulevard provides dedicated account support with specialists familiar with salon and spa operations. Their customer service team offers personalized guidance during implementation and ongoing assistance with platform optimization. Training resources include detailed documentation and webinars focused specifically on beauty and wellness workflows.
Square Appointments offers multi-channel support through chat, email, and phone options. Their extensive knowledge base covers common questions with step-by-step tutorials and setup guides. While support is comprehensive, it addresses the broader Square ecosystem rather than focusing exclusively on appointment-based businesses.
Let's look at the strengths and limitations of each platform to help you decide.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
Cons:
Square Appointments is known for its user-friendly design and flexibility. Businesses can start small and add features as they grow. The integration with other Square products is a huge plus for businesses already using Square or planning to expand their services.
Boulevard works best for larger salons and spas with complex scheduling. Its Precision Scheduling technology handles multi-service bookings and staff time optimization beautifully.
Whereas, Square Appointments fits solo practitioners or small teams perfectly, with a free tier and features you can add as you grow.
Boulevard was built specifically for beauty and wellness businesses, with features designed for salons and spas. Additionally, Square Appointments works across various appointment-based industries and shines when you combine services with retail.
Boulevard costs more upfront but includes comprehensive features from the start, but Square Appointments has a lower entry price with the ability to add features as needed, though costs can climb as you grow.
If marketing is important for you, Boulevard's integrated marketing suite offers powerful tools for targeted campaigns. Whereas. Square Appointments covers basic client communication, with more advanced options available as add-ons.
Square Appointments connects perfectly with Square's payment system—ideal if you're already using Square. Boulevard offers competitive payment processing rates but might require more setup if switching from another provider.
For businesses with significant retail sales, Square Appointments offers superior inventory tools, while Boulevard focuses more on service management, with basic inventory tracking.
Choose Boulevard if you want an all-in-one solution that minimizes the need for other software. Pick Square Appointments if you value flexibility and integration with a wide range of business tools.
Boulevard's Front Desk View provides comprehensive oversight but might take longer to learn. However, Square Appointments offers a clean, intuitive interface that's easier for beginners to navigate.
Consider Boulevard if you expect rapid growth or expansion to multiple locations and go for Square Appointments if you prefer adding features gradually as your business evolves.
By matching these factors against your unique business requirements, you can select the platform that supports both your current needs and future growth.
Try both platforms before making your choice between Boulevard vs Square Appointments. Sign up for trials to experience their interfaces firsthand, talk to similar businesses about their experiences, and calculate potential ROI based on your specific metrics.
The right scheduling platform can revolutionize your operations and customer experience. Whether you need specialized features for complex services or a scalable solution that grows with your business, both Boulevard and Square Appointments offer powerful tools to streamline your appointment-based business.
Wondering how to enhance your appointment scheduling system even further?
Visit Goodcall today to discover how their AI-powered communication solutions can integrate with your scheduling platform, providing seamless 24/7 customer support and automating your booking process.
What is better than Square Appointments?
Alternatives like Fresha (free with limited fees), Boulevard (premium features for salons/spas), and Acuity Scheduling (more customizable) are often considered better than Square Appointments for businesses needing deeper branding, automation, or lower costs.
What percentage does Square Appointments take?
Square Appointments uses Square Payments, which takes 2.6% + 10¢ per in-person transaction, and 2.9% + 30¢ for online payments.
Can you use Square just for appointments?
Yes, you can use Square Appointments as a standalone scheduling tool without using Square for POS—though you’ll still use Square to process payments.
Are Square Appointments different from Squares?
Yes, Square Appointments is a specific scheduling solution within the Square ecosystem, whereas “Squares” could refer to other tools like Square POS, Square Invoices, or even unrelated square-shaped things!
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