Calendly

Calendly is a popular, easy-to-use scheduling platform designed to eliminate back-and-forth emails when setting up meetings.

Best for professionals and sales teams

Calendly works well for sales professionals, consultants, and teams that need quick, automated scheduling.

Seamless integrations with CRMs and calendars

Calendly syncs with Google Calendar, Outlook, Zoom, and HubSpot, making it a great choice for businesses using multiple productivity tools.

Limited white-label customisation

While Calendly allows branding on premium plans, businesses needing full white-label control might prefer Cal.com.

Best for:

• Sales teams and consultants automating meeting bookings.
• Businesses needing calendar and CRM integrations.
• Teams requiring group scheduling and round-robin features.

Calendly has been a game-changer for both my marketing campaigns and sales operations. As a tool that simplifies the scheduling process, it integrates seamlessly into the marketing ecosystem, ensuring that leads and clients can easily book time without the back-and-forth of emails. Here’s my honest take on Calendly’s strengths and drawbacks.

Strengths

• Streamlined scheduling: Calendly makes scheduling as simple as it gets, which is essential when you’re trying to maximise productivity. I’ve seen my teams save considerable time, especially during busy periods when we’re handling multiple meetings or sales calls in a day.
• Integration with other platforms: As mentioned earlier, Calendly’s ability to integrate with tools like HubSpot and Zoom is a key asset. This makes it easy to maintain a holistic view of the sales pipeline while syncing up with marketing activities.
• Customisation for various use cases: Whether I need a quick one-on-one meeting or a group demo, Calendly lets me customise my availability and types of meetings, allowing me to provide a more tailored client experience.

Limits

• Limited functionality on free plan: While the free version does a great job for basic needs, more advanced features like multiple calendar connections, reporting, and branding removal require the premium version. This could be a limiting factor for some, especially for smaller businesses or freelancers.
• No native lead qualification: For more in-depth scheduling, where lead qualification might be necessary before a meeting, Calendly could benefit from additional features to assess the lead’s readiness or interest before confirming the meeting.

Ideal fit

Calendly is best suited for marketers and salespeople who are actively scheduling a high volume of meetings. It’s especially valuable for those who are handling multiple clients, prospects, or partners and need a tool to keep everything organised. If you’re working in a B2B environment where your marketing efforts often hinge on scheduling client meetings, then Calendly is an indispensable tool. However, if you're operating in a highly complex sales environment that requires deeper integration or lead qualification, you may need to pair Calendly with additional tools like CRM or custom workflows.

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Calendly is a scheduling tool designed to streamline meeting booking, making it easier for prospects, clients, and colleagues to arrange times without the usual back-and-forth. In B2B marketing and sales, where timing and organisation are critical, Calendly helps save time, automate tedious tasks, and integrate with your existing workflows.

For founders and marketers, Calendly isn’t just a convenience; it’s a tool that allows for a more efficient and effective sales process. Whether you’re looking to increase the efficiency of your internal processes or simplify your client-facing communications, Calendly can help.

Core features of Calendly

Calendly provides an intuitive interface for scheduling meetings. Here are some of the key features that make it ideal for B2B marketers:

Scheduling automation

Calendly removes the need for manual scheduling. Once you set up your availability, prospects and clients can automatically pick a time that suits them. This is invaluable when managing multiple meetings and campaigns simultaneously.

Integration with key tools

Calendly integrates seamlessly with popular platforms like HubSpot, Google Calendar, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. For B2B marketers, these integrations ensure that all meetings are synced, and client data flows smoothly between your CRM, scheduling tool, and communication platform.

Buffer time and customisation

The ability to add buffer times between meetings ensures that you are not rushed and have a moment to prepare for the next call. Calendly also allows you to set different meeting types and adjust your availability for each, making it highly flexible for various use cases.

Calendly’s role in B2B marketing

Calendly is a vital tool in the arsenal of any B2B marketing team. Here’s how I leverage it for success in my campaigns:

Lead qualification and meeting scheduling

Calendly doesn’t just help with scheduling. By linking it to your CRM, you can qualify leads before allowing them to book a meeting with you. With integration, you can ensure that only qualified leads are able to secure time on your calendar, reducing no-shows and wasted efforts.

Time savings and workflow optimisation

For marketing teams, time is often the most precious resource. Calendly helps optimise workflows by reducing time spent on administrative tasks, allowing teams to focus on higher-value activities, like strategy and client interactions.

Tips for getting the most out of Calendly

• Sync with your CRM: By connecting Calendly to your CRM like HubSpot, you can automatically track meetings, update records, and streamline communication.
• Utilise the group scheduling feature: For team calls, webinars, or events, use Calendly’s group scheduling option. It’s a great way to automatically manage large group meetings without manual intervention.
• Set up a clear meeting structure: Take advantage of Calendly’s meeting type feature. Offer specific options for discovery calls, demos, or follow-ups to ensure you maintain a professional approach across all interactions.

Alternatives to Calendly: Why I prefer HubSpot, Cal.com, or Lemcal

While Calendly offers a range of features, there are other tools that might be a better fit depending on your specific needs.

• HubSpot: A robust CRM that includes scheduling capabilities, HubSpot’s meeting tool integrates deeply with your sales pipeline and offers more in-depth reporting features.
• Cal.com: If you need more customisation or are running a more complex operation, Cal.com might be a better alternative. It offers more control over workflows and is more flexible when setting up meeting types and integrations.
• Lemcal: Another alternative that provides a user-friendly interface and unique scheduling features for more personalised meeting experiences.

Calendly is excellent for its simplicity and integration but may not be as flexible as some of these alternatives when it comes to complex sales or marketing processes.

In summary, Calendly is an efficient scheduling tool that saves time, reduces administrative work, and integrates seamlessly with your other systems. However, for teams needing deeper functionality, alternatives like HubSpot, Cal.com, or Lemcal might offer additional benefits depending on your business needs.