The best scheduling software allows you to do much more than just keep track of your appointments. It can help you better manage your time, coordinate your schedule with coworkers, and seamlessly share scheduling data with other key applications you’re already using. Here are some important factors to consider when selecting the best scheduling software to meet your needs.

Scalability and User Limits: Pay attention to whether the software can accommodate the required number of users.

“Scalability is a must-have feature for any potential scheduling software,” says Justin Soleimani, co-founder of Tumble, a San Diego-based homeware and furniture design and manufacturing company. “One of the best things a new business learns from scheduling software is how to streamline and optimize everyone’s time in the company’s calendar. When that happens, business owners can better allocate resources and start thinking about growth. Finding scheduling software that then scales to match that growth is crucial to avoid the cost of migrating platforms down the road.”

Scheduling Flexibility: Ideally, the software should support various appointment types, such as phone calls, virtual meetings, one-on-one meetings, group meetings, and events.

Integration Capabilities: The best scheduling software makes it easy to sync data across a wide range of other software and cloud-based applications, such as other calendar apps, CRM systems, project management applications, and/or payment gateways.

Mobile Accessibility: Because most people are no longer chained to their desks and rely heavily on their mobile devices as a productivity tool, scheduling data should be readily accessible from a smartphone, tablet, or even a smartwatch.

“Scheduling software works best when it’s cloud-based and available from multiple locations and on multiple devices so that all relevant stakeholders can stay informed,” says Nick Valentino, vice president of market operations at Bellhop, a nationwide moving services company. “Strictly local schedules need to be individually sent out to other people. This creates a lot of work and leaves room for miscommunication and scheduling errors.”

Customization Options: Not everyone’s workflow is the same. Choose scheduling software that lets you customize fields to match your organization’s or industry-specific needs.

“Scheduling software is generally very customizable,” says Alexis Haselberger, a professional time management and productivity coach. “For instance, I have several different event types set up for consultation calls, coaching sessions, workshops, etc. For each event type, I can select general parameters for how long the appointment will last, how much buffer time is needed between meetings, how many meetings can be scheduled per day, and which days and times these meetings can be scheduled.”

Sara Bandurian, operations supervisor at the digital marketing company Online Optimism, especially appreciates the ability to color-code calendars is significant. “This makes it easier to know at a glance whether I’m looking at my personal calendar, the company-wide calendar, or an individual employee’s calendar,” she says. Bandurian adds that if you have employees in different time zones, it’s also important to be able to set your time zone, work hours, and work location.

Automated Reminders and Notifications: The scheduling software you choose should be able to generate automated reminders for you, coworkers, and customers or clients. Reminders or notifications should be able to be sent via email or text message.

Resource Management: In addition to managing time, you may need scheduling software that can manage and allocate resources, such as meeting rooms, required equipment, and support staff.

User Experience and Interface: The user interface should be visually appealing and highly intuitive.

Security and Privacy: Ensure the application provides robust security features to protect sensitive scheduling data and user information. Also, teach people on your team to use data security best practices to help avoid data breaches.

Customer Support and Training: Research the availability of customer support, training resources, and related documentation to assist with software setup, deployment, data migration, and day-to-day usage.