There are lots of different appointment scheduling and booking solutions available. Each one is designed for a different industry, use case, and business type. How do you determine the right product for your team?
Is it better to go with an option like Chili Piper that's used by other companies in your industry? Could it make sense to try a new solution, for example, a product like Cal.com, that's built to be customizable on every level?
This article is designed to help people who are investigating the potential of both Cal.com and Chili Piper. We'll focus on highlighting the areas of difference between these two scheduling products.
Customizable appointment routing makes a difference
Appointment routing is an essential part of every enterprise-class scheduling product. Businesses and organizations of all sizes use routing to increase efficiency and boost client satisfaction. Having access to scheduling that supports routing means that appointments are directed to the right team member the first time. So, let's take a look at what Chili Piper and Cal.com each offer in this area.
Chili Piper is a product thats focused on the basics. They have queue-based routing and utilize max team availability. This means that clients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of relationship or urgency. This type of routing also means that companies don't have granular control when allocating team member resources. Having said that, Chili Piper is a really great product, and if you have straightforward scheduling needs, it could be an ideal solution.
Cal.com is open source and customizable. It's built around the idea that the only time "one size fits all" is when it can be tailored based on your needs. This mindset extends to Cal's routing features. With Cal, you can choose between a couple of different routing management options. We have both queue-based routing and attribute-based routing.
This means that each client’s time to meet can be adjusted based on the importance of the situation and the status of their account.
In addition, Cal.com also offers load balancing in addition to max-availability meeting applications. This makes it easier to distribute appointments equitably between team members. This can make a huge difference for internal company morale since it promotes fairness without compromising efficiency.
How much control do you really have?
Now let's talk about customization and deployment options. I won't bore you by going into a metric ton of detail, so how about a quick overview instead? This way, you can get the lay of the land and still have time for lunch.
If you don't need to do a ton of customization, Chili Piper's great because the only customization they offer is limited. You can't self-host their product even if you need to, so it's not a viable solution for anyone who works in a high-security environment.
Cal.com is available as a fully deployed SaaS product, and if you need it or want it, it can be self-hosted. The core product is open source, which means it's easy to build integrations and maintain it if you have the manpower. If you want customization but don't want to build out a team just for that, we do offer enterprise plans and concierge service. This means that we can build whatever you need.
Is Salesforce enough?
Now let's look at integrations and ecosystem support. Both Cal and Chili Piper integrate with Salesforce. However, there's more to CRM software than Salesforce. If you choose Cal.com, you'll have access to a consistently growing app store. This means you'll also be able to add integrations like HubSpot, Deel, and Okta with just a few simple clicks.
Security, compliance, and convenience
So, here's the thing: Chili Piper doesn't have support for recurring events, and you can't process payments through it. It also has slower loading speeds and doesn't provide much information about compliance standards.
Cal.com, on the other hand, has much faster load times, and we offer best-in-class security. Our product also supports HIPAA, SOC2, ISO 27001, GDPR, and CCPA compliance. This means that you can use Cal in environments that require robust security and data protection.
If all this wasn't enough, Cal also comes with built-in video support and AI features like transcription and phone agents that help to enhance its functionality and efficiency.
I hope this article has helped you get a bird's-eye view and identify whether Cal.com or Chili Piper is the better product for your organization's goals and needs. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to a member of our sales team. We're always happy to talk. Thanks for reading this article, and happy scheduling!
