No-brainer for appointment based business

I provide business management consulting for optometrists. All my work is done through appointments and email. vCita flawlessly syncs my calendar and allows clients to schedule when I'm actually available. Prior to vCita, I spent way too much time suggesting times, getting voicemails, etc. Besides that, they have done a great job of allowing a feature-rich "live-site" that is easy to set up and super customizable. I think for many businesses it would suffice to be the landing page.

Pros

Very simple appointment set-ups. Before vCita there was a ton of back and other emails, or worse than that - phone calls.

Cons

The invoicing/billing system is not as robust as some other programs out there. Specifically I would like the program to send out regular monthly retainer billing.

Great for scheduling, other features not so much

I was using acuity but looked for other software, because of hippa option. I was ecstatic to see the client portal, unfortunately it is not optimal. Most features however aren’t hippa compliant. Really I only use client portal for scheduling and share patient handouts. Patients don’t have to log in like other apps, as it recognizing emails. Overall I do think it offers more than competition , but make sure you try every part to see what works for you and what doesn’t. Also customer service must be more present. Even after you pay they limit features until you use for a while , which is ridiculous. They will be better if they make conscious effort to improve

Pros

Able to customize scheduling page to be more professional and to distinguish services offered. Like the idea of client portal. Clients can go to portal to pay , schedule and can share documents. Works for me who share patient education handouts.

Cons

Some additional features are really glitchy and most features of the client portal I can’t use. When customers pay online , they are not taken to confirmation page or automated message . Messaging IS NOT secure , sometimes links In messages, don’t work. Documents are not secure. So since I’m using for health business, I had to get another program for secure messaging . Customer service good when you can each them, there is a 2 hour window only to call in a 24 hour day. Chat is not always available during business hours. It’s even worse if you are on east coast.

Sinking Ship

Having been a customer for several years, vCita offered an all-in-one solution that few others compared to at the time. However, very little has changed in the last 3 years other than some unnecessary aesthetic updates and very minor enhancements. I got on board fully aware that there were several missing features I needed which were on the top of the feature request list and I put in place workarounds to suffice until these features were going to be implemented. I'm talking about pretty fundamental things, like the ability for online payments to be accepted with sales tax automatically calculated, and add-on/bundled products/services. Instead of the development team addressing critical upgrades the community is begging for, we get branding updates, color scheme changes, and random issues where things that have always worked fine no longer work properly. Customer service is all but useless, and I constantly get the feeling their priorities lie in marketing the outdated product they have rather than improving it. If you try the product and feel that it accomplishes 100% of what you need it to do, go for it. But if you find that it looks great but misses the mark on a few key areas, don't jump on board hoping it will be addressed in the next decade. Keep looking. I'm done waiting.

Pros

Relatively easy to use and deploy. Client interface is mostly intuitive and easy to use.

Cons

Product development is nonexistent. Customer support is a joke. On the rare occasion there is an update, I find something on my website no longer works, instead of being improved.

Excellent Software - lousy service

If you never have to deal with their customer service and they never go down, I love the program and would recommend it from that perspective. Its a clean design and offers me all I need at a good price point. I've been a customer for 5 years and I really want to keep using them but I just can't afford to be down as often as I am. Customer service makes a business and Vcita is just so lacking in customer service, it is so disappointing. I don't want to spend hours on end finding a replacement program but after being down 3 times in less than 2 years I am getting tired of fighting with their people to take ownership and fix their issues. My plug in from them runs on Wordpress. When you can't fix the Vcita plugin for Wordpress in 6 weeks I think you've got some bigger problems.

Pros

Vcita drives all of my business. I get all of my prospects and sample coaching sessions through Vcita. It is the life blood of my business. The pop up widget on my website is the driving force, the scheduler is easy to use and I like the CRM for tracking appointments, correspondence and client information. The price is very reasonable at around $140 USD a year.

Cons

THEIR LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! As I said they are the life blood of my business but this is the 3rd time in less than 2 years my pop up is not working and neither is the scheduler. For over 6 weeks now! No Vcita no business for me. They have no live support, I've hated this from day 1. Email only. And they often take days on end to reply. I am so tired of "our developers are working on it but no ETA." Then why are you charging me!

Great Software with Awesome Support

Overall, Vcita has done a wonderful job with their support team when in helping me maximize their features.

Pros

Calendar integration with my website, Revenue tracker, Invoicing, Easy of online payment integration.

Cons

There could be more features in the calendar section of the software