Self-Hosted vs SaaS Scheduling Platforms: Which Is Right for You?
Explore the differences between self-hosted and SaaS (Software as a Service) scheduling platforms to help you determine which option best fits your needs.
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Get StartedShimmer is a platform that connects individuals with ADHD to coaches who can help them achieve their goals. The platform has facilitated over 31,000 coaching sessions and has been in operation for three years. Due to ever-increasing service demand, Shimmer coaches are often booked up to three or four weeks in advance. To support this growth, Shimmer made the decision around a year ago to switch from using Calendly to Cal.com.
The reason they did this was because they wanted access to a customizable, white-label-friendly calendar scheduling platform that would let them host the video component of coaching sessions internally so that they could wholly own the analytics generated.Also, many of the coaches found Calendly difficult to use because basic features like buffer times just didn't work right.
Shimmer initially discovered Cal.com through the Y Combinator network, an organization both startups are part of. Shimmer started out by using Cal.com for one-off as well as recurring sessions between clients and coaches. Later, Shimmer expanded their use of Cal.com, and it's now used to schedule all internal calls between team members.
One of the things that mattered to Shimmer was Google Calendar integration, since all of their coaches use it. This is something that Cal.com was able to easily provide since Google is one of 13 calendar products Cal.com supports. One of the reasons Shimmer chose Cal.com was that Cal.com was able to offer a level of customization that none of the other calendar scheduling products facilitated. This can be seen in the fact that through collaboration, Cal.com was able to launch an app for Shimmer within the Cal.com app store.
This made a difference because it meant that both coaches and clients alike could easily add Shimmer Video as a meeting location without having to fuss around with any complex functions or code. The Shimmer team was also impressed by Cal.com's troubleshooting impersonation feature.
Account impersonation has become an essential tool for Shimmer administrators because it lets them easily access team member accounts and take a quick look under the hood to quickly fix any errors that arise due to things like availability or timezone setting errors. All these features are controlled via drop-down menus and toggles, which means that power users can easily correct any misconfigurations that arise.
Managed meeting templates are another feature that has proven to be essential for Shimmer. This event type lets admins within the Shimmer ecosystem build and assign custom bookable events. This means separate booking types can be built for internal team members like customer service, as well as external members like coaches. The templates also come with lockable fields, which helps to make the system "spill-proof" and ensures that essential settings are not accidentally reconfigured.
Shimmer has leveraged Cal.com to facilitate over 31,000 coaching sessions, transforming the lives of adults with ADHD. Their product has transformed the way people with ADHD are supported by creating a platform and service centered around helping neurodivergent people reach their full potential.
By switching to Cal.com, Shimmer was able to not only save time but also gain complete ownership of their session analytics. This in turn made it even easier for them to make data-driven decisions to enhance their services.
Shimmer's growth and impact within the neurodiverse wellness space had been amazing to witness. Cal.com is continually honored to provide such an amazing enterprise with the calendar scheduling infrastructure they need.
Explore the differences between self-hosted and SaaS (Software as a Service) scheduling platforms to help you determine which option best fits your needs.
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