Developers and IT pros: booking paid consultation calls

Turn ad-hoc "quick questions" into a paid consultation call that clients book online: a fixed length, a clear price and a short description of what the call covers, such as an architecture review, a second opinion on a quote, help choosing a tool or unblocking a bug. Ask before the call for the context and any access you'll need, say how payment works, and send a short written summary afterwards. Clients get expert time without starting a project, and you stop giving away hours in unbilled calls.

A free discovery call is for scoping a project. A paid consultation is for people who need your expertise now, not a project: a founder checking a technical plan, an agency wanting a second opinion, a small business choosing between two tools. Keeping the two apart lets you keep discovery calls short and free while charging properly for advice.

On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service with its own capacity. Separate services let each call type have its own length and price.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own.

Price a consultation at least at your hourly rate, plus the preparation time it needs: a code review where you read a repository beforehand is worth more than a call where you answer live. If you offer a short and a long format, make the long one clearly better value, so clients with a real problem pick it instead of squeezing it into thirty minutes.

Say in each description what's included and what isn't: for example advice, a review of what's shared before the call and a written summary, but no implementation. If the call can lead to paid work, say whether the fee is deducted from a later project. Clear scope avoids a one-hour call turning into a free afternoon of fixes.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the client's calendar file. Ask in the description for:

Since the note appears in the calendar file, ask clients not to put passwords, keys or private code in it; arrange secure access separately if you need it.

Book doesn't take payments, so say in the description how the call is paid: an invoice sent after booking and settled before the call, or payment after the call for returning clients. Book doesn't create video links either: say which tool you use and send the link by email after the booking, or put a fixed meeting room link in the description.

Consultations can eat into build time. Open a few call slots on set days, for example two afternoons a week, and repeat them weekly on the weekdays you choose until an end date. Once booked, a one-place slot disappears from your page until the next week. Your bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars, so calls sit alongside your project work.

Send a short summary the same day: the question, your recommendation, the next steps and anything the client should check. If they want another session or a project, book it yourself from your calendar; first and last name are required, email and phone optional, and the client receives a confirmation with a calendar file if you enter their email.

Clients can't move or cancel online: they contact you, and you reschedule from your bookings list, then confirm it yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Rescheduling works across services, so a quick unblock that turns out bigger can move to a longer review slot. Say your cancellation rule in the description. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.