We are a busy group, and picking a convenient meeting time can be an exercise in patience. Technology is here to help with apps that will poll invitees for availability.
Doodle is a commonly used platform to help with scheduling. A free account works well, although the ad content might get old, and the limit for a poll is 20 options. A paid account provides more features and options. After you create an account, using Doodle is pretty straightforward.
Microsoft FindTime is part of Microsoft 365? It’s an Outlook add-in. Look for the “Get Add-ins” and search for FindTime. System admin help may be required to install this at your court.
Benefits of FindTime:
- Lose the ads that come with other free accounts.
- Invitees only need an email address and do not have to be within your organization or Microsoft users
- Meeting poll can be set up with a new email (click More Options and select New Meeting Poll) or with a reply to an existing email (More Options/Reply with Meeting Poll)
- FindTime integrates with Outlook calendars and can make an initial check of availability for the scheduler and other invitees who have available 365 calendars. A tentative hold is placed on the scheduler’s calendar for the suggested options and removed when the meeting is set or the poll is canceled. Note that some might keep a separate personal calendar so the initial check may not be conclusive.
- Meeting can be auto scheduled when there is consensus on a date/time; if multiple times have consensus, the earliest time will be chosen.
Other scheduling assistants with free options include zcal and Calendly.
The tech assist provided by the above apps in finding convenient times will lessen the burden of back-and-forth emails about meeting dates. Even when you are using an app, though, consider these extra tips for success.
Holidays and time zones. Be mindful of holidays and consider where your invitees are located when proposing meeting dates and times. My noon meeting in St. Petersburg, FL, will translate to 8 a.m. in Anchorage, Alaska. In your meeting invite, state the time zone you are proposing. Most apps will translate to the recipient’s local time but including this info will avoid confusion.
Limit the choices and request a quick response. Fewer options will allow your invitees to review their calendars and respond quickly. Five choices, maybe ten with a large group, are sufficient. Closing the poll quickly will limit the risk that something else jumps on the calendar for a date that was open initially.
Schedule in advance but not too far. A last-minute meeting might be unavoidable, but a few days’ notice is better. Much more than two weeks out, you risk competing demands that come up and you probably want to send reminders.
Decide what success looks like. Do you need 100% attendance, or are you looking for a time when most participants will be available? Is there an essential attendee? If so, consider pre-clearing dates with this person. Defined expectations will inform your decision to accept poll results or submit a second poll.
Plan for pre-meeting social chat while staying on time and topic. Get people talking early in the meeting to build relationships. Once the business starts, move the conversation along so the meeting purpose can be accomplished within the scheduled time.
Post-meeting notes. Keep your invitees in the loop even if they could not attend. Send a brief synopsis after the meeting and include action items as a reminder for those who attended and an opportunity for engagement with someone who wasn’t there.
A thoughtful use of technology can help you draw a crowd without feeling like you’re herding cats. See you at the next meeting!