Meetings are an essential part of business operations. At the end of the day, the responsibility to coordinate and schedule them falls on someone within the organization. If you are looking to save the time and money wasted trying to coordinate time zones, timeslots, and attendee responses, Microsoft's scheduling software can help.

Microsoft recognizes that scheduling can be quite demanding. Rather than attempting to use third party software, which frequently come with additional costs or be limited in use, Microsoft 365 customers have access to a few excellent options. These Microsoft offerings aim to ease the burden, reduce scheduling time, and align resources to drive meetings forward.

Use Microsoft's Scheduling Poll to arrange meetings quickly

Previously named Findtime, this Microsoft scheduling software is great when you need to coordinate with multiple parties, want to incorporate visibility of internal employee schedules, and need to engage outside clients, vendors, or attendees from other companies. You can simply compose a new email in Outlook to attendees, select the ‘Scheduling Poll’ in Outlook, choose some timeslot options, and send. Attendees can vote for times that work for them, and when there is a consensus, Outlook automatically schedules the meeting. As a result, there is no back and forth to deal with. Step-by-step directions on how to use this tool can be accessed here.

Bookings with Me eliminates the hassle of scheduling meetings

This tool provides a webpage that someone can go to and directly book a timeslot that already works for you. It is always up to date with available timeslots based on your calendar. People often use this Microsoft scheduling software to help coordinate support ticket follow ups. Bookings with Me is also particularly useful for sales staff members. Using this, they can have an open door for prospects to reserve time for business discussions. It is as simple as sharing the link with your intended recipient. Follow the directions here to set up and share your personal booking link.

Businesses looking to provide professional appointment scheduling pages can use a similar app, Microsoft Bookings. This tool allows businesses to customize appointments, provide flexibility for customers, and more. Just because your business closes for a day does not mean scheduling stops. Customers can continue to make future appointments online through your booking page. Additional directions on how to implement this tool are located here.

Citrin Cooperman's Digital Services Practice has extensive experience helping businesses identify technology solutions and implement the options that will best support their business objectives. For more information on how your company can save time and money with Microsoft tools, reach out to your Citrin Cooperman advisor or Zach Saltzman at zsaltzman@citrincooperman.com.