Have you ever wondered if there was a way to book your meetings in an effective way that does not make you go back and forth with emails to set up a time? We have created a little guide on how to use one of the best add-ons for Microsoft Outlook and set up meetings with ease!
And if you would like to chat to us about how your business can use systems to increase productivity and growth - book a call with our team today!
Can you remember a time when one of these happened to you?
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We played ping pong via email to schedule a meeting with several participants
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Couldn't find a suitable time, on any date, to meet
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You felt like giving up on booking a meeting because it was so difficult to decide on a time and date
The answer to any of these questions is YES, and we have a solution to help you. Simply put, FindTime has the solution you need.
What is FindTime?
Microsoft's planning tool, FindTime, helps users schedule meetings among their participants by integrating with Microsoft Outlook. By checking the availability of attendees and suggesting potential meeting times based on their calendars, the process of scheduling meetings is made easier.
With FindTime, meeting organizers can propose multiple time options, and attendees can vote on their preferred times or suggest alternative times. Upon reaching a consensus, FindTime sends out an invitation for the meeting.
Teams can schedule meetings more efficiently with FindTime by eliminating back-and-forth email exchanges and streamlining the scheduling process. This feature is particularly useful for scheduling meetings with people or groups whose schedules are busy and conflicting.
Step 1: Install the FindTime add-in
The first thing you need to do is install the FindTime add-in. You can download add-ins by clicking on the "Get Add-ins" tab in Outlook. In the search bar, type "FindTime," select it, and click "Add."
On the top navigation bar of your MS Outlook, select FILE.Once the File tab opens, you will see the options for your account. At the very bottom, you will find MANAGE ADD-INS. Click on it and it should redirect you to a Add-ins page on your browser.On the browser, a pop-up will open allowing you do see what add-ins you have installed and to search for new ones.On the search bar, type FindTime and press the Enter key on your keyboard.Select the first option that will show you. The icon should be orange and white and below FindTime, it should say Microsoft Corporation. This is how you know who the add-in creator is.
Then, click on the ADD button.
Step 2: Schedule a meeting
Compose a new email and click the "New Meeting Poll" button in the toolbar after installing the FindTime add-in. Choose a time and date that works for you, and enter the meeting title, location, and duration. Besides setting a deadline, you can also request responses from the participants.
Open your preferred method to send it: email or meeting.
Once you have it open, on the message bar, you will see a small icon as highlighted below. This will open the FindTime options for you.
Step 3: Invite attendees
Adding the attendee's email addresses and a message is the next step. You can send the poll as an email or as a calendar invitation. Those participating will receive an email with a link to the poll.
If sending as an email, you can compose your email as you normally would, adding the recipients, subject and message.
By clicking on the icon as explained above, the side panel with FindTime will open, showing you a few options, such as duration, date and availability.If you prefer to send it as a meeting invitation, the process is the same. Add the required attendees and all other information and by clicking on the icon as showed above, it will once again open a side bar with the functionalities.
The next steps are easy. Select the best times for you, click on next. Make sure to follow all the steps and then hit Create Poll!
A box like the one on the example on the left will appear on your message body space.
Complete your email with any information you want and hit SEND!
Step 4: Review the poll results
Everyone will have the chance to vote on their preferred time and even add other timeslots.
FindTime makes it easy to view the results of a poll once participants have responded. To do so, you can click on View All Your Polls as shown above. Once you've selected the most popular time slot for your meeting, you can send an invitation via calendar to everyone.
Got any questions?
In conclusion, FindTime's multi-party scheduling feature simplifies the scheduling process. It takes just a few clicks to create a poll and see everyone's availability. See how much time you can save by using it!
If you need some help with it, contact us.
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