These tips are for Outlook Desktop and Mobile App users. I tried to find something similar for Gmail and Microsoft 365 but no go. If you know of anything, please share.
Scheduling with people inside your organization is, for the most part, tame. You can see their schedule, select an open slot, and without too much trouble your meeting is set up. Scheduling with people outside your organization however, is a whole other animal, a wild one. There’s unpredictability, reservation, and struggle. It doesn’t have to be that way with these tools in the Outlook Desktop App and Outlook Mobile App. Check out the video for details and/or the brief instructions below to learn how to tame the scheduling beast.
Outlook Desktop App
Create an email > Select the Insert Menu > Select Calendar.
Select the desired Date Range, Details and “Show time with my working hours only”.
Select OK and your availability is now in your email without all that transcribing.
From here you can delete unnecessary information and timeframes you may not want to make available, even if free. Simply highlight the info you want to eliminate and delete (the calendar info is inserted as a table/Excel sheet).
Rarely does the mobile experience top the desktop experience but the Send Availability functionality in the Outlook Mobile App is way superior to Insert Calendar. When having to send availability, even if sitting at my laptop, I’ll grab my phone. I'm so excited for you to use this, it’s jaw dropping cool.
Create an email > Select the Calendar Icon (bottom left) > Select Send Availability
Tap on the dates and times you are available in your calendar > Select the check mark in the top right corner
Add any other information to your email and send
BONUS: If the person receiving your availability has the Outlook Mobile app, they can click on any of the available times which will let them check their schedule at that time and send a meeting request.
At Articulated Intelligence we like to make connecting easy, fun and even jaw dropping, just like “Send Availability”. Connecting at networking events or connecting while delivering a presentations or pitch doesn’t have to be anxiety ridden, unpredictable and challenging. We’d love the opportunity to show you how to tame that beast.