UConn faculty and staff use Microsoft 365 for their university email and calendaring, and many are accustomed to using Outlook to schedule meetings among colleagues. There are situations, often including students, where there is need to coordinate meetings with others outside of the environment.  We know that some may turn to other third-party solutions to include these populations.  This is certainly permitted, but we also encourage people to consider already available options and capabilities.

“Bookings” is an app used by organizations or groups to publish a page for scheduling service appointments with its members.  Microsoft recently introduced the complimentary “Bookings with me” app.  This is comparable to “Bookings,” but it syncs with an individual’s Outlook calendar and is designed for scheduling one-on-one meetings.  This might be used by faculty to support office hours.  Anyone with a Microsoft 365 calendar can create a “Bookings with me” page with their availability and share that link with others.  Microsoft has also introduced “Scheduling Polls.”  Comparable to Doodle polls, this app is used to send out multiple day/time options and collect the results.  These apps are specifically integrated with Outlook calendars, simplifying coordination and reducing conflicts.  Visit the Knowledge Base for more information.

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