How do I use the scheduling assistant in Outlook?
A quick explanation of how to use the scheduling assistant
How do I use the scheduling assistant in Outlook?
The Scheduling Assistant in Microsoft Outlook is a powerful tool for finding the best time for a meeting. It shows the availability of all invited participants and free meeting rooms, helping to avoid scheduling conflicts.
In this article, you will learn how to use the Scheduling Assistant in Outlook to coordinate meetings more quickly and efficiently.
1.Open the scheduling assisstant
The scheduling assistant is integrated directly into the meeting creation process and can be accessed with just a few clicks.
To start the scheduling assistant:
- Open Outlook and switch to the calendar view.
Click on ‘New Meeting’ or ‘New Appointment’. - In the ‘To’ field, add the participants who are to attend the meeting.
- Switch to the ‘Scheduling Assistant’ tab.
You will now see a timeline showing the availability of the invited persons.
2.Find the best meetingtime
In the scheduling assistant, participants’ availability is displayed as coloured bars:
- White = participant is available.
- Light blue = participant has a tentative appointment.
- Dark blue = participant is already booked.
- Hatched = Participant is outside working hours.
Use automatic appointment suggestions
Outlook automatically suggests free time slots for the meeting in the right-hand column. These are based on the calendar availability of all participants.
If no common free appointment can be found, you can check whether optional participants should be invited or whether the appointment should be marked as ‘flexible’.
3. Book meeting rooms via the scheduling assistant
If a meeting room is required, it can be booked directly via the scheduling assistant.
How to add a room:
- Click on ‘Add Room’ in the scheduling assistant.
- Select an available meeting room from the list.
- If a room is already occupied, Outlook can suggest alternative rooms that are available.
Tip: If the company has integrated room management into Outlook, meeting rooms can be filtered automatically based on the number of people and equipment.
4. Mark participants as optional
If some participants are not absolutely necessary, they can be entered as ‘optional’.
To mark a participant as optional:
- Click on ‘Add participant’ in the meeting window.
- Select the ‘Optional’ option so that this person is not included in the scheduling process.
This is particularly helpful for large meetings where the availability of all participants is not necessarily guaranteed.
5. Scheduling appointments across time zones
Open the Scheduling Assistant.
Click on ‘Time Zones’ and select the desired time zone.
Outlook will now display the times for each region to avoid any misunderstandings.
This is particularly helpful for international meetings or remote teams.
6. Finalise scheduling and send invitation
Once a suitable time and meeting room have been found:
- Click on ‘Back to meeting’.
- Add an agenda or notes if desired.
- Click on ‘Send’ to send the invitation to all participants.
Participants will now receive an invitation by email, which they can accept or decline.
7. Common problems and solutions
A participant is displayed as ‘No information available’
- Check whether the participant has enabled calendar sharing.
- If the participant is external, their availability may not be visible to your company.
No shared free date available
- Check whether all participants are absolutely necessary or whether some can be entered as ‘optional’.
- If no mutual appointment can be found, an alternative appointment can be suggested.
Meeting room not available
- If all rooms are occupied, Outlook can suggest alternative free times or rooms.
- If the room list is not displayed, check whether the room resources are being managed correctly.
Coordinate meetings more easily with the scheduling assistant
The scheduling assistant in Outlook makes it easier to find appointments by clearly displaying the availability of participants and rooms. This feature is indispensable, especially for large meetings or appointments across different locations.
arboo – Your Microsoft 365 expert for smart appointment and room bookings
As a Microsoft 365 specialist, arboo offers solutions that go beyond the standard features of Outlook. With arbooMEET, you can not only manage meetings and appointments, but also book rooms, services and additional services directly in Outlook. Companies benefit from seamless integration and more efficient organisation of their meetings.
Would you like to learn more? Contact us for a live demo of arbooMEET and experience how easy meeting organisation can be!
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