Microsoft 365: FindTime

Scheduling poll is a Microsoft scheduling assistant that integrates directly with Microsoft 365 and allows you to schedule meetings more efficiently, similar to a Doodle poll.  Note: The Microsoft "Scheduling Poll" tool used to be called "Find Time".

 

 

Outlook Web Access 

  • Go to the Calendar Tab
  • Start a New Meeting Invite
  • Note: If you're inviting people in a Contact List to a Scheduling Poll, you need to do the following extra steps:
    • Add any Contact Lists that you're inviting to the attendees box
    • Click the + arrow to the left of any Contact Group name - this will show the names of all members of the list
  • Click on Scheduling poll as highlighted in the screenshot below

    Screenshot of the event window in M365 - with the Scheduling Poll button highlighted in a red box
     
  • Scheduling Poll will open in the invite and you can pick days and times as options.  
    1. This is the meeting duration - it defaults to an hour, but if you want to schedule a shorter or longer meeting, you need to adjust this.
    2. Choose a date to start looking
    3. You will then find dates where people are available - and times where some may not be available.  In the screenshot below, you can see that the 2 & 4 PM time slots have all people in this example available, while other dates/times show people as unavailable (as per their current calendar set up).
    4. You can use that information to select a few dates/times for your poll by checking the boxes next to the times you're choosing.
    5. You can choose times on multiple days by changing the date and clicking the check box next to any appointment times you want included in the poll.
    6. Click Next 
    7. If you are having this meeting in-person, set a location.  If it is online, click the "Teams meting" box.
    8. When done, click Create poll

       
  • After you send out the invitation the recipients will get an email asking for them to choose a time and will schedule a meeting based on the results.  That email looks like the screenshot below:
    Find Time invite example screenshot
  • Your recipients, when they click "Select options" can choose which times/dates they prefer (by clicking "Prefer", "Yes", or "No" next to each proposed time slot).  They can even click "Propose another time" and suggest another time slot.
  • When people respond, you'll get an email showing their availability, as in the screenshot below.  When you've gotten all (or sufficient) responses back, you as organizer can click "Schedule" next to their chosen time.
    Screenshot of findtime emails the organizer receives as people vote

 

Other things to consider when using Scheduling Poll: 

  • You won't be able to see free/busy availability for people outside of Microsoft 365 at New Paltz
  • You will only see times blocked out if people have created events on their calendar in those times.  If people use alternate methods of keeping calendars (an external calendar, a paper calendar, or just their memory) they will show up as 'free' on those times, even if they are not.  That's why the poll option is still important.
  • You can view the Scheduling Poll dashboard at https://outlook.office.com/findtime/dashboard - to see any outstanding polls you have for meetings.
  • Scheduling Pollcannot be used with Microsoft 365 Groups, or Microsoft Teams but can be used for Contact Lists (see the caveat near the top of this page for that).

 

 

 

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