Find Time For Meeting In Outlook: The Best Guide (2023)

In this post, I’ll do a deep-dive into what this Find Time for meeting in outlook offers.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

What is FindTime outlook?

• FindTime outlook is a free add-in that helps employees establish a consensus for the best time to hold a meeting.
• The tool polls potential meeting participants to determine their preferences and ranks the most favorable available meeting opportunity.
• Once a consensus forms, FindTime can create the meeting on your behalf and will send invitations automatically, saving you time and hassle.
• This feature is especially useful when trying to schedule meetings with people outside of organizations.

How FindTime works?

• Invitations to vote on meeting times can be sent to a variety of email addresses. These include Yahoo, Gmail, and other providers.
• With the data provided by users, FindTime can quickly figure which days and times will work best.
• The program can find openings in each person’s schedule that will work for meetings.
• The individual sending out invitations can then propose several selected times for the meeting. The attendees that have received invitations will all vote on the time they want.
• After a meeting time is chosen, FindTime sends out a notice to each attendee.

Who can use FindTime outlook?

• To use FindTime, it’s necessary for the individual or business organizing the meeting to have Microsoft 365 Apps for Business.
• It can also be used with an Enterprise account that has Exchange Online.
• It’s important to know that the recipients of meetings scheduled using FindTime do not need to have the add-in installed.
• If a person is sent a request by someone that has FindTime, this person can still vote on meeting times without actually having the app. In fact, they don’t even need Microsoft 365. It’s only necessary to have an email to be a recipient.

How to use FindTime outlook?

Installation is incredibly easy. All a person needs is Microsoft 365 Apps for Business. It can also be installed on Exchange Online through an Enterprise account. According to Microsoft support, it’s necessary to take the following steps to install FindTime outlook web.

Open Outlook and select “Get Add-ins” from the Home ribbon.

Search or locate “FindTime” and click Add. When finished close the Add-Ins window.

The FindTime add-in is now installed. From your Inbox or Calendar views, click more options (…) and you will see the FindTime button. Click this button to get started.

To use the reply with meeting poll, select the email and click more options and click “Reply with Meeting poll“

Using the FindTime outlook

You can select the FindTime option when you are drafting a new email message OR when you are replying to an existing email option.

• Within a new email, click more options (…) and select New Meeting Poll from the FindTime section within the ribbon in the upper right.

• When Replying to an existing email, click more options and click “Reply with Meeting Poll” from the FindTime section within the ribbon in the upper right.
• When you click on the FindTime button (“New Meeting Poll” or “Reply with meeting poll”) FindTime will search your calendar and any other employee’s calendar and suggest the best meeting dates and times available.

• The people icons show whether invitees are required, and their availability

Additional Information:

• Online meetings are enabled by default, select the Online Meeting checkbox to disable it.
• When Online Meeting is selected, FindTime will schedule a Microsoft Teams meeting.
• FindTime will use whichever has been set by your organization as the default online meeting channel.
• Select Meeting settings and toggle the ON/OFF options.

Select Poll settings and toggle the ON/OFF options.

Note: You can still delete selected meeting times at this point by selecting X in the Selected times list.

• Notify me about poll updates: You’ll receive an email each time an attendee votes. The message includes the current poll status and an option to schedule.
• Schedule when attendees reach consensus: A calendar event is automatically scheduled if all required attendees have voted in favor of a specific time option. If multiple options are available, the earliest option will be scheduled.
• Hold selected times on my calendar: A tentative event is placed on your calendar for each time option you propose. All holds are removed when the meeting is scheduled or the poll is canceled.
• Lock poll for attendees: Attendees will not be able to suggest new times or edit other attendees.
• Require attendees to verify their identity: To help prevent anonymous voting, attendees will be required to authenticate before voting.
• Email notifications in FindTime language: The language that you use FindTime in will be used to send related email notifications. Otherwise these notifications will be sent in English.

Once you review the options and date/time, click “Add to email“.

The suggested times will be added to the body of your message. You may now send the message.

Tentative meeting place holders will be created on your calendar for each suggestion you’ve made. Once all responses are received and you select a final date/time for that meeting, all other place holders will be automatically removed from your calendar.

FindTime will create temporary calendar events titled “HOLD” followed by the name of the meeting. These will stay in place until all attendees have agreed on a time. After all invitees have agreed on a time, FindTime will send out a final calendar event and remove
all events with the title “HOLD”.

You will receive email confirmations and updates as recipients submit their votes. Recipients will receive a FindTime email where they can cast their vote:

You can always check on the status of your FindTime request by clicking on “See status/updated times” on a meeting.

FindTime will email you back a confirmation email with button controls to check for responses. Once you have all the responses you need, you can click the “Schedule” button in the email to finalize the meeting and send invites.

Select Edit Options to change the meeting settings, if necessary.

Note: If you make changes and reinsert the meeting times, you need to manually delete the original invite.

Why does your company need FindTime?

FindTime is easy to implement and can be used by any type of employee. Saving time and squeezing more productivity into the same 24 hours is something every organization is striving for. TechRepublic states several good reasons why a company would want to use FindTime.

• FindTime is easy to use.
• FindTime is necessary only for the individual scheduling the meeting.
• FindTime ends the hassle of back-and-forth between those trying to schedule a meeting.
• FindTime sets up the meeting and informs each person who is invited.
• FindTime is part of Microsoft 365, which many people already have.

FindTime outlook is an add-in that nearly any type of business, large or small, will find useful. Spending more time trying to schedule a meeting instead of actually attending the meeting will be a thing of the past with FindTime.

FindTime vs Doodle

• How often do you look for appointments where several people have time? Feels like it every day, regardless of whether it is a meeting, company party, dinner or a private visit to the cinema with friends.
• It can be really nerve-wracking to get a lot of people together, but we know on how to help each other and let tools support us.
• Most of you have probably heard of Doodle or even created surveys yourself.

What does Doodle offer?

• Doodle is the free survey service that many of you have probably used, including myself. Regardless of whether to make an appointment or for a survey of who would like to eat what at the barbecue.
• Polls are quick and easy to create. In addition to appointments, as mentioned, other content can also be queried.
• Even various settings can still be made, such as “If need be”, that is, the option works for me, but is not optimal or only one option can be selected per participant.
• The hidden poll is also practical so that the name and vote are confidential and only the creator can see the results.
• Once the survey is finished, you can pass the link on and anyone with the link can take part in the survey. And all as a free service. You don’t even need a Doodle account – not bad right?.

At first glance, the free version can’t:

• Set deadline – Determines the deadline for voting
• Get contact details – Have people fill in their email, address, or phone number
• Activities of all invitees – See who is still missing or who has already received and opened the invitation
• You can then also send reminders
• No advertising
• Doodle 1: 1

Doodle 1: 1

The Doodle 1: 1 function is included in the two paid versions and offers you the option of informing a person about your free appointments so that they then only have to choose the one that suits them best. Whether with colleagues, external partners or customers, a meeting can be arranged with just a few clicks.

The Doodle app

We also tested the Doodle app for you with the free account and it’s super easy to create surveys there too. And a nice feature especially for private use: After creating the survey, you can not only send the link but also use WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to distribute the survey.

To get more information on Find Time for meeting in outlook, visit the Microsoft website.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Which finding from today’s report did you find most interesting? Or maybe you have a question about something that I covered.

Either way, I’d like to hear from you. So go ahead and leave a comment below.