Calendly: Automated Scheduling Made Simple
Calendly is a robust scheduling automation platform designed to streamline the process of booking meetings, appointments, and other events, eliminating the tedious back-and-forth communication typically involved in finding a mutually convenient time.
How Calendly Works
Calendly integrates seamlessly with your connected calendar (whether it’s your work or personal calendar) to display your availability. When you share your Calendly link, invitees can view your available time slots and select a time that works for both parties. The platform checks for events marked as ‘Busy’ on your calendar and prevents invitees from scheduling new events during those times, thus avoiding double bookings and conflicts. Once a time is chosen, the event is automatically published to your connected calendar and appears in your Calendly Scheduled Events page. Both you and the invitee receive email confirmations of the scheduled event, ensuring smooth coordination.Key Features and Functionality
Booking and Scheduling Features
- Customizable Time Slots: Users can set up different event types such as one-on-one, group, and round-robin events, and tailor booking links for specific needs.
- Buffer Times and Date Overrides: Calendly allows users to add buffer times between appointments for preparation or transition, and override default availability for specific dates, providing flexibility in scheduling.
Multi-User Accounts and Team Management
- Multi-User Accounts: Calendly offers multi-user accounts or “seats,” enabling teams to manage scheduling through a shared account. This feature is particularly useful for organizations needing centralized booking control, such as customer-facing roles, HR teams, and large organizations.
Automation and Workflows
- Workflows: For users on the Standard subscription or higher, Calendly offers Workflows that allow sending automatic reminders, follow-ups, and other messages to invitees before or after booked events, helping reduce no-shows and enhance the invitee experience.
- Calendly Routing: On the Teams subscription or higher, Calendly can automatically route leads and prospects to the most suitable team member based on their expertise or availability, integrating with tools like HubSpot, Pardot, or Marketo.
Integrations and Accessibility
- Calendar Integrations: Calendly syncs with various calendars, including Outlook, and integrates with video conferencing tools like Zoom, ensuring seamless scheduling across different platforms.
- Mobile App and Browser Extension: Users can manage scheduling on the go with the Calendly mobile app or use the browser extension to book and manage meetings from anywhere on the web.
Additional Features
- Managed Events: Admins can create, edit, lock, update, and assign reusable event types to users, helping standardize meetings and enhance control over the organization’s scheduling experience.
- Time Zone Handling: Calendly automatically adjusts available times to the invitee’s time zone, eliminating the need for manual time zone conversions.