Overview
Microsoft Bookings and Bookings with Me are two Outlook-based tools that allow others to schedule time directly into your calendar.
- Microsoft Bookings is designed for managing appointments across a group or team.
- Bookings with Me focuses on personalized 1:1 meeting scheduling.
This article explores the key differences, advantages, and limitations of both options. Once you've identified the best fit for your needs, refer to the detailed configuration steps provided below.
Target Audience
All
Microsoft Bookings
Advantages:
- It’s a comprehensive scheduling and appointment management system.
- It integrates with Outlook, optimizing your staff’s calendar.
- It provides automated notification emails to reduce no-shows.
- It allows you to conduct virtual appointments via Microsoft Teams.
- It’s designed to meet the needs of multiple parts of any organization.
Disadvantages:
- It might be more complex than necessary for simple 1:1 meetings.
- It requires a Microsoft 365 license.
When to use: Microsoft Bookings is ideal when you need to manage the scheduling for a team or when you have a business that involves booking appointments with customers.
Bookings with me
Advantages:
- It’s a simpler, more personalized version of Microsoft Bookings.
- It’s designed specifically for 1:1 meetings.
- It doesn’t create a new mailbox.
- It’s integrated directly into the Outlook web app.
- It provides automated notification emails to reduce no-shows.
- No Information Technology assistance is required.
Disadvantages:
- It’s not as feature-rich as Microsoft Bookings.
- It’s only accessible through the web app version of Outlook.
When to use: Bookings with me is ideal for personal meetings and appointments that don’t need to involve your team. It’s great for scheduling customer and client meetings, interviews with external candidates, 1:1 meetings with other people, tech support, and mentoring appointments.
In conclusion, the choice between Microsoft Bookings and Bookings with me depends on your specific needs. If you need a robust system for managing appointments across a team or business, Microsoft Bookings is the way to go. If you’re looking for a simpler solution for 1:1 meetings, Bookings with me is a great choice.
Creating a Microsoft Bookings Page (High-Level Overview with link to detailed steps)
Creating a Microsoft Bookings page involves several steps. Here’s a general guide:
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Sign in to Microsoft 365
Go to your Office 365 dashboard: www.office.com
-
Access Microsoft Bookings
From the app launcher, select Apps then Bookings.
Or you can use the direct link https://outlook.office.com/bookings/
-
Create a Booking Page
Choose Personal Bookings or Shared Bookings, then click Get Started to begin creating your booking page.
-
Customize Your Booking Page
Under Shared booking pages, select the page you want to customize, then go to Booking page settings.
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Configure Your Booking Page
You can set up:
- Booking page access control
- Customer data usage consent
- Scheduling policies
- Email notifications
- Staff and availability
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Publish Your Calendar
Make your services bookable by publishing your calendar. Share the link via email, social media, or embed it on your website.
For full instructions, visit the official Microsoft Learn guide:
Customize and publish your booking page[1]
Booking Rooms or Resources
If you want people to book rooms or shared resources, you can request the creation of room resources via a ticket to your Email Administrator. Once created, these resources can be invited to appointments through your booking page.
How to setup - Bookings with me in Outlook
Bookings with me is a feature in Outlook that simplifies scheduling 1:1 meetings by allowing others to book time with you based on your availability and preferences, without the need for back-and-forth emails.
How to Access and Use It
What It Does
- Creates a personalized scheduling page.
- Lets others book time with you based on your mutual calendar availability.
- Supports custom meeting types, durations, and buffer times.
- Automatically adds booked meetings to your Outlook calendar.
Step by Step - Creating and Customizing a Meeting Type in Bookings with Me
Step 1: Access Your Bookings Page
Go to:
👉 https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/me
You’ll see two sections:
- Public: Meeting types shown on your booking page.
- Private: Hidden from your booking page; only accessible via direct link.
Step 2: Create a New Meeting Type
Public Meetings
- Click the plus sign (+) in the Public section to create a new meeting type.
- These meetings are visible to anyone visiting your booking page.
Private Meetings
- These are not shown on your booking page.
- Only accessible if you share the direct link.
- Best used for special or restricted meetings.
Step 3: Customize Your Meeting Type
You can configure the following settings:
- Title: Appears on the calendar invite.
- Category: Same as Outlook categories (visible only to you).
- Tip: Create a new category like Bookings with Me with a unique color to easily identify these meetings.
- Click New category
- Enter a name
- Choose a color
- Click Save
- Description: Add context or purpose for the meeting.
- Location: Choose a physical location or an online meeting (e.g., Microsoft Teams).
- Duration: Default is 30 minutes, but you can adjust.
- Visibility:
- Public: Visible on your booking page.
- Private: Only accessible via direct link.
Step 4: Schedule Customization
Step 5: Email Settings
-
Reminders:
- Choose when the reminder email is sent.
- Add a custom message for the invitee.
-
Follow-up Emails:
- Optionally collect feedback after the meeting.
Step 6: Share Your Booking Page
Once your setup is complete, you can share your page:
Go to: https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/me
Click Share to choose from:
- Copy link: Most flexible; recommended for email signatures or intranet.
- Share via email
- Email signature settings: Easiest way to embed your booking link in your signature.
