Hey there! Today, we’re diving into the world of Personal and Shared Bookings. These tools are part of the M365 suite and are accessible to all staff. We will look at how to request access, how to get set up, and why you might use it.  

What is Personal Bookings? 

Personal Bookings allows you to set your availability and appointment types. This allows people to book your time without the hassle of back-and-forth scheduling. 

For example, let’s say you are a faculty member who offers office hours. You can set up an office hours appointment type, with set hours, length, lead time, and buffer time. No need to go back-and-forth over email. Just share your Bookings page with your students and they can select the appointment time that works for them within the parameters you set. 

Why Use Personal Bookings? 

1. No back and forth: You configure the meeting types and availability; your clients book the appointments. Simple as that! 

1. Time Management: Need a day’s heads-up before appointments? No problem, set a lead time. Need time to organize between sessions? Not to worry, set buffer time! 

1. Clarity: Your Personal Bookings page shows your clients exactly when and where you are available and what services you offer.  

What Are Shared Bookings? 

This is where things get a bit more collaborative. Your office can use Shared Bookings when offering services fulfilled by more than one person. For example, several employees who offer the same consultation service. From the Shared Bookings page, the client would select the service and the time. The Shared Bookings service would then assign the appointment to one of the available employees. 

Why Use Shared Bookings? 

1. Team Coordination: Shared Bookings makes it easy to make use of everyone’s time. Available times on the Bookings page reflect the office hours set by each employee in real time. This means that clients always see up-to-date options when they go to book. 

1. Transparency: Shared Bookings provide transparency. The calendar on the employee-facing Bookings page shows appointments booked for each employee. Your clients always have up to date information about when your team is available. 

1. Efficiency: With Shared Bookings, you can avoid long email chains to sort out who is available for a client meeting. More efficient for your staff, clearer and cleaner for your clients. 

How to get Microsoft Bookings 

Microsoft Bookings is a fantastic tool for managing appointments. It’s available to all UVic employees but is not active by default. To activate, please visit The Microsoft Bookings help centre. 

On the help centre page, you’ll find more information about Bookings, as well as the application forms. After you fill out the form for Personal or Shared Bookings, you will receive an email notifying you your request is complete. 

You can find more information about customizing appointment types on Microsoft’s Bookings help site. 

Personal and Shared Bookings are powerful tools for staying organized and managing you and your team’s time. Whether you’re keeping track of your own schedule or coordinating with others, these tools can make your work life easier. Try them and see how they can help remove the hassle from your appointment setting!