Scheduling Apps
While remote working can be a great way to make sure your company is getting the most out of its employees, it can also present some challenges when it comes to communicating and scheduling meetings. To better serve your clients, being mindful of schedules is something all businesses should be aware of when making the shift to remote working.
At Business Continuum, facilitating remote work for our business is largely attributed to the scheduling tools and platforms we use in our day-to-day operations, some of which include:
Microsoft Office 365: We use Microsoft Teams daily at Business Continuum. Microsoft Teams make it simple to organise and conduct group meetings, calls, and even just internal check-ins on a daily basis. It also allows us to quickly view our colleague’s calendars to see when everyone is available at any given time. This saves us countless hours of figuring out when we can meet up with one co-worker. Teams also will enable you to add attachments such as files or links to the event if needed.
Tip – As part of your Microsoft Office subscription, your business can also utilise the Microsoft Bookings app within Microsoft Teams to internally enhance collaborations as a team. Staff and clients can pick a suitable date and time to book a meeting, and a calendar invite will automatically be sent directly to the recipient’s Microsoft Outlook account. If your business already operates using Microsoft, using the Bookings app is a great way to maximise your time while staying mindful of client and employee schedules. Having both communication and scheduling platforms under Microsoft Office 365 that talk to each other for no additional cost helps us use our time more effectively in the workplace.
Calendly: Similar to Microsoft Bookings, Calendly is an online scheduling tool that allows clients to book meetings directly with our team members without worrying about conflicting schedules or missed appointments. We love Calendly because it enables us to work remotely without sacrificing efficiency or professionalism. Clients can simply select a convenient time that works for them, and upon confirming the booking, a meeting confirmation will then be sent to both parties directly. This saves the tedious process of back and forth emails when trying to schedule a suitable time. We’ve found Calendly works best for us in conjunction with Zoom. Zoom is a video conferencing platform that allows us to connect with clients and collaborators quickly and easily without worrying about setting up equipment or disrupting workflow at either end of the call. Sending off a quick zoom link has made collaborating virtually a breeze. The amalgamation of Calendly and Zoom together has proven to be incredibly convenient when administering communications with our interstate clients.
Tip – include a Calendly link in your email signature to prompt any potential prospects who may want to book a discovery call with the business/you directly. This is an efficient and straightforward way to maximise your outreach and the chances of selling your product or service, further increasing the opportunity to start or continue a conversation with likely clients, business partners, employees, or candidates.
These are just some of the tools we use at Business Continuum to facilitate our remote client dealings and team meetings online. If your business is not currently utilising a comprehensive scheduling and communication platform, we highly recommend testing out the platforms mentioned above to increase your engagement with your internal and external business network. Moreover, if you have uncovered an alternative system that works just as well, we’d love to hear about it! Scan the below QR code to tell us more about the apps you use!
