I was a late adopter of Google products and I’m glad I made the change when I did. You can really use Google to manage all of your business’ communications strategies whether you’re colleagues are on the same “network” or not.
Google Calendar recently came out with a new feature: appointment slots. Here’s what you can do with it:
- Show clients/employees your availability (you can already share your busy calendar with others)
- NOW you can let them book an appointment during the times/dates you designate
- Your appointment availability calendar lays on top of their Google calendar to make it easier for them to choose a date/time that fits their schedule
This is a major time saver. No more back-and-forth emails/phone calls. Simply block out the time you are available for appointments and share that calendar with others. I just added my appointment availability calendar to my e-signature and to my website since I offer free 30-minute consultations. Prospects don’t have to call during office hours to book an appointment. They can schedule you when it’s convenient for them.
How to create appointment slots
- Sign in to Google Calendar.
- Click an open spot in the calendar grid. In the event window that pops up, click Appointment slots.
- Enter all the details for the appointment slot: what it is, which of your calendars it should appear on (I created a separate calendar), and whether it should be a single slot or multiples.
- From there you can finish by clicking Create slots, or click Edit details to modify more settings: location, description, repeating slots, etc. If you want to invite others to attend, use the Add Guests field.
- When you click Edit details, you’ll see the URL Google created to allow you to share your calendar. Be sure it’s the URL that corresponds to the correct calendar you want to share. It’s a LONG URL, so I used www.bit.ly to shorten it up.
- When you’re done, click Save.
What are some other uses you can think of for Google’s appointment slots? How about organizing volunteers???
