Scheduling Meetings

Use the Meeting Advisor to set up a meeting for multiple users. Using the parameters that you enter, the system searches for times when all the users you want to include in the meeting are available.

You can decide whether to search only for times when users have indicated they are available in Schedule Detail Maintenance. Or you can have the system search only for times that a user has a previous event scheduled. If you search only for a user's busy times, however, the system will not list times that a user has marked as available.

For example, Dawn has office hours from 9:00am to 5:00pm. She has marked these hours as available to indicate to the system that she can be scheduled for events and meetings during these hours. Dawn also has a daily meeting from 2:00pm to 2:30pm that she has marked as busy to indicate to the system that she cannot be scheduled for other events at this time.

If you want to schedule a meeting with Dawn today sometime between 8:00am and 5:00pm, indicate to the Meeting Advisor to search for Dawn's available times. It will show you that Dawn can attend the meeting at any time between 9:00am and 2:00pm and 2:30pm and 5:00pm. If you indicate to the system to search for Dawn's busy times only, it will show that she is busy from 2:00 to 2:30, but it will also show that she is available between 8:00am and 2:00pm and 2:30pm and 5:00pm. This listing would be incorrect. Dawn is not available between 8:00 and 9:00 because she is not in the office during this time.

We recommend that you search for available times, unless your users only indicate times when they are busy.

If authorized, you can also view a user's daily schedule to see when they have available time slots in order to determine a meeting time.

To schedule meetings:

  1. From the System > Scheduler menu, select Meeting Advisor to display the Meeting Advise window.

  2. In the Meeting Length field, enter the expected length of the meeting in minutes or hours. The default is 60:00 Minutes.

  3. In the Meeting Unit field, select either Minutes or Hours to apply to the meeting length.

  4. In the Date field, enter the date for which you want to schedule the meeting.

  5. In the Time Zone field, enter the time zone in which you are scheduling the meeting.

By default, the system displays the time zone assigned to your user ID in User Maintenance.

  1. In the Search For Times section of the window, enter a From and To time range within which you want to schedule the meeting.

  2. De-select the Ignore Availability box to list times within the time range and date that users indicate they are available to attend the meeting.

  1. In the User ID column, enter the IDs of the users you want to attend the meeting.

The system displays each user's full name and phone extension next to their ID.

  1. Click the Update button to display the times when the users are available as indicated in the system. The available times display in the User Available Times field and the Time Bar along the bottom of the window.

If users are not available during the time you want to schedule the meeting, use the following menu options to research a new time when all users are available:

Menu

Menu Option

Description

File

Daily Schedule

Displays a selected user's daily schedule for the date indicated on the Meeting Advice window.

Edit

Today

Changes the meeting date to the current date.

Click the Update button to display the users' available times for today.

Go To

Highlights the Date field so you can enter a new date to search for available meeting times.

Select a new date to schedule the meeting for, and click the Update button to display the users' available times for the new date.

  1. Once you have determined a time to schedule the meeting, do one of the following to schedule the meeting:

  2. ClosedUse the Time Bar along the bottom of the window.

    1. Click on the Meeting Selector and slide it to the time for when you want to schedule the meeting.

    2. Click the Select Time button to display the Schedule Detail Maintenance window.

    Note: If the system warns you that their is a conflict with the selected time, either click Cancel to select a new time or click Continue to schedule the meeting for the selected time.

  1. ClosedUse the Select A Meeting Time Interval window.

    1. From theFilemenu, selectSelect Valid Meeting Timeto display the Select A Meeting Time Interval window. This window displays blocks of time during which you can schedule the meeting, such as "8:00am to 12:00pm" or "1:00pm to 5:00pm."

    1. Click on the block of time for which you want to schedule the meeting.

    2. At the prompt, enter the starting time of the meeting and clickOK. The Schedule Detail Maintenance window displays.

    Note: You must enter a time within the displayed time blocks.

  1. On the Schedule Detail Maintenance window, enter the meeting detail.

  2. Save your changes and exit the window.

See Also:

Entering Detailed Information for an Event

Scheduling Events

Scheduler Overview