Scenario / Question

How does Calendly work, and what specific features does it offer to streamline scheduling processes for individuals and businesses?

Overview

Calendly is a scheduling automation platform that connects to your personal or work calendar. It checks for events marked as "Busy" and prevents invitees from booking over those times. When someone schedules with you, the meeting is automatically added to your connected calendar and appears in your Calendly dashboard. Both you and your invitee receive email confirmations, making it easy to coordinate appointments, meetings, and more.

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Connect your calendar: Sign up for a Calendly account and connect your preferred calendar (Google, Outlook, iCloud, etc.).
2. Set your availability: Define your working hours, breaks, and holidays so Calendly knows when you’re open for meetings.
3. Create event types: Set up templates for different meeting types (one-on-one, group, collective, or round robin).
4. Share your scheduling link: Send your unique Calendly link to invitees or embed it on your website.
5. Invitees book a time: Invitees select a time that works for them from your available slots.
6. Automatic scheduling: The event is added to both your and your invitee’s calendars, and confirmation emails are sent.
7. Manage and customize: Use features like reminders, follow-ups, and integrations to automate communication and streamline your workflow.

Key Notes & Limitations

• Calendly checks your connected calendar(s) for conflicts and only shows available times.
• The Free plan allows one calendar connection and one active event type; paid plans unlock more event types, calendar connections, and advanced features.
• Integrations (Zoom, MS Teams, Slack, HubSpot, PayPal, Stripe, and more) vary by plan.
• Team features (round robin, collective events, routing forms) are available on Teams and higher plans.
• Annual subscriptions offer a 20% discount on paid plans.

Related Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I use Calendly for group events?

A: Yes, group event types are available on Standard plans and above.

Q: Does the Free plan include video conferencing integrations?

A: Yes, you can connect to Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams on the Free plan.

Q: How does Calendly handle team scheduling?

A: Teams can use round robin and collective event types to distribute meetings among members or require all assigned members to be available.

Q: What are routing forms?

A: Routing forms collect information from invitees and automatically direct them to the right scheduling page or team member based on their responses.

Links & Resources

• Get to know Calendly (Help Center)
• Event types overview (Help Center)
• Choose the right Calendly plan for your team (Help Center)
• Using Calendly with a team (Help Center)
• Calendly Community: How does Calendly work?