Using Bookings to Streamline Scheduling

Microsoft Bookings allows you to create online pages where others can schedule appointments within specified date and time ranges. These appointments automatically appear in your connected Outlook calendar.

Accessing Bookings

You can access Bookings through M365 by clicking the app launcher (the "waffle" icon at the top-left) and selecting Bookings under All Apps.

Your Personal Bookings Page

Even if you've never created a Bookings page before, you can set up a personal page to allow others to schedule time with you.

1. Navigate to the Bookings app.

2. Click Create meeting type on the left sidebar.

3. Configure the meeting options:

   • Title: Name of the meeting type.

   • Category: Optional categorization.

   • Description: Details about the meeting.

   • Location: Specify a physical location or choose to add a Teams meeting.

   • Duration: Set the length of the meeting.

   • Privacy: Determine who can see the booking details.

   • Availability: Choose to use your existing Outlook calendar settings or set custom availability.

Note: By default, a Microsoft Teams meeting is automatically created for each booking. You can disable this by toggling off the Teams meeting option in the Location field.

Creating a Shared Bookings Page

In addition to your personal page, you can create shared Bookings pages for specific purposes or projects.

1. Click Create booking page, then select Create from scratch.

2. In the Business name field, enter a unique name for your booking page (e.g., "Service Desk Consultation" or "Office Hours"). Avoid using "Stonehill College" to prevent conflicts.

   Important: Each booking page creates an associated Stonehill email address. To avoid conflicts with existing addresses, include your full name in the business name (e.g., "Ned Stark - Advising").

3. Optionally, add a logo and select a business type.

4. Set your business hours for the page. This defines the overall availability range.

5. Add staff members if others will be bookable via this page or will help manage it.

6. Create the services you want to offer on this booking page. For a single-purpose page, you might only need one service.

7. Choose who can access this page and click Create.

8. After creation, you'll receive an email with a link to your Bookings app, where you can manage all your pages.

Managing Your Page

To manage your Bookings page:

1. Access Bookings through M365 and select the page you want to manage.

2. Use the left-hand menu to navigate:

   • Calendar: View appointments booked via your page.

   • Booking page: Customize the public-facing page.

   • Staff: Manage staff members associated with the page.

   • Services: Add, remove, or edit services offered.

   • Business information: Update details about the booking page.

For more information, refer to Microsoft's support page.