If you run a business, calendars play a pivotal role in your daily operations. We use calendars every day to schedule meetings with colleagues, clients, and vendors alike. Additionally, whether you run an airline, a hair salon, or a tax accounting firm, chances are you are familiar with Microsoft Teams. With 270 million active users every month, Teams is the preferred collaboration and communication platform for your business¹. In addition to text chat, video conferencing, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling capabilities, Teams offers a shared calendar functionality so you and your teammates can schedule meetings and other business events within the Teams app².
(Image courtesy of https://office365itpros.com/2019/08/26/teams-new-calendar-app/)
While the built-in Teams calendar lets you specify event details and add other members so they too can add events to their synced calendars, it does not show every Outlook calendar you have³. Also, keep in mind that by default, your Google and other non-Microsoft calendars will not appear, either³. Since the built-in MS Teams calendar only shows your default Outlook calendar, your non-default calendars - including those you create manually and the ones you import via URL - will not sync to your Teams calendar³. Further compounding the matter, you may notice that although your default calendar may show you are free at a given time, a different one may show you are busy at the same time³. You therefore need a solution that lets you sync your calendars with Teams for streamlined and predictably awesome scheduling.
Fortunately, we are here to help. In this article, we will explain how to sync your Google, Outlook, and other calendars with MS Teams so you can schedule meetings, conferences, and other business events without conflict and keep your entire team on the same page.
CalendarBridge offers a handy synchronization tool so you can ensure that your non-default Outlook, Google, and other calendars appear in MS Teams alongside the built-in one³. After setting up the sync connection, you will be able to see all your calendars in Teams within a few minutes, eliminating the hassles of scheduling conflicts and checking several different calendars to confirm your availability - or lack thereof - for a particular meeting³. Even if you do not utilize the CalendarBridge sync tool, syncing your calendars with MS Teams is quick and easy. Follow these simple instructions and you will be on your way to hassle-free business scheduling.
Start by opening your preferred calendar, such as Google or Outlook, in the web browser of your choice. Next, hover your mouse cursor over a calendar name until three dots appear². Once you see these three dots to the right of your chosen calendar’s name, click them to open the menu². Then, in this menu, click “Settings”. After selecting “Settings,” click on the web address under “Public URL to this calendar” and then press Ctrl + V to copy it to your clipboard². Once you have done so, open MS Teams and navigate to a chat or group in which you wish to post this calendar (such as “Marketing Team” or “Finance Team”)². Next, move your cursor to the top of the screen and click the “+” symbol. Then, click “Website” ². After clicking “Website,” paste your calendar into the URL field². Finally, click “Save,” and your calendar is now synced with the default Teams calendar². Everyone on your team can view this synced calendar, making it easy for you to schedule predictably awesome business meetings³.
Once you have synchronized your Outlook and Google calendars to your default Teams calendar, it and the Teams Scheduling Assistant will always reflect your true, up-to-the-minute availability³. No longer must you endure the frustration of toggling between Teams and your external calendars several times daily, or find yourself double-booked on the MS Teams Scheduling Assistant³. In summary, syncing all your calendars with Teams helps you streamline the scheduling process so you can make booking appointments and organizing meetings a breeze for everyone in your organization.
Navitend can help you. Call 973.448.0070 or setup an appointment today.
Sources:
¹Business of Apps. “Microsoft Teams Revenue and Usage Statistics (2022)” by David Curry. Retrieved from https://www.businessofapps.com/data/microsoft-teams-statistics/.
²Lifewire. “How to Use a Microsoft Teams Calendar by Brad Stephenson.” Retrieved from https://www.lifewire.com/use-a-microsoft-teams-calendar-4842577#toc-how-to-share-another-calendar-in-microsoft-teams.
³CalendarBridge. “How to Sync All Your Calendars to Microsoft Teams.” Retrieved from https://help.calendarbridge.com/calendar-management-blog/how-to-sync-all-your-calendars-to-microsoft-teams/.
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