From the invite-only tennis meet to the tetris show, we're all familiar with the daily grunt of planning. But it's time to ask: can we turn time-consuming tasks into a way to save time? The technology is there. Much of the issue remains the shared label that will allow everyone to align and plan as efficiently as possible. Questions like: is it possible to send someone an open link to her calendar so they can choose their own dates? How many slots should you offer someone? etc About the Author Adam Bird is Co-Founder and CEO of Cronofy After years of working on planning with some of the most respected brands in the world, we felt it was time to formalize the planning label to make life easier for everyone. Therefore, these are our "planning rules". Read them, live them, share them and let's make the world of planning better.
Planning should be done with one click and not through endless email
Imagine if online stores forced you to discuss every detail over email. It would drive you crazy. Instead, just click a button and it will do the work for you. No one wants to send dates and times manually. Before you know it, you're down to five emails and nothing is still working. Instead, it's easy to send your guest an email that allows them to automatically choose and confirm the time and date they can do. However, not all one-click links are created equal. In some cases, they expose your calendar indefinitely. So if you tweet this URL to a client, be prepared that anyone in the world can book into your schedule whenever they want, with whatever details they want. A nightmare for customer service.
Don't make your guests work
Perhaps the biggest planning mistake is sending someone a totally generic link that doesn't even include your details. It is 100% impersonal, with 0% effort on your part. It doesn't sound thoughtful, so a great way to show you care is to personalize it with your details. Without it, it immediately gives a first impression that they're not important enough that you can take a second to personalize it. Yes, it should be quick and easy for you. But make sure you don't just give them the effort. Use a tool where you can fill in all the details on your side that you might already know. This gives them time to choose. Remember that you are also a guest on their calendar. If someone adds a meeting called "Call Adam" to my schedule, it's not immediately clear when I review my day. Be explicit about the participants or the purpose of the meeting, for example, "Call: Max <> Adam." Your guest should instantly grasp the context during the first scan.
Offer five to six options
Sometimes it's a numbers game. If you can, try to spread out your meeting options to at least two different times on three different days. This is the best way to cover most of the week and get meetings started on the first try. And don't forget the time zones... Streaming in the morning and in the afternoon will also maximize your chances. This is especially true in a world where work from home is on the rise, where people are juggling other responsibilities alongside their regular workday.
Give your guests your full attention
You can't control the other person's calendar, but you can make sure you can fully concentrate on the meeting. Make sure you have a buffer period on each side of your meetings. It allows you to prepare well, read any material, familiarize yourself with the agenda and the context of the meeting. It also means you don't have that rushed conclusion at the end. If the meeting is going well or there is more to discuss, having a bit of time for about five minutes to elapse takes the pressure off. You can make sure everything is covered and maybe skip a follow-up meeting to save everyone time. Removing back pressure also puts you in a more enjoyable way. We spend a lot of time on video calls right now, and it's easy to overlook the important human aspect of interactions. Give yourself time to get to know the person you are interacting with.
Reserve less time
When you really sum them up, meetings are usually about two things: sharing information and getting feedback. It is very easy to automatically book in half an hour or an hour without thinking about the cost of time. It's common knowledge that you should calculate the cost of meetings by adding up the billable time of everyone present. To minimize this cost, think about how information sharing tools could be used up front, rather than covering it in the room. Can you use something like Loom to talk about what you want to discuss so everyone starts the meeting on the same page? Can you ask for ideas or questions ahead of time to get an idea of the required schedule rather than making assumptions? Do you even need the meeting? Once again, technology shows the potential to minimize expensive and exhausting meetings and replace them with super-efficient meetings that only cover what they need.
Integrated planning
Finally, if you're building tools that require planning, they should be built right in. You should not force users to access a calendar application and then return to selected times. If it can be automated, it should be. Native planning in this way is the holy grail of customer experience: faster, better, and easier. Good planning is almost invisible in most areas, then extremely visible and impressive in the care you show your guest. It is an opportunity to enter into professional relationships with a sense of ease rather than burden. More importantly, if we can get everyone on the same page about how to get there, it should make life easier for everyone.