Meetings come in all shapes and sizes, from one-on-one meetings between employees and their manager, entrepreneurs and their customers and more, to large group meetings between departments, company all-hands, to fundraisers and beyond.
Doodle has a scheduling solution for any meeting. Think of Doodle as a toolbox that is filled with every tool you need to quickly and easily schedule any kind of meeting. As always, knowing which tool to reach for in your toolbox is essential for getting the job done right on the first try, and that is exactly what we will breakdown in this article.
Scheduling group meetings
If you are scheduling an event that will involve a group of people coming together, you will want to use Group Poll or Sign-up Sheet.
What is Group Poll?
Group Poll is Doodle’s most popular scheduling feature. With Group Poll, meeting organizers propose a series of dates and times to bring a group of people together for a meeting. The poll participants let the meeting organizer know which dates and times work best for them, and the organizer uses the poll responses to book the best date and time for the meeting.
If you want to create a group poll, ask yourself:
Will the meeting or event be attended by more than two people?
Am I planning a meeting or event that will meet on a specific date and time?
Do I need to make sure the date and time chosen for the meeting works well for as many people as possible?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, then Group Poll is the best option for scheduling this kind of meeting.
Click here to learn how to create a group poll, or watch our comprehensive tutorial in the video below:
What is Sign-up Sheet?
Sign-up Sheet is a new feature that is currently in beta. With Sign-up Sheet, event organizers offer their target audience the opportunity to enroll in one or more sessions. The Sign-up Sheet participants will review the array of sessions and enroll in the ones that interest them. The event organizer assigns the date, time, location, and capacity for each session, ensuring that nothing is overbooked and everyone knows exactly when and where to arrive.
If you want to create a Sign-up Sheet, ask yourself:
Am I planning a meeting or event for which I need to collect enrollment?
Are the sessions dates and times already set?
Do I want my participants to enroll in their choice of session(s) right away?
Do I need to make sure that each session is not over-enrolled?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all four of these questions, then Sign-up Sheet is the best option for managing these kinds of events.
Scheduling one-on-one meetings
If you are scheduling a meeting between yourself and one other person, you will want to use Booking Page or 1:1.
What is Booking Page?
Doodle’s Booking Page is our most advanced scheduling feature. With Booking Page, Doodle scans your connected calendar for availability based on the rules you set. This ensures that any meeting booked with Booking Page does not conflict with anything on your calendar, and fully automates your meeting scheduling so that you can save time and focus on what matters most.
If you want to create a booking page, ask yourself:
Am I planning a meeting between myself and one other person?
Am I scheduling a frequent or recurring meeting (i.e. first consultations, regular appointments, etc.)?
I am flexible with when I meet - as long as it does not conflict with something else I have already scheduled?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, then Booking Page is the best option for scheduling this kind of meeting.
Click here to learn how to create a booking page, or watch our comprehensive tutorial in the video below:
What is 1:1?
Doodle’s 1:1 is perfect for scheduling meetings in which you need to meet with one other person. The architecture of Doodle 1:1 is very similar to Group Poll. You select the times you know will work well for you, and the participant selects the individual time from that list that works best for them.
If you want to create a 1:1, ask yourself:
Am I planning a meeting between myself and one other person?
Will this be a non-recurring meeting (i.e. a final interview)?
Do I need to retain complete control over which dates and times are offered?
If you answered ‘yes’ to all three of these questions, then 1:1 is the best option for scheduling this kind of meeting.
Click here to learn how to create a 1:1, or watch our comprehensive tutorial in the video below:
Next steps
Whether you create a group poll, 1:1, booking page, or sign-up sheet, you will need to share your invite link with your audience. To share your invite link, please follow these simple steps:
Click ‘Share invite’
Distribute the link as you see fit
When you click 'Share invite', the link to your group poll is copied to your computer's system clipboard. You can right click and choose 'Paste' or use CRTL+V (Windows) or Command+V (Mac) to copy the link into an email or other destination, such as Slack, WhatsApp, or Microsoft Teams.
Once you share the link, you can manage any event you schedule with Doodle from your dashboard.
For more information on how to use Group Poll, 1:1, Booking Page, and Sign-up Sheet, please feel free to deep dive into our comprehensive help article library!