{"id":1755,"date":"2025-03-26T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web-stil.info\/?p=1755"},"modified":"2025-05-02T22:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T22:20:38","slug":"how-to-find-a-meeting-time-that-works-for-everyone-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web-stil.info\/index.php\/2025\/03\/26\/how-to-find-a-meeting-time-that-works-for-everyone-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone [+ Tools]"},"content":{"rendered":"
Last week, I spent nearly two hours trying to schedule a single meeting with team members across three time zones. After countless back-and-forth emails and calendar checks, I finally landed on a time that worked \u2014 only to have someone realize they had a conflict.<\/p>\n
Finding a meeting time that works for everyone is a universal challenge that even the most organized professionals face daily. As someone who coordinates dozens of weekly meetings with prospects, clients, and colleagues, I’ve learned that scheduling can eat up hours of productive time without the right approach \u2014 and the right meeting scheduling tools.<\/p>\n
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll share the exact strategies and tools I use to find a meeting time that works for everyone. Spoiler: I really like HubSpot\u2019s free meeting scheduler<\/a> tool.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n As someone who schedules 5+ meetings per week with clients across multiple time zones, I\u2018ve learned that automated scheduling tools are non-negotiable. After trying nearly every option on the market, I\u2019ve found that meeting scheduling software cuts my coordination time from 15-20 minutes per meeting to just 2-3 minutes.<\/p>\n I personally use HubSpot’s free meeting scheduler<\/a> for most of my meetings. Here’s my exact process:<\/p>\n What I love about this approach:<\/strong> It eliminates the back-and-forth emails completely. Plus, it automatically handles time zone conversions, which saved me from an embarrassing situation last month when I almost scheduled a 3 AM call with a client in Singapore.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> I always customize my booking link settings for different types of meetings. For example, I add buffer time between sales calls to prepare, but keep my internal team meetings back-to-back to maximize efficiency.<\/p>\n I\u2018ll be honest \u2014 I avoided email scheduling until last month when I had to coordinate with a client who preferred direct email communication for their executive team. While I\u2019m a huge advocate for scheduling tools, I’ve learned that some senior executives and VIPs still prefer the personal touch of direct email coordination.<\/p>\n Here’s what I learned works best:<\/strong><\/p>\n Here’s my tested email template below.<\/p>\n Hi [Name],<\/em><\/p>\n I’d love to connect about [specific topic]. Would any of these times work for you?<\/em><\/p>\n Please let me know by end of day Monday which time works best, or if you need additional options.<\/em><\/p>\n Best,<\/em><\/p>\n [Name]<\/em><\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> I always add a calendar reminder to follow up if I don’t hear back within 24 hours. This simple step has increased my response rate by 40%.<\/p>\n What I’ve learned to avoid:<\/strong> Sending more than three options or asking an open-ended \u201cWhen are you free?\u201d These approaches typically double the number of emails needed to finalize a time.<\/p>\n When I\u2018m coordinating meetings with more than three people, I\u2019ve found that polling tools like Doodle<\/a> are a lifesaver. Last quarter, I needed to schedule a quarterly planning session with team members across three departments. Instead of dealing with 15+ reply-all emails, I created a poll that aligned us in under an hour.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how this may look on Doodle:<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n What I’ve found works best:<\/strong><\/p>\n I always block off the proposed times on my calendar while the poll is active. Nothing’s worse than restarting the process because your top-voted time slot is no longer available!<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong><\/p>\n I occasionally manage a remote team across multiple time zones, so I\u2018ve become a power user of Google Calendar\u2019s \u201cFind a Time\u201d feature. This tool has become my secret weapon for internal meetings, saving me hours each month in coordination time. (Psst: More instructions on this later on!)<\/strong><\/p>\n What I love about this method:<\/strong><\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> I\u2018ve found the most success using the “week” view rather than “day” view when scheduling team meetings. It gives me a broader picture of everyone\u2019s availability and helps me spot patterns (like when team members typically block focus time).<\/p>\n Best practices I’ve learned:<\/strong><\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n After struggling to find meeting times that worked for our APAC team members, I’ve become a huge advocate for async video recordings. I estimate this approach saves our team about 10 hours per month in coordination time, while ensuring everyone stays informed.<\/p>\n My async video workflow:<\/strong><\/p>\n What I’ve found most effective:<\/strong><\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
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How to Find a Meeting Time That Works for Everyone<\/h2>\n
1. Use a meeting scheduling tool.<\/h3>\n
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2. Offer some multiple meeting time options via an email thread.<\/h3>\n
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3. Leverage a meeting poll resource.<\/h3>\n
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4. Find common free time on Google Calendar.<\/h3>\n
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5. Record a meeting or async video and send it to stakeholders who couldn’t make it.<\/h3>\n
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