Microsoft Bookings

Use Cases

Microsoft Bookings offers a variety of practical use cases for academic institutions, streamlining processes and improving efficiency. These use cases include:

Academic advising appointments 

• Advisors can easily schedule meetings with students to discuss degree requirements, course planning, and more.

Career counseling appointments 

• Career centers can seamlessly arrange sessions with students, providing guidance on job opportunities, internships, and professional development.

Guest lecture scheduling

• Professors can utilize the tool to coordinate guest speakers, ensuring clear communication of lecture dates and times.

Research meetings

• Faculty members and research assistants can effortlessly schedule collaborative sessions and project updates.

Equipment reservations

• University departments can manage resource bookings, such as camera and tripod loans, for student projects.

Using Microsoft Bookings for Office Hours

Microsoft Bookings can be employed to schedule and manage open office hours:

1. Sign into Microsoft Bookings using your university Office 365 account. Our short-link is book.ms.
   
   
   

2. Create a new booking page for your office hours.  Fill in your business details, such as your name, title, and department.

   1. You will be prompted to select your business type. Choose the "Education" option.
      
      
      

3. Set up your services by adding an "Office Hours" service. You can customize this service by adding a description and duration (e.g., 30 minutes).  
   
   
   

4. Choose who can schedule appointments, select "People in my Organization" to limit appointments to accounts within Syracuse University's Office 365. 
   
   
   

5. Set up your availability by selecting the days and times you are available for office hours. Recurring appointments can also be set for the entire semester.
   
   
   

6. Publish and share the Bookings calendar link with your students via the course syllabus, class website, or email.

   1. Once published, Bookings pages can be customized by adding a logo image and any other relevant information, such as your office location and contact information.

When a student wants to schedule an appointment, they can simply click on the link to your booking page and select an available time slot. They will be asked to provide their name, email address, and a brief description of their questions or concerns. You will receive a notification when a new appointment is booked, and you can manage your appointments through the Bookings app or via email notifications.

Using Microsoft Bookings for Student Advising

Microsoft Bookings can also be utilized for managing academic advising appointments:

1. Sign into Microsoft Bookings using your university Office 365 account. Our short-link is book.ms.
   
   
   

2. Create a new booking page for your Academic Advising Office, including contact information, hours of operation, and other relevant details.
   
   
   

3. Set the availability of Advisors by selecting the appropriate days and times.
   
   
   

4. Create a service called "Academic Advising" detailing the appointment duration, office location, and any prerequisites for the appointment.
   
   
   

5. Choose who can schedule appointments, select "People in my Organization" to limit appointments to accounts within Syracuse University's Office 365.
   
   
   

6. Publish and share the Bookings calendar link with the university community through your website, email, or other communication channels.

   1. Once published, Bookings pages can be customized by adding a logo image and any other relevant information, such as your office location and contact information.
      
      
      

7. Academic Advisors will receive email notifications for scheduled appointments and can manage them through the Microsoft Bookings dashboard.

When a student wants to schedule an academic advising session, they can click on the link to your booking page and select the service they need. The student will be prompted to provide their name, email address, and a brief description of their needs. They can then select an available time slot that works for them, and Bookings will automatically schedule the appointment and send notifications to both the student and the academic advising staff.

Deleting Bookings Calendars

Bookings calendars are unable to be deleted without IT Admin intervention. User's who would like their calendar to be deleted should set their calendar permissions as "No-Self Service" to prevent appointments from being scheduled. After one year of inactivity, the calendar will be deleted. 

To set your Bookings calendar to "No-Self Service", follow these steps:

1. Sign-in to Microsoft Bookings using your university Office 365 account.

2. Navigate to the Booking page you wish to delete.

3. Click on the "Booking page" tab.

4. Select the "Configure Booking Page" dropdown.

5. Set the permission level to "No-Self Service."

If there is a situation that requires a calendar to be deleted immediately, please contact your IT Admin for further assistance.

Please note that deleting a booking calendar may impact existing appointments and bookings. Inform affected parties in advance and consider archiving appointment and customer data before deleting the booking page if the information may be needed later. Deleting a booking page will permanently erase all associated appointments and customer data.

Getting Help

Faculty and staff are encouraged to seek initial support by contacting their respective academic or administrative support personnel. These dedicated professionals are equipped to provide assistance and guidance for the information discussed above.