how to create a shared booking page for employees to book

Question

I need help editing the share booking link I created to send employees to self schedule for headshot photo session. I want the link to allow bookings for two specific days and times. I created the link but when I test it, it is not appearing how I want. I want employees to open the link and only see the two specific dates with times to book. I want to send the link to employees so they can book in advance for their selected time slot. Please advise

Answer 1

Dear @Crystal Thomas,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft 365 Q&A forum community. I understand you want your employees to see only two specific dates and times for their headshot sessions, rather than your entire general availability. This is a common requirement for special events, and the "silent" culprit is usually the default "General Availability" setting in Microsoft Bookings. 

To ensure your link only shows those two specific days, please follow these steps: 

Step 1: Set the "Availability" for the Service 

Instead of changing your entire calendar, you should apply these rules to the specific Headshot Service you created. 

• Log in to Online Bookings and Appointment Scheduling | Microsoft 365 and select your booking page. 
• Go to Services and click the Edit service (pencil icon) for the Headshot session. 
• Click on Availability options. 
• Under General availability, change the dropdown from "Bookable when staff are free" to Not bookable. This "hides" all regular days. 
• Directly below that, click Set different availability for a date range. 

Step 2: Define Your Two Specific Days 

• Select the first date: Choose your first headshot day. Set the start and end times (e.g., 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM). 
• Select the second date: Click "Add a date range" again and repeat for your second day. 
• Result: Because "General Availability" is set to "Not bookable," the calendar will now only highlight your two chosen dates. 

Step 3: Adjust Staff Availability 

Even if the service is set correctly, Bookings checks the assigned staff's Outlook calendar. 

• In the same Edit service window, go to Assign staff. 

• Ensure the assigned photographer/staff member has those two days marked as "Free" in their actual Outlook calendar. If they have a "Busy" appointment during those times, those slots will disappear from the booking link. 

Step 4: Refresh and Test the Link 

• Go to the Booking page tab in the left menu. 
• Click Save and Publish. 
• Open your booking link in an Incognito/InPrivate browser window to see exactly what your employees will see. 

For a deep dive into date-specific scheduling, you can refer to the official guide: Set Bookings scheduling policies | Microsoft Learn 

Following these steps will ensure your employees aren't overwhelmed by options and can only pick the slots you've designated. I hope this clarifies the current situation. Please let me know if you have any further questions.  

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Answer 2

To create a shared booking page in Microsoft Bookings that allows employees to book only for specific days and times, you will need to customize the availability settings for the services you offer. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Set Up Your Booking Page: Navigate to the Bookings app in Microsoft 365 and select your existing booking page or create a new one.
2. Add a Service: Ensure you have a service set up for the headshot photo session. You can add this under the Services tab.
3. Customize Availability: When setting up the service:
   • Go to the Availability section for that service.
   • Here, you can specify the exact dates and times that employees can book. Set the availability to only include the two specific days and times you want.
4. Publish the Booking Page: Once you have configured the service with the desired availability, make sure to publish the booking page so it is live for employees to access.
5. Share the Link: After publishing, you can copy the link to your booking page and share it with your employees via email or other communication methods.

By following these steps, employees will only see the specific dates and times you have set for booking their headshot sessions.

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References:

• Set up your shared booking page in Microsoft Bookings
• Customize and publish your booking page