I'm not exactly sure why I was reluctant to use a scheduling tool. Maybe I was nervous about losing control of my calendar. Could a scheduling tool really manage my personal and professional calendars without issue? Would students and parents actually use the link? Would this create more work for me in the long run? This year I took the plunge and began using CollegePlannerPro's Scheduling Tool and was amazed. From short introductory calls to standard 1-hour sessions, the scheduling tool has seamlessly integrated into my IEC practice...AND has saved me hours of meeting coordination and countless emails with clients.
Here's how I've implemented CollegePlannerPro's Scheduling Tool:
1. Connect Your Calendars
To get started, I recommend connecting your external/personal calendar to your CollegePlannerPro calendar. CollegePlannerPro allows you to connect up to 3 external calendars. Once you connect your personal calendar, you will see external events (scheduled on your personal calendars) appear on your CollegePlannerPro calendar. If you use the CollegePlannerPro Scheduling Tool, you'll have the option for the events imported from your external calendars to block your availability.
2. Set up Meeting Types
Think about the types of meetings you'd like to offer students, clients, and prospective families. Some examples of meeting types are: Introductory Call/Overview of Services, New Client Intake Meeting, Parent Session, Standard Student Meeting. As you set up each meeting type you can set up distinct parameters for each, including Event Name, Location (or virtual meeting room link), Description, Days/Times these meetings are offered, Minimum Scheduling Notice, Blackout Dates and more. Once a meeting type is created, you can share the appropriate link with your clients. For example, the link for your Initial Consultation Meeting might be posted on your website or in your email signature for convenience.
3. Set Your Parameters
As mentioned above, you can indicate the days of the week and times each day that your meetings are offered through the scheduling tool. If you have linked your external/personal calendars (in Step 1 above), your availability will be affected by any events on your external calendars. Clients will NOT see the events you have on your calendars but, instead, will only see the slots when you are available. If, for instance, you have a personal appointment at 4:00-5:00pm, your scheduling link will only show available meeting times before and after that window.
You can also determine how far into the future clients can book with you and the buffer of time that you'd like before or after someone can book with you, which eliminates last minute scheduling.
Some IECs choose to have different meeting times available for different types of students. For example, if you're an IEC based on the East Coast and you'd like to offer specific meeting times for your students on the West Coast, you can create a West Coast Student scheduling link. Maybe you offer meetings for 11th grade students only on Wednesdays—you can easily set this up in the system so only students in their junior year can book with you on Wednesdays. It's all customizable!
Now that I've adopted CollegePlannerPro's Scheduling Tool, I've found that I've simplified the meeting coordination process for current students and prospective families. With my scheduling link in my email signature, new clients can easily get onto my calendar which helps save time on email exchanges to align our schedules.
Not a CollegePlannerPro member yet? Schedule a demo or try out the platform with a free trial to explore the ways that our Calendar feature and Scheduling Tool can help you streamline meeting coordination and improve your professional presence.