Recurring availability
Is defined on a weekly basis so that you can create a weekly pattern that repeats every week. Recurring availability defines the typical times in which you can meet.
Quick facts
- Recurring availability is defined on a weekly template without dates
- You will not see your connected calendar as it is only a weekly pattern without dates
- Recurring availability will always be overridden by Date-specific availability
- You can always change the number of hours in the grid by clicking the +More link
- Since recurring availability shows when you are typically available, it requires very little maintenance
Date-specific
Date-specific availability is defined for specific days so that you can specify your availability for each calendar day. If you used recurring availability it will serve as a basis for your date-specific availability. Any changes you make in date-specific will apply to the edited days only and will always override your recurring availability on those dates.
Quick facts
- Date-specific availability is defined for each calendar day
- It always overrides recurring availability
- If you have recurring availability, any date-specific changes that you make apply to the edited dates only and do not affect the recurring weekly pattern
- You can always change the number of hours in the grid by clicking the +More link
- Since date specific requires you to specify your availability for each specific day, it requires more maintenance than recurring availability.
There are three ways in which you can use inbound availability:
- Use recurring only: If your availability pattern is pretty consistent from week to week you may not need to add date-specific exceptions. This is especially true if your calendar is connected and you use busy times to block out your availability. Learn more about busy time behavior.
- Use date-specific only: If you use ScheduleOnce for activity scheduling or if your availability pattern is highly variable from week to week it may be best to use date-specific only. This is the most accurate method but it requires more maintenance. Using date-specific only can also be a good solution if your calendar is not connected and busy times cannot block out your availability.
- Use recurring and add date-specific exceptions: You use recurring to define the general times in which you are available and use date-specific to add exceptions that override recurring availability on specific dates. For example, you were on vacation on a certain week and the week after you wanted to make up for it by making yourself available until late in the evening.
Connected calendars
If your calendar is not yet connected you will be prompted to connect it. Once connected, you will see all your calendars and will be able to select the relevant ones. If you edit your Date-specific availability you will be able to see any busy time on the date-specific calendar grid. See the understanding busy time behavior article to learn more about calendar connection.