“When are you free?” is the most expensive question in business email. It sets off a back-and-forth that can last days for a half-hour meeting, and every exchange gives the meeting another chance never to happen. Here are 5 tips to schedule a meeting by email in a single exchange.
Offer specific time slots instead of an open question
An open question forces the other person to check their calendar, choose and write a reply. Specific slots only ask them to pick one. Offer two or three options spread across different days and times (one morning, one afternoon), with the expected length. The easier the reply, the faster it comes.
Hi [First name],
To catch up on [topic], I’d suggest a 30-minute call. Three options:
- Tuesday 14th at 10:00
- Wednesday 15th at 2:30 pm
- Thursday 16th at 9:00
Whichever works for you works for me. I’ll send the invite as soon as you reply.
Check your calendar before sending
Offering a slot and then discovering it is already taken means starting over, and it looks disorganized. Open your calendar while you write and tentatively block the slots you offer until you hear back. If you are waiting on several replies at once, that hold prevents you from giving the same time to two people.
State the time zone and the format
With contacts abroad, a time without a time zone is a classic source of mistakes. Spell it out (“10:00 London time”). Specify the format too: video call, phone or in person, and in that case the address. A complete invitation avoids the last-minute clarification email, which often costs more than the meeting itself.
Use a booking page for frequent requests
If you schedule several meetings a week, a booking page saves a lot of time. Google Calendar offers appointment schedules, and Outlook offers Bookings with me: the other person picks a free slot themselves, and the event lands in both calendars. Keep this link for contacts who are comfortable with the format. For an important prospect or an unhappy customer, personally offered slots remain more considerate.
Confirm right away and send the invite
As soon as the other person picks a slot, send the calendar invitation with the meeting link or address and a one- or two-line agenda. A fast confirmation locks in the commitment, and the invite doubles as a reminder. A short reminder the day before helps limit no-shows, especially for a first meeting.
When you receive a lot of meeting requests, Scribarius prepares the reply for you: it connects to Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar and suggests real free slots in the reply draft, which you just review and send. For what comes next, read 5 tips for a meeting follow-up email that sticks.
Tags
