Meetings with clients or outside partners: finding a slot fast

Scheduling an internal meeting is already work; scheduling one with clients, suppliers or partners from other organizations is even more so. You can't see their calendars, they use different tools (Outlook, Google, Teams, Zoom), and every email exchange adds a day of delay. Here's how to quickly find a slot with outside participants while looking professional.

Why shared calendars aren't enough

Internally, your company's calendar tool shows everyone's availability. As soon as someone external is invited, that visibility disappears. Calendar invitations sent blind run into declines and crossed "propose new time" replies. A slot poll, on the other hand, works for everyone regardless of their tools, since all it takes is opening a link.

Offer a few precise slots

With outside participants, clarity is a form of courtesy. Offer four to six specific slots over one to two weeks rather than "anytime next week."

• Mix up the times: early morning, late morning, early afternoon.
• Give runway: the first slot at least three business days after you send the poll.
• Avoid lunchtime unless the meeting is planned around a meal.

Always state the time zone

As soon as participants are in another province or country, the time zone becomes the first source of confusion. Put it in the title or description: All times are Eastern Time (Montréal). For a meeting with Europe, favour Québec mornings, which are their afternoons. For the West Coast, the reverse: early afternoon in Québec.

A description that inspires confidence

The poll is often the first concrete contact with you: treat it like a professional email.

1. A clear title: Kickoff meeting, Project X, Company A and Company B.
2. The goal and length of the meeting.
3. The format: in person (address) or online (link sent with the invitation).
4. The reply-by date.

Kickoff meeting for the portal redesign project (60 min, video on Teams). Goal: confirm scope and timeline. Times are Eastern. Please add your availability by Thursday at noon; the official invitation will follow.

Respect confidentiality

In a shared poll, every participant sees the others' names. That's usually fine, but avoid sensitive information: the code name of a confidential project, a contract amount or client details. Use a tool that doesn't require guests to create an account, so you're not imposing anything on people who aren't your employees.

From poll to official invitation

Once the slot is chosen, close the poll by selecting the final date. Participants can add it to their calendar in one click. Then send the official invitation from your usual tool, with the video link, agenda and pre-reads. Participants already know the time works for them, so there won't be any declines.

Example: Sophie's kickoff meeting

Sophie, a project manager at a services firm, needs to bring together two people from her team, three people at the client in Montréal and a consultant in Vancouver. She offers five one-hour slots, all between noon and 3 p.m. Eastern, so the consultant doesn't have to get up at dawn. Within 36 hours, everyone has answered and a Tuesday at 1 p.m. works for all six. She sends the Teams invitation the same day.

How Accordate helps

Accordate is a slot poll that works for everyone regardless of their calendar tool: your external guests open a link, tick their availability and that's it, with no account. Create your poll or read our tips for hybrid team meetings.