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Microsoft Bookings is an online scheduling and appointment management tool that is part of the Microsoft 365 suite. Microsoft Bookings helps save time and increase automation in day-to-day tasks. It provides a way for current Mississippi State University faculty, staff and students to easily automate scheduling—in person, online, one-to-one, and one-to-many—for appointments, meetings, office hours, events, and more. It integrates with Microsoft 365 calendars and offers a customizable webpage for appointment scheduling.
There are two types of Bookings:
- Personal Bookings is how you manage your own appointment time slots. It allows you to easily configure and share your availability with your students, administrators, or colleagues.
- Shared Bookings allows you to invite your team members and create booking pages to let your customers book time with you and your team.
Here is a more detailed look at how Microsoft Bookings can be used:
1. Simplifying Scheduling:
- Faculty-Student Appointments: Faculty can set up Bookings pages for office hours, allowing students to schedule one-on-one meetings for thesis discussions, feedback, or general inquiries.
- Departmental Scheduling: Bookings can be used to manage calendars for entire departments, allowing students to book appointments with advisors or enabling staff to schedule inter-office meetings.
- Group Appointments: Shared Bookings allows for the creation of group appointments, which can be useful for projects, meetings, or other events where multiple attendees are expected.
- Event Scheduling: Bookings can be used to schedule and manage events like pre-admission events, student organization events, campus tours, or departmental events.
2. Key Features and Benefits:
- Integration with Outlook Calendar: Bookings integrates with Microsoft Outlook calendars, ensuring that availability is reflected in real-time and preventing double-bookings. Users of other calendaring tools will not be able to take advantage of syncing features which allows Bookings to prevent appointment conflicts with an individual calendar.
- Customizable Booking Page: Bookings provides a customizable webpage where users can view availability and book appointments 24/7.
- Microsoft Teams Integration: Bookings can be integrated with Microsoft Teams to facilitate online meetings and virtual appointments.
- Mobile Apps: Bookings offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android, allowing users to manage their schedules on the go.
- Customer Notifications: Bookings sends automated email confirmations and reminders to both the user and the appointment creator.
3. Specific Use Cases:
- Office Hours: Faculty can use Bookings to manage their office hours, allowing students to book specific time slots for consultations.
- Advising Appointments: Academic advisors can utilize Bookings to schedule appointments with students for course selection, degree planning, and other advising needs.
- Tutoring Services: Tutoring centers can use Bookings to allow students to schedule tutoring sessions with available tutors.
- IT Support: IT support staff can use Bookings to schedule appointments for software demonstrations, troubleshooting, or other support services.
- Accessibility Services: Accessibility services can use Bookings to schedule appointments for students who require accommodations or support.
- Pre-Admission Events: Universities can use Bookings to schedule meetings with prospective students, providing information about programs and campus life.
- Team/Group Meetings: Bookings can be used to schedule team meetings for group projects, allowing students to find a time that works for everyone.
Getting Started
This ITS article, Microsoft Bookings, offers a great overview for getting started with Microsoft Bookings.
Access Microsoft Bookings through the M365.msstate.edu portal.
Check out Microsoft's step-by-step article to get started with your Bookings site. The following help articles will guide you through some of the tool’s key features:
Bookings Webinar Video
Simplify Scheduling with Microsoft Bookings Webinar (09.25.2025) (49.54 minutes)
Simplify Scheduling with Microsoft Bookings Webinar PowerPoint (09.25.2025)
Additional Training Resources