If you need a Shared Calendar Apps for your business, consider these helpful solutions.
- A shared calendar software should provide simple scheduling and collaboration capabilities, sharing options, auto-sync, and cross-platform capability. It should also be user-friendly.
- Asana, Calendly, Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Teamup, iCloud, and Thunderbird are all top-notch applications for shared calendars.
- Shared calendars may facilitate communication, promote transparency, simplify task management, and enhance work-life balance for your team.
- This post is for managers and owners of small businesses who are seeking for apps for shared calendars.
Technology that increases efficiency, enhances organization, and encourages teamwork is continuously sought after by business owners. Calendar applications are a great technological advancement that may improve teamwork and coordination. Although calendars are frequently incorporated into computers and smartphones, third-party calendar applications offer expanded capabilities that make task management, automation, scheduling, and other tasks easier. We’ll list the qualities to look for in a calendar app and showcase seven top choices.
Also read: 6 Tips for Creating a Great Business Marketing Plan
What features should you look for in a shared calendar app?
Consider the following aspects when evaluating shared business calendar applications:
Ease of use.
Apps for shared calendars have to be simple to use, intuitive, and require little upkeep. They should also simplify and streamline the collaborative process.
Simple scheduling tools.
Scheduling should be simple because a shared calendar’s main purpose is to keep everyone’s calendars organized. For instance, seek for features that enable you to quickly view your coworkers’ schedules. Customization options, the availability of numerous calendars, and time- and location-based reminders are further useful tools.
Collaboration and sharing features.
Make sure your team has access to your calendar, invites to events, and availability. Additionally, you’ll want to work together on shared papers, projects, and events shared within the app.
Automatic syncing.
Auto-syncing is a great way to save time. Any adjustments to the shared calendar should ideally sync with both your account and the accounts of all parties involved. Numerous calendar applications provide automated syncing and app integration.
Cross-platform availability.
Cross-platform compatibility is a major bonus because not everyone uses the same platform. It does away with the necessity for many platforms’ worth of apps while keeping everybody informed regardless of the device they use.
7 best shared calendar apps
Consider these seven possibilities if you need a calendar tool that your entire team can utilize. These applications are all recommended highly by business owners in various sectors since they all offer useful features.
Asana
Asana is a collaborative project and task management tool that goes beyond a shared calendar. The Timeline tool monitors changes as you go and displays all project parts and how they fit together. Asana offers more than 100 connectors in addition to a mobile app. Both a free plan and premium options with more features are available.
Asana is more than simply a calendar, A designer, developer, and digital marketer at Mazepress named David Alexander described it as an enterprise resource planner with a shared calendar feature and other collaboration capabilities we need. One advantage of this strategy is that task management, communication, and reporting tools are all included inside a single interface. In plain terms, it’s one of the instruments. Without it, I couldn’t survive.
Calendly
A tool for automated scheduling called Calendly uses your calendar to automatically verify your availability. Scheduling meetings without exchanging countless emails is beneficial. Buffer time between meetings, time zone identification, and connectivity with programmes like Salesforce and GoTo Meeting are additional capabilities. [Read our reviews of Salesforce and GoTo Meeting to learn more about these products.]
I employ Calendly. As a fractional diversity marketing consultant, Michelle Ngome remarked, “I prefer to schedule my podcast interviews. Both a free and premium version are available. One category may be used in the free version; however, several categories may be set up in the premium version. Additionally, you may modify the URL.
Ngome cited Calendly’s ability to sync with Google Calendar as her favourite feature since it enables her to make personal appointments there without having to change her Calendly calendar. Additionally, the software connects with Apple’s iCloud calendar, Outlook, and Office 365.
Google Calendar
An integrated online calendar created for teams is Google Calendar. Gmail, Drive, Contacts, and Meet are just a few of the Google applications that are easily integrated with this calendar. This app is available on phones, tablets, and PCs.
All of my client meetings are scheduled via the Google Calendar app, according to Ana Santos, senior design programme manager at Talkdesk. If we give a video conferencing option to the event, it syncs with Google [Meet], making it useful for video meetings as well.
The ability of Google Calendar to sync your calendar across all devices and browsers while you are in in with your Google account is Santos’ favourite feature.
Microsoft Outlook
One popular personal information manager tool is Microsoft Outlook, which offers email, calendar features, scheduling, task management, and more. You may share your calendar with others if you have an Outlook, Microsoft Exchange, or Office 365 account. Additionally, you may make separate calendars for certain projects and distribute them with your colleagues.
Teamup
For organizations, Teamup offers shared calendars to make planning, scheduling, and communication easier. Companies can select between free and premium plans. In order to determine for yourself whether this software is a suitable fit for your team, Teamup also provides a live demo and a three-day trial.
This application was created especially for groups. The calendars are user-friendly, color-coded, and can be readily and safely shared with other team members through a secure URL.
Ben Taylor, the creator of homeworkingclub.com, said: “I spent months looking for a solid shared calendar to organize activities and holidays for a spread-out team of individuals.” “I ultimately chose Teamup. It allowed me to create a wide variety of event categories, staff members could import their own calendars utilizing ICS feeds into their own software, and it even has an iOS and Android app.
iCloud
iCloud offers more than just storage; it also has a simple calendar that works with all Apple products. Your team can easily arrange meetings, share information, and communicate thanks to the iCloud calendar app. You may quickly examine your daily activities and projects by switching your calendar display to “Today.” It is a popular option since the functionality is simple and is fairly comparable to Google’s calendar.
However, this software does have one drawback: Like the majority of Apple goods, it loses a lot of functionality when used on non-Apple devices. Overall, if every member of your team utilizes Apple gadgets, this calendar software is a terrific choice.
Thunderbird Lightning Calendar
One of the most effective calendar programmes for Linux users is Thunderbird Lightning Calendar, which also works on Windows and Mac. Users may simply switch between the tabs in Thunderbird’s display for their email, calendar, and tasks to keep in touch and organized throughout the day.
The calendar provides a number of views, including an overview of your whole day’s schedule and a search feature with time filters and pre-defined event categories. Email clients SeaMonkey and Thunderbird are smoothly integrated with Lightning Calendar.
Thunderbird Lightning Calendar is a useful all-in-one tool to keep you and your team on track, despite not being the fanciest shared calendar app on the list.
Benefits of using shared calendar apps
The following are a few of the main benefits of utilizing shared calendar apps:
Improved meeting organization.
You can see on your shared calendar view whether team members have responded to invitations to any business meetings. If not, you may follow up to acquire a final response, frequently right from the app. With a larger group, you can present a more cohesive face when meeting with clients, which will make your video conference or in-person meeting go more smoothly.
Transparency.
It might be easier to hold everyone accountable while maintaining limits if you are aware of when your team members are accessible or unavailable. Task-based calendars may remind you of how you’ve split up everyone’s work while also instructing your staff on what and when to work on. So that managers may plan important activities for when they are most likely to be completed, employees might make themselves accessible during their most productive work hours.
Better work-life balance.
When not in the office, employees can indicate themselves as such on the calendar app. This will prevent interaction from you or other workers when they are attempting to preserve a work-life balance.
Task management and delegation.
You’ll know to assign duty to others if you see that a certain employee’s schedule is filled. You’ll know you’ve been using your calendar effectively if everyone’s calendar is full and all tasks have been delegated.
Boost workplace collaboration and time management
Shared calendar applications enhance teamwork and time management throughout your organization. These calendars are typically included with smartphones and email accounts, making it very simple to get started and keep using them. The applications we’ve mentioned above are all terrific choices with fantastic ratings from business executives.