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jennacopywrites
Community Member

Is there a way to schedule a meeting with a client for *a certain time*? (No client click)

I haven't used Upwork's built-in meeting feature yet... (kinda new to Upwork)

A client asked to meet at a certain time (which works for me). I tried to schedule the meeting/create a link for that date/time, but at first it popped the "choose a time" thing in the message to the client. (Kinda embarrassing after I said the time works and that I'll arrange the meeting...)

I tried to click the "pick a time"-link and then it then said "You're about to schedule a meeting with yourself. Do you want to continue?" (🙄...). I selected the time the client and I had agreed on (adding my own availability for exactly that window first) and scheduled the meeting.. It then popped the time+date (with cancel/reschedule/etc options) into the chat with the client...

 

First question – do they see this message ("XYZfreelancer booked a meeting with XYZfreelancer")? Meaning would they be able to join that meeting ("with myself") at that time?!

Second question – is there a way to simply create/schedule a meeting for a specific time with the client?! They already said which time works; I just want to schedule the meeting for us at that time! (So the client doesn't have to go in and pick the time again... seems redundant and prone to errors.)

 

Would appreciate any timely advice! Many thanks in advance!

16 REPLIES 16
williamtcooper
Community Member

Hey Jenna, I always tell the Client that the Upwork Zoom link will appear in the messages a few minutes before the agreed time. Then I turn Upwork Zoom on at that time for everyone to click on. Thanks and have a great day!

Thank you! I hadn't used this feature at all yet, and I feel Upwork should simply explain this somewhere. I had no idea how it worked and felt very confused/frustrated (that I couldn't lead the process and simply tell the client everything is set)! This is not explained well enough from Upwork's side at all I think. (Also, the client asked for a phone number to call in etc etc. which again, how would I know this is how it works if it's not written anywhere!?).

Well, I guess I know now! 🙂 Again, thanks for clarifying as well!

Also, this link will only appear if the client picks the meeting time, correct? (I mean again, it kinda worked when I scheduled a meeting "with myself" lol, but it shouldn't be this complicated/confusing.)

It doesn't have to be complicated. I just ask my clients what time would be good for them, and then at the allotted time, I click on the phone icon and a Zoom link appears on the message board. I don't see the point in sending a calendar invitation - it only adds extra steps -  but I guess I'm just old.

It's not necessarily complicated, just not explained (by Upwork) enough. It's also not intuitive (esp when not explained how it works lol). Thanks for responding!

25005175
Community Member

IDK about the answer to the first question. The answer to your second question is: not through Upwork's chat room. The best you can do is to tell the client that they will receive a message requesting that they pick a time to meet with you. If you already have a contract with them, and they are comfortable doing so, you can send meeting invites directly to their email using other software, like Outlook.

jennacopywrites
Community Member

Thank you, appreciate your quick answer! (BTW, I found out the answer to my first question as well -- I asked the client right before the meeting if they can see the link/scheduled meeting "with myself" lol, and they said yes!! So, they were able to join and it worked. 🙂

I just don’t think this is very intuitive… there's no meeting software/platform I know that doesn’t have an option to simply schedule a meeting for a certain time (the other party can accept or reject anyway). Weird and kind of a cumbersome extra step here (plus what if the client accidentally picks the wrong time?). But okay...

Again thank you for clarifying!

emon_arafat
Community Member

on clients message you can see scheduling option.

emon_arafat_0-1670022225271.png

 

ezrahz
Community Member

I can relate to Johanna. It's embarrassing when the client already told me what is the best time for the meeting but then I still have to ask him to book a schedule to my calendar.

 

I mean I hope there is an option to not just share my calendar with a client but also schedule a meeting with the client, and not with Myself.

 

I didn't know if the features are changed but I used to schedule a meeting with the client back then. I don't know why it wouldn't let me as of this writing.

 

But again, sharing my calendar with the client and asking him to book a schedule feels awkward when the client already has said a specific time for the meeting.

 

Hope Upwork will add/edit features. 

tlsanders
Community Member

Is there a reason anyone needs to "book a meeting" when you've both already agreed on the time and that you'll be connecting via Zoom in the messaging platform?

Calendar and email reminders.

I still find it quicker and easier to simply write things down on a notepad, and it only irritates me having to respond to electronic invitations and get reminders. I'm absolutely drowning in unnecessary notifications as it is. 

AveryO
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Ezra, 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this feature! The meeting scheduling tool is for users who want to invite the other party to schedule a meeting with them. In this case, the client can click on the "Schedule a meeting" link on their end, and you will have the option to choose a schedule, as shown here.

On the screen grab I shared, Valeria is the client and has invited me to schedule a meeting with her. However, if I (the freelancer) invited Valeria to a meeting, it would show that I was inviting her to set an appointment with me. 

The feature has stayed the same and works as designed. You may read more about it here. I can see how being able to set a schedule with the other party (instead of inviting the other user to set a schedule/meeting with you) would be helpful to some users, and I will share this as feedback with the team. 


~ Avery
Upwork
ezrahz
Community Member

Thanks, Avery. This wouldn't be so complicated actually. However, a potential client of mine is too busy that he rarely opens his Upwork account to have a chat with me. So he instead told me the best time for the meeting and expects me to book an appointment so it will show on his calendar. I believe he will receive an email if the meeting is scheduled and that's what he's expecting. Anyway, thanks for showing support.

34037980
Community Member

I would like to echo Chanel C's sentiments below. The current feature is very frustrating to use as a hiring manager. I want to determine a time and then send a meeting link. I understand the TOS of Upwork, and want to respect that, but the current system is horrible. I would much rather just send a meeting link via my calendar as use Zoom or Google Meets. I do not want to customize my availability every time I speak to a contractor, and my availability varies based on the contractor's location. I should be able to send a meeting invite that bypasses Upwork's "find a time" function. For instance, I want a meeting tomorrow for one project, and any time in the next two weeks for another. I want to set different availability for some projects, as they are lower priority. 

Or simply, I know when I want to meet with one contractor, and have no way to just send them a specific time, without limiting the times that another contractor can book a meeting. 

674bbe3f
Community Member

From a client point of view, this feature makes no sense whatsover. Here's what I need to do:
1. Chat with the other person to figure out a mutually agreeable time.
2. Send a meeting request to their email so it is in on BOTH OF OUR CALENDARS.

3. Be able to use a real zoom account that has all the features, not the pared-down Upwork version.

4. Be able to update the meeting request if anything changes.

The current functionality makes no sense: After step 1, instead of just sending a meeting invite as a normal interaction would go, I now have to:
2. send them a link
3. wait for them to click on it and choose the right time
4. hope that no one else schedules that same slot on my calendar
5. if for some reason someone does schedule the same slot, Upwork AUTOMATICALLY CANCELS THE MEETING in Upwork, leading to:
6. a message from the other person stating "why was this meeting canceled??!?!?"

7. a message from me stating "I didn't cancel it..."
8. Me having to go through the entire process again and again and again. Very frustrating.

For work with business and professional people, having the ability to send a meeting invite to secure a spot on someone's calendar is ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONALITY. Business people are busy and they live and die by their calendars. If we cannot schedule, then we are just enticing people to break the Upwork Terms of Service and simply email the person with a real calendar request anyway. 

Please have some of your UX people sit down and watch real people try to use this functionality. It will be eye-opening. Fix it now.

 

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