In the world of room scheduling, recurring meetings are the biggest culprits of no-show meetings. If you're ready to wield the power, follow this guide on how to create recurring meetings in Robin.
Note
As of November 2018, full recurrence add/edit support is available for Google & Microsoft calendars. Users can create a recurring event and edit/delete an instance or the entire series in Robin.
Robin will check the availability of the next 15 instances before allowing you to book the space, and then we’ll enforce that event series for the next year (if there is not a specified end date). Meaning folks cannot book over your event and we will keep you clear of conflict.
Keep in mind, if there is a conflict after the 15th instance then the resource calendar will decline the invite for that instance.
Recurring events on web dashboard
1. From the event composer, select the box next to Repeat.
This populates a menu where you can configure how often the event should repeat; daily, weekly, MWF, monthly, etc. See the example below-- you'll notice the event is set to repeat on a weekly basis for 10 occurrences on every Thursday at 12pm.
2. Robin will detect a space's availability for the first 15 instances and will let you know if there are any conflicts.
If a conflict is detected within that window, the Change button will display a list of alternative spaces that can accommodate the entire event series.
3. When you're done filling out the event details, click Book now.
A few things to keep in mind when looking for space availability for recurring events:
- If the space is not available for the 1st instance, the space will show as unavailable.
- If more than 3 instances within the 15 instance window have conflicts the space will show as unavailable.
Recurring events on Google plugin
Remember, when you book a meeting using the Robin plugin you're actually booking in Google still. Events booked through the plugin have the same behavior as booking via Google Calendar. Therefore, how recurring events are created is based on your Google calendar configurations, not Robin.
When creating a recurring event, the Robin plugin will check for conflicts and communicate which spaces have future conflicts. The actual event creation depends on your organization's Google calendar configurations. In most cases, if you book a space with notable conflicts keep a look out for a room rejection email notification for the conflicting instances in the series. Then you can use the plugin again to go back and add an alternative available space for the rejected instances.
With that said, the Robin plugin works along side the Google calendar to help you find the best space for your event. The Robin plugin notes any future conflicts a space may have within the event series. If you choose a room with future conflicts you can expect to receive an event decline email notification from the room calendar for the dates that have conflicts to avoid double bookings. If this happens to you, use the plugin to go back and add an alternative available space for the rejected instances.
Recurring events on Outlook add-in
Remember, when you book a meeting using the Robin add-in you're actually booking in Outlook still. Events booked through the add-in have the same behavior as booking via Outlook Calendar. Therefore, the ability or inability to book a recurring event is based on your Outlook calendar configurations, not Robin.
When you're creating a recurring event, the Robin add-in will check for conflicts and communicate which spaces have future conflicts. The actual event creation depends on your organization's Outlook configurations. If you book a space with notable conflicts keep a look out for a room rejection email notification for the conflicting instances in the series or potential double bookings.
Recurring events on mobile app
Scheduling a recurring event from the mobile app is very similar to how you create a recurring event in the Robin dashboard via the event composer.
1. To open the mobile event composer, navigate to the schedule view tab > tap the + floating action button.
2. Using the event composer, fill in your event details & then select "more options" > select "repeat" > select how often the event will repeat.
How do I edit or delete a recurring event?
You can edit or delete a single event or the entire event series. Learn how here.
What does a recurring event look like in Robin?
Google and Outlook users will both see the "repeat icon" (captured below) next to a recurring event. In this example, the event occurs every day.
However, Google users will also have the option to view details of a single event within a series using the "Event tab" or view all events within the series using the "Series tab".
What happens if the organizer of a recurring space booking becomes deactivated or deleted?
Robin uses the resource calendars as the source of truth, so any event that the user is an organizer of will exist in Robin until it's removed from the native calendar system, which will then remove it from Robin.
How to disable the recurring event functionality
Recurring events are enabled for organizations by default. Administrators can disable the setting via Manage > Office > Building > Scheduling policies. You can also enable or disable this feature on a per space basis as part of scheduling policies.