Issue/Question
- Why isn't Bookings able to read my availability in Outlook?
- Why won't my Outlook calendar sync with Bookings?
Environment
- Oregon State University
- OSU Employee
- MS Bookings
Explanation
Sometimes an employee's Outlook calendar sharing settings are not set-up to allow for Bookings to read their availability, resulting in the error: "This staff member's calendar can't be synced."
Resolutions; Check out our solutions below for your specific error.
The staff member needs to change their calendar permissions
In order for Bookings to properly sync with your staff members' calendars, each staff member needs to share their calendar. You'll need to share these instructions with your staff so that they can share their own calendar.
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Sign in to Microsoft 365, and then select Outlook from the app launcher.
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Click on the Calendar icon on the bottom left of your screen
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At the top of the page, select Share > Calendar.
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In the People inside your organization section, select the drop-down box next to My Organization, and then select Can view when I'm busy. This will let others in the organization and Bookings know when you are free or busy. But it doesn't include any other information, such as what type appointment you have scheduled, who it is with, and the location. That information remains private.
Tip: Select Done when you've made the change. (Done is at the top of the page.)
We can't find that staff member in our organization
If an employee has left your company and you removed them from Microsoft 365, you still need to remove that user from Bookings so they won't show up in the calendar and to stop customers from creating appointments with them. If you have multiple booking calendars, you need to remove this user from all of your calendars. *If the employee is an active OSU Employee and this is the error Bookings is displaying, try the steps above.
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Sign in to Microsoft 365, and then go to Bookings > Staff.
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Hover your mouse cursor over the staff member's name. You'll notice that there is now an edit and delete icon to the right of the Phone column.
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Select the Delete (waste bin) icon.
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In the confirmation box, select OK.
Tip: If you have more than one Booking calendar, you'll need to remove the user from all of them. To check if you have more than one calendar, in the left menu, select the drop-down arrow next to your company name, and then select Open. If you only have one calendar, then you'll just see the option to add a booking calendar. This example shows that I've got a second calendar named Contoso CO.
There's a syncing error we can't identify
This is known as a "transient error" and probably happened because of a poor or hiccupping internet connection. These problems usually resolve themselves after a few minutes. If you still get this error or are seeing it often, please contact support and we will help you fix it.
If you don't know how to contact support, ask the person in your organization who manages your Microsoft 365 to contact support for this issue.
Microsoft Troubleshooting Article (Main Source)
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot-this-staff-member-s-calendar-can-t-be-synced-4a016269-ff27-4f12-9825-7101128e8124?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us
Additional Microsoft Resource
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/ms-bookings-is-not-syncing-a-specific-office-365/4ee4f187-086e-461a-b372-0ef20acabd05
For assistance, contact the Service Desk.