How to simplify complex scheduling and make collaboration hassle-free.
If you’re coordinating a calendar with multiple inputs, multiple variables, and multiple people involved, you know about spreadsheets.
You have to create a spreadsheet to gather the information you need from multiple parties, such as volunteers, coaches, or session participants. You then have to transfer that information to a main calendar.
Oh, and be sure to keep the spreadsheet updated! You don’t want to put inaccurate information on the calendar.
The Frustration of Spreadsheets
The spreadsheet-to-calendar method is klunky and frustrating for several reasons.
- It requires a huge amount of time. Copy-and-paste can get quite tedious when you have to do it over and over. If you’re managing multiple inputs, the process of transferring information from spreadsheets to a calendar can take hours.
- It’s not always accurate. Version control can be a problem. If you’re relying on email to get the latest spreadsheet version, you may have issues with multiple people editing at once, creating version chaos. Or your version may be outdated and you don’t realize it.
- It requires manual updates. If the information changes, you have to get the modified information from the spreadsheet and then update the calendar, too.
- It’s not convenient. Spreadsheets are not easily accessible, and working with spreadsheets on mobile devices is a real pain. If you have to edit or update information away from your office, it can be quite difficult.
- It can cause security issues. Spreadsheets do not protect your data. Sending and sharing multiple spreadsheet versions could result in sensitive information — such as contact information, location details, and more — being accessed by unauthorized people.
An Alternative to Spreadsheets
If spreadsheets are such a pain to work with, in a calendar application, why do we keep using them? Usually, it’s because there’s no apparent alternative.
Most calendar services don’t provide an easy way to collect information from multiple sources while maintaining the control and security you need to have over the calendar. You either have to allow full access to the calendar, so people can put their own information in, or you have to collect the information some other way — via spreadsheet, for example — and enter it into the calendar yourself.
Teamup provides a better alternative.
Here’s how:
- You work with color-coded sub-calendars and unique, customized calendar links.
- You create a sub-calendar for each individual or group that needs to submit a schedule or other information to the calendar. You can organize sub-calendars by folders, so you can create individual sub-calendars within a group folder, for example.
- You provide secure calendar access for each individual or group. You can do so with account-based user access, or with customized, shareable calendar links.
- You can customize the calendar access for each individual user, group, and/or shareable link. Choose to allow access to multiple sub-calendars — or all of them — in order to coordinate schedules and avoid double-booking or other scheduling errors. You can prevent them from making changes to calendars by providing read-only permissions.
Real-Life Examples of the Spreadsheet-Free World
Here are some real examples, gathered from our collection of user stories, of how people are using Teamup to manage complex scheduling.
Coaching and Training Sessions
Fitness coaches, instructors, and trainers can use sub-calendars to book their available hours, coordinate events, and schedule group or individual lessons.
“I work for an aquatics company and have created sub-calendars for my swimming lessons instructors to schedule their individual swim lessons. They are loving the ease of the app, too! It has really allowed myself and them to stay organized and more on top of their schedules.” — Brent, U.S.A.
Self-Scheduling for Staff
Organizations with flexible or varied scheduling options can use Teamup to allow staff to schedule their own hours and eliminate hours of work for the schedule coordinator.
“I’m now working in a hospital and in charge of the schedule. I’d like it to be self scheduled and flexible, so again I came back to Teamup. Thank you for making life easy!” — Carole, USA
Read more about using Teamup as a company calendar.
Volunteer Coordination
Community organizations and other collaborative environments can implement Teamup as a way for all volunteers to work together and be coordinated without a need for registration.
“We use Teamup to schedule about 40 volunteers for “supervising” duties at our collaborative workspace. It’s all about open access and collaboration and Teamup really was the only solution for that approach. We can’t and won’t force people into some mandatory registration procedure. Thank you for developing such a useful and hassle free collaboration tool.” — Marco, Austria
Read about how the city of Dublin uses Teamup to manage scheduling for park events.
School Classes and Events
Schools and groups within schools can use Teamup as an accessible, easy way for students, parents, volunteers, coaches, teachers, and more to work together and stay informed.
“We utilize Teamup to coordinate our middle school competitive cheer team’s schedule… Just coordinating parent transportation for over twenty 12 and 13 year olds can become a nightmare and a source of frustration if everyone is not on the same page. …Easily created, updated and shared — with multiple permission levels — Teamup has allowed us to centralize our schedule.” — Middle School Program Coordinator, USA
Learn how the Princeton Review uses Teamup for thousands of instructors and programs.
How much time could you save if you could eliminate spreadsheets from your life, and still keep all the schedule coordinated and updated? Check out our demo calendars here to see how Teamup can work for you.
Header image by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash.
