Microsoft scheduling tools: Bookings vs. Shifts


Introduction

Use Microsoft Bookings for changing reservations or appointment-based scheduling that relies on users submitting reservation or appointment requests through a central portal.

Use Microsoft Shifts for recurring shifts, reservations or appointments within defined groups of users who can self-manage their schedules.

Depending on your use case, you could use either Bookings or Shifts for your division’s scheduling needs. For 1-on-1 appointments with staff or faculty, Bookings are the more suitable option.

Please refer to the following tables to determine whether Bookings or Shifts is the preferred product for your particular use case.

Table 1: Which product should I use based on the specifics of my use case?

  Bookings Shifts

I want a central portal that any client can make an appointment from.

X  

I want a small, defined group of people to be able to self-manage room, lab or resource reservations.

  X
I want clients to be able to schedule appointments with staff (e.g. writing centre appointments, support appointments, office hours). X  
I want to create a set schedule where the same people are assigned to the same shift/room/resource/lab from week to week.   X
I want to manage the work schedules of a team of people.   X
I want my schedule tool to be integrated with individuals' availabilities on their Outlook calendars.  X  

Table 2: Which product best meets the needs of my division’s COVID-19 re-entry plan?

  Share resources Microsoft Bookings Microsoft Shifts
Calendar Integration YES YES NO
Capacity-enforced NO YES YES
Contact tracing Email Email, phone number, address Email
Standalone calendar Only for individual resources One calendar for multiple services/resources YES
Add buffer time NO YES YES
Send social distancing policy with confirmation NO YES NO
Customizable reminder NO YES NO
Clock-in/clock-out function NO NO YES
Can publish schedule to all parties YES NO YES
Open to a closed group only YES NO YES
Reservation requests can require approval YES NO YES

Note: Outlook shared resources are included in this comparison chart. To learn more about shared resources, please refer to this web page.