How to create an availability poll

Step 1: title and range

Give the poll a title people will recognise in a chat — "Ben's leaving dinner", not "Availability". Add a short note if the plan needs context, like a location or a rough budget.

Then set the date range. Include every date you would accept and nothing you would not; a range with dead dates in it makes the results harder to read.

Step 2: time slots, if you need them

If a whole day is too coarse, add time slots to individual dates — up to eight per day. Participants then answer each slot separately. Leave them off if the day is the real question; every extra option costs response rate.

Step 3: share the public link

Creating the poll gives you two links. The public one goes to your group. The private organizer link stays with you — it controls the poll, shows contact details, and should never be pasted into the group chat.

Step 4: read and close

The results page ranks the dates by availability and shows the full grid. When you have enough answers, close the poll so nobody responds to a decision that has already been made, and announce the date.