Beta
We've improved availability management and the event type editor, now in public beta for select users. If you're in the beta, check out this article to learn more.
Whether you're currently in the beta or not, you'll find the information you need to use buffers here in this article.
In this article we will walk you through where to set up Calendly event buffers and how they work.
What are buffers?
Buffers are extra time that can be appended before and/or after a Calendly meeting. This can be helpful if you want extra time to prepare before a meeting, travel to the meeting location, or clean up after a presentation. Buffers are specific to each event type, so you can tweak and optimize buffer settings for each of your event types.
To set up a buffer
- Select your event type.
- Go to Scheduling settings.
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Underneath Event limits, you will see an option for Buffer time. Select this option to open a menu for entering in time before or after your meetings. You can have time before and after if you choose.
- You can adjust the amount of time using the drop-down menus.
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Save your changes.
Beta
For users in our beta, you'll be able to set up buffers from your event type editor by opening the More options section at the bottom, then expanding the Limits and buffers section. From there, you can add your desired buffer(s).
Turning off buffers
Buffers for future scheduled meetings can be disabled by following the same steps as above.
- Select your event type.
- Go to the Scheduling settings section.
- In the Buffer time section, choose 0 minutes for both before and after your meeting.
- Save your changes.
Beta
For users in our beta, you'll be able to turn off buffers from your event type editor by opening the More options section at the bottom, then expanding the Limits and buffers section. From there, you can remove your buffer settings.
Need to edit a buffer on a scheduled meeting? Visit your Meetings page to edit or remove buffers from your scheduled meetings.
Buffer logic
Buffers only apply to meetings booked through Calendly, but non-Calendly events are taken into consideration when booking a meeting with a buffer. This means that buffers cannot overlap events from your connected calendar(s).
For example, if you have a 30-min event type with 15-min buffers before and after, the total calendar time needed for this event type is 60 minutes. The event duration and calendar event will say 30 mins, but 60 minutes of free time is required in order for a time slot to display on the booking page.
Remember that buffers on an individual’s scheduled meetings can impact how multiuser event types can be scheduled.
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For round robin events, buffer settings on individual’s other event types could lead to uneven meeting distribution.
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For collective events, buffer settings on an individual’s other events can prevent collective meetings from being booked in time slots that appear to be free.
Beta
For users in our beta, you'll be able to see and manage your existing buffers from your Meetings page. Showing buffers on your connected calendar coming soon!
You will also be able to choose whether your buffers show on your Meetings page using the Show buffers toggle next to your My Calendly dropdown menu.
The troubleshooting tool’s BUFFER message
Calendly’s troubleshooting tool is a great way to understand when buffer settings might be preventing certain meetings from being scheduled. When using Calendly’s troubleshooting tool, the BUFFER message can pop up for multiple reasons.
The BUFFER message will show when the buffers attached to a scheduled meeting are blocking a time slot. Additionally, BUFFER will display if the meeting you are attempting to book will not fit in a time slot because its total event length (meeting duration + buffer duration) makes it too large to do so.
Check the details section on a BUFFER message to understand if it is a before meeting or after meeting buffer that is causing the issue.
Common Issues with Buffers
If you're experiencing issues with buffers, take a look at some common scenarios users often encounter:
If a non-Calendly event is blocking a Calendly meeting from being scheduled, you can either:
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Remove the conflicting calendar event or set its status to "free" (Remember to check your all day events!)
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Or, change the buffer settings of the event type you want to schedule to 0 minutes.
This situation can occur because scheduled meetings retain the buffer setting present at the time of booking. If you modify the buffer settings on an event type, the change will apply only to future scheduled meetings. New buffer settings will not retroactively apply to previously scheduled meetings.
There is currently no way to check what the buffer setting was at the time of booking. If you're seeing a BUFFER message that doesn’t match the current buffer settings for the event type, there could be outdated buffer settings applied to that scheduled meeting.
To apply the new buffer settings, you can reschedule the event for the same date and time. The rescheduled meeting will have the newest buffer settings applied (whatever setting is present in the event type at the time of booking).
To reschedule the meeting:
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Navigate to the corresponding event type settings
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Check the buffer settings are correct and make adjustments as needed
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Reschedule the meeting for the same date and time to apply the current buffer settings
NOTE: Former buffer settings can be reflected in the troubleshooting tool as OVERLAP, since they were considered part of a Calendly event. For more information, check our Troubleshooting availability article.
Beta
For users in our beta, you can view and manage your existing buffers on your Meetings page as well as from your connected calendar. Deleting or canceling a buffer from your connected calendar will remove the buffer from Calendly.
This can be caused by “double buffers.” Adding both a before and after buffer can cause the buffers to stack up and remove large time slots from your live scheduling page.
Edit your event types to use only a single buffer either before or after your meetings. This will result in having more bookable time slots on your scheduling page.
For any previously scheduled meetings that are blocking desired times slots, you can override old double buffers by rescheduling the meeting for the same date and time with new buffer settings. (The solution for issue #2 above.)