Forum Discussion
MicrosoftAccept & Do Not Send a Response
Hi Calendar Community,
We'd like your feedback & reactions to a change we're considering:
Current experience:
When attendees receive a meeting invite, they are provided with 3 response options:
The first two options (Edit the response before sending & Send the response now) both send an email to the organizer, and the attendee's response is recorded in the organizer's tracking list.
The third option (Do not send a response) does not notify organizer, so the attendee's response remains as "None" in the organizer's tracking list.
What we'd like to change:
Many users report that they expect Do not send a response to be recorded in the organizer's tracking list, but just not to send an email. We are considering updating the behavior so that all 3 response options are recorded in the organizer's tracking list. Attendees can still use the Do not send a response option to avoid sending email to the organizer, but their response would now be recorded & shared with organizer.
Questions to the Community:
- Do you like this change? Does this match what you & others are expecting?
- What about when an organizer does not request responses (so there is just a simple Accept button without additional options)? Do you think the intention is to avoid email responses? In other words, would you expect this same behavior (responses are always recorded) to apply even when organizer does not request responses?
What's the status of this change to allow for tracking the response if the user selects "Accept Do Not Send a response"?
Thank you - Jack
307 Replies
This issue has still not been fixed!!!!! Either change the current setting to be what people expect (the organiser can still see whether you have accepted or not); or change it completely like some of the suggestions which just say change to accept and no emails get sent. Just tracking. The current issue has been happening for years. And is fundamental to how Outlook is used. Is that how long it takes to fix a fundamental issue at Microsoft. Wow.
WGnow I think Julia Foran has actually left Microsoft (probably due to defects like this that take years to implement) and no one else has taken over to provide updates.
Even if it was once every 6 months that is better than nothing, which is what we are currently receiving.
Julia Foran it's been over 3 years since you posted and it still hasn't been implemented? This is a design flaw and should be fixed ahead of all enhancements but that is just not happening, which makes Microsoft look really bad.
Surely it is close to being released?
Julia Foran at the very least please provide an update on where things are at with respect to this request.
alexcook Agreed for how many users this is affecting we should be getting a monthly update at the very least but it's like a yearly update now. I don't even think Julia Foran works there anymore as she has had no activity since last year.
Julia Foran this would concern me. Since all invitation stuff works by sending emails (with specific headers), I would expect that “don’t send response” would not send a response.
I don’t see the point in being recorded as an attendee, hence the do not send response press. I use this button to block my calendar and at a later moment decide whether or not I’m joining.
- Interesting Stephan. If you don't accept a response, the invite still stands in your Calendar though doesn't it? Just marked as tentative, because you have not accepted or taken any action with the invite. Closer to the date you can Accept or Decline. I think the "Accept & Do Not Send a Response" is just not required as it stands.
- Yes that is true, but I don't like the tentative status. I was just expressing my concern about this feature that might get removed. Or will it always be an option to just not send a response?
We have some meetings where one of three users is required and the rest might join anyway. Then I like the meeting to be on my calendar as busy but the organizer might not have a reaponse from me.
- Hi there Geneva. No. This has not been implemented. There has been no news on this topic that is helpful since last Autumn when Julia Foran offered us little by way of explanation why the proposed amended rollout would work on the web version but not the desktop. I suspect All MS hands are on deck now to work out how come Zoom is so much better than Teams! I doubt this calendar issue is going to be amended before the next Windows revamp. They are clearly dragging their heels...and hips and heads. entire bodies, just dragging around. Be well. be safe. L
Lucien Riviere yep you'd think they would fix one of their first products but no they literally do not care. I can't stand Microsoft and only use it as most workplaces in Australia are still years behind the times. Although have to admit Microsoft did a half-decent job on Teams. I could do all my work there but oldies struggle to adapt.
- Wow! Thanks for taking time to reply!
Julia Foran, yes please. We have users that don't want everyone to be nagged with an email but want to let the attendees know they are coming. Now that COVID hit and we are WFH, this would be really appreciated in Outlook. PC and MAC please.
Evan Touchett Julia Foran it's a shame that we get NO UPDATES and this particular post has been open for nearly 3 years. When is it going to be released???
1) Big Yes
2) Yes to capture response in tracker even when a response is not solicited. The primary reason for not soliciting response is the email notification.
- Yes and yes.
I was just in a corporate training where they told us to never use 'Do not send a response' because of the issue it creates for the organizer.
It's the first time I became aware of how it actually works.
And now I realize why it is that people so often mysteriously show up to my meetings without seeming to have accepted the invite.
We all thought we were being polite!FG_TFS Exactly... you might be interested in this article explaining it a little more. Might be helpful for someone... https://www.lingfordconsulting.com.au/ms-outlook/accepting-outlook-meeting-correctly
Julia Foran Yes please. We have been struggling with this for years now. Microsoft, please provide a fix soon.
Regards.
I like what you are proposing. Actually, I thought that was how it worked and was shocked to learn it didn't. This would be a positive change from my perspective because we all get so much email. As a meeting organizer, I don't need to get a bunch of emails that everyone accepted. I just need to know they accepted or not from the meeting details. Thanks for asking! Julia Foran
Julia Foran
I am another one who has misunderstood these options until just now, so I definitely agree that something needs to be done.
I think that there are legitimate cases where I don't want the organiser to know whether I have accepted or declined the meeting, so I would like this option to still be available. (Although the option could be implicit, in that if I don't click anything, no response will be set and the appointment appears as tentative in my calendar.)chrisrapson430 yeah I agree it would be great to have both options. I doubt they will think of this and they should be very near to releasing but nothing they have said give me hope.
The issue is that people only come to the post when they find out the hard way that it did not operate how they always expected it to work. That and most do not take the time to create an account and then post a comment or like the post. If they knew how many people actually wanted this to happen ASAP then they may fix it sooner.
Julia Foran could we please have an update???
- Julia Foran
I will absolutely update this thread when the client changes are released. They are still in development.
