SOLVED

Accept & Do Not Send a Response

Microsoft

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:Responses requested.png

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:

  1. Do you like this change? Does this match what you & others are expecting?
  2. 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? 
299 Replies

@Julia Foran 

 

Julia, Using a MAC is not an option as we are a Microsoft organization ... and this is a Microsoft software and issue.

Godo to know though.

Teresa

 

All, it should be working. I just tested from Outlook iOS, Mac, and Web clients and it successfully updated the organizer when I chose "do not send a response".

Remember that as stated above, this is not yet released on Outlook for Windows - that is in progress.

Hi @Julia Foran ,

 

Do we have any update on the above change? Its really helpful to see the tracking whether requester accepted the meeting or not.

 

thank you in advance.

@Julia Foran responses always recorded so we dont have extra emails.

Yes; I like the change, it matches what I thought/expected to happen, and Yes, I think the intention when someone does not request responses is to avoid unnecessary emails

@Julia Foran 

 

Do you have a status update/ETA  on the change for Outlook 2016 for Windows?

 

Thanks in advance!

@Julia Foran roughly how long will it take to implement in Outlook for Windows? I thought it would have been the first change considering it has been around for the longest. It's been 2 months since you posted that update and no change as yet...

@Julia Foran 

1.  Undoubtedly Yes.  I have come across several upper-level Executive Assistants and Admins that don't understand why this option doesn't tally in their tracking results and what I'm going to do to fix the issue.  Since I can't rewrite Microsoft code, my only response to date has been that the end-user will need to re-accept the meeting invitation and choose to send some kind of a response.

2.  Yes and Yes.  If the organizer is simply organizing a meeting with no options to change the time and doesn't require a response from the invitee, I think they are still going to want to know who is attending and who isn't.  Primarily in larger organizations, this is a great way to cut down on the amount of e-mail received and that the organizer has to deal with.

.@Julia Foran 

 

1. Yes

2. Yes

@Julia Foran 

As this thread was started in 2018 and numerous users have provided feedback, has a decision been made?  I know that not knowing if a user has accepted a meeting has caused friction between managers and personnel and if a decision can be made one way or the other so that it can be communicated out, would be helpful.

@Julia Foran 

Just found out that do not send a response doesn't update organizer's list in addition to not sending email.  I would suggest changing the wording - because if people previously figured out how it worked they would need a cue that the behavior changed.  Personally wouldn't want to choose the 'same' option again from being burned in the past.

@Julia Foran 

Someone brought up the topic of when you would want to accept but not have your attendance registered, and that is something I used to think of when I would accept and not send the response.  The idea was that I would be adding it to my calendar for awareness but would not want to be considered as acknowledging that I would be there to represent my team.  (On a change control, for example).  Now I just use Tentative for that.  I think if the invitee's response is always going to be registered with the organizer, then Accept/Tentative/Decline is all that anyone would need and the default should be to not send an email reply.

@Julia Foran it's nearly been 9 months since you said "We do plan to make this change in Outlook 2016 for Windows" and still not ETA on when it will be delivered to Office 365 members.

 

Why is it taking so long? 

 

I would have thought Outlook for Windows would be the first client you updated as it has been around the longest...

Yes I agree with both.  Didn't previous versions of Outlook do that?

Any news on this?  Last update was 2018 and this would be a great change for us.  We do a lot of lunch and learns and email 400 people in the office.  I don't want 400 emails coming my way but I'd really like to know who's actually coming by checking the scheduling assistant.

 

Thanks,

Hi @Julia Foran 

 

Has there been any update on this?  

 

I think Microsoft have taken the easy way out and decided not to reply to anyone on this issue that is affected hundreds if not thousands of people.

From my point of view is the approach suggestion a topic which has to be redesigned in the way as proposed. To accept an invitation without an sending a response is necessary but without an acceptance in the tracking tool is a no-go and creates confusion on invitation organizer side. Best regards, JPH 

@Julia Foran 

 

The difference in behavior for users who are on Office 365 and not is maddening. This seems to address that change. I like it.

 

Right now, if group calendar at Org 1 sends a meeting to someone at Org2 (also on O365) and the person responds Accepts, the Org 1 meeting organizer recieves no notification at all. I'm under the impression this is by desgin. But that means a portion of the extenal invites send mail responses and those on Office 365 do not.

Hi Stephen, I last updated this thread 2 months ago stating that Windows is in progress. We do not have a date when it will be released, but I do plan to update this thread as soon as it's available in Windows.

Here's a link to my September post: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Office-365-Calendar/Accept-amp-Do-Not-Send-a-Response/m-p/850...