Online scheduling poll: discover the best time with SurveyMonkey

Trying to coordinate meeting times with a group can quickly turn into a marathon of emails and never-ending group chats. With packed diaries and team members spread far and wide, scheduling that should take five minutes often drags on for days. 

Fortunately, there’s a better way: scheduling polls removes all the back and forth. With SurveyMonkey, you can create a scheduling poll in minutes, share it anywhere and instantly find the best time, every time.

Scheduling polls are online forms that suggest meeting times and let users choose the options that fit their schedule. Rather than endless messages, you propose a set of options, and participants select what suits them best, including time windows, preferred durations and whether to meet virtually or in person.​

Scheduling polls help you quickly find the best day, time and place to meet, avoiding unnecessary scheduling delays. This ensures everyone’s input is considered, and planning can progress more rapidly.

Scheduling polls aren’t just for office efficiency; they simplify any situation where a group needs to agree on a time. Here are some common, time-saving scenarios:

Running a global stand-up or a quarterly review and need to find everyone’s availability? Share a single link across teams and time zones, then pick the slot with the most “yes” votes.

Success looks like the invite is sent out once, and no one needs to reschedule.

Restaurants, shops and field teams can use a poll to collect availability before building the schedule.

Success looks like a well-balanced rota that covers peak hours without last-minute changes.

Whether it’s a committee meeting or a community workshop, a scheduling poll makes coordination simple and transparent.

Success looks like high attendance and no last-minute changes.

Reunions, group trips, volunteering days or game nights: cut down on follow-ups and finalise plans more quickly.

Success looks like everyone turns up because they had a say in when it’s happening.

Create your account and choose a ready-made design from our expert-certified survey templates library. Prefer to start from scratch? Open a blank survey in our online poll maker and add a multiple-choice or checkbox question, or generate a scheduling poll with our AI survey generator by using a prompt, such as “I want to create a scheduling poll for an hour-long quarterly planning meeting for my company’s people managers.” 

Tip: Make your poll title specific (e.g. “Q4 planning – 60-minute review”).

Ask something clear, such as “Which of the proposed times could you attend a Zoom call to discuss the Q3 budget?” Offer five to seven options so people can easily scan and decide. 

Tip: Include the time zone in each option (e.g., “Tuesday, 14 Jan, 9–9:45am PT”).

SurveyMonkey makes it easy to distribute your scheduling poll to everyone involved. Share your poll by email, chat, social media or post it online. No account is needed to respond. You can also embed the link on an intranet or class website for easy access. 

Tip: Add a brief line above the link so people know why it’s important.

You’ll see the votes in real time. Look for the slot with the most “yes” responses. Use the summary and exports to review picks at a glance. 

Tip: If responses slow down, send just one reminder to those who haven’t replied.

Close the poll, choose the best option and send out the calendar invite. Optionally, follow up with a quick confirmation survey to finalise attendance. 

Tip: Keep the invite text brief and repeat the time zone to avoid confusion.

Getting a group to agree on a date is just the first step; the way you set up your scheduling poll often determines how quickly people respond and how clear the outcome is. Simple tweaks like limiting choices, clarifying time zones and setting a clear deadline help people reply faster and reduce unnecessary back-and-forth. Use these expert-backed tips to fine-tune your next scheduling poll so it runs smoothly and leads to a confident decision.

SurveyMonkey scheduling polls support time zones, custom questions and secure sharing, so groups of any size can confirm a time without endless email threads or extra tools. This combination helps teams move from suggested dates to confirmed meetings with less hassle.

Spend less time coordinating and more time making progress. With SurveyMonkey scheduling polls, you can find a time that works for everyone in just a few clicks, keeping projects moving without all the back-and-forth. Create your poll, share it anywhere and turn scheduling into real momentum.

Sign up for free to start your first poll today and make planning effortless.