Schedule an Alfy coffee chat and send the invite in Slack

To schedule your Alfy coffee chat in Slack, pick one of the times when you're all free and click Send calendar invite. Alfy creates the event in your own Google or Outlook calendar and invites everyone in your match by email. Every program does this, and anyone in the match can send, move or cancel the invite. Using Microsoft Teams? See schedule your chat in Microsoft Teams.

Where to find your free times#

Depending on how the program announces matches, open your free times from:

• The group DM with your match: Alfy's message "📅 Here are some times you're all free this week".
• The channel post: click Schedule your chat 📅 under "This round's random coffees are:". It opens your own match, even though everyone in the channel sees the button.
• Your first reminder DM, when the program has no group DM.

Times are shown in your own timezone and based on everyone's connected calendars.

Step 1: Choose the meeting length#

Next to Meeting length:, pick 15, 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes. The default is the program's chat duration. The suggested times update to fit.

Step 2: Pick a time#

Alfy shows 3 suggested times, each with a Send calendar invite button. Click Show more times to see the whole week day by day, or 🔄 Refresh if calendars changed.

Step 3: Send the invite#

In the Send the invite? window, check the time and click Send invite.

Alfy creates the event in your calendar, with you as the organizer, and invites the others by email. The event is called "☕️" followed by your names, with a conversation starter in its description. Alfy then posts "🎉 … sent a calendar invite to everyone" in the conversation, and the match shows "✅ Scheduled for" the date.

If your calendar isn't connected yet, Alfy asks you to connect it first, then sends the invite as soon as you're done. If it's connected without permission to create events, click Reconnect Google Calendar or Reconnect Outlook and check every box. See connect your calendar.

Reschedule or cancel the chat#

Click Reschedule 🗓️ on the scheduled match:

• Move it: pick a new time, click Move here, then confirm in Move your chat?. Everyone gets the updated invite.
• Cancel it: under "Can't meet this time?", click Cancel the meeting, then Yes, cancel it. Everyone gets a cancellation, and the free times come back so you can pick another one later.

If you move or delete the event directly in your calendar, Alfy picks up the change.

Already booked another way?#

If you set up the chat outside Alfy, answer the next reminder with ✅ We've scheduled it, or 🙅 We won't meet this time if it won't happen. Alfy stops reminding your match either way.

If no time works#

• Nobody's calendar is connected: Alfy shows "📅 Schedule your chat in one click" with Connect my calendar. One connected calendar is enough: Alfy can then check your teammates' free time through it.
• One person's calendar couldn't be read: Alfy warns "I couldn't check …'s calendar". The times may not suit them, so ask them to connect theirs.
• No common time in the next 7 days: agree on a time directly in the conversation.

How Alfy picks the times#

Alfy looks 7 days ahead, between 9am and 6pm in each person's timezone, on the hour or half hour. It prefers mid-morning and mid-afternoon and avoids lunchtime. See how Alfy matches people.