Microsoft 365 How-To

Dispatcher Guide for CTRS Team Members
Outlook • Teams • Planner • To Do • OneDrive •
📧

Understanding Group vs. Personal Calendars

Key Concept

There are two types of calendars you'll work with in Outlook:

  • Group calendars (On Call Schedule, Time Off Schedule) -- shared with the entire group. Every member can see these events. Managers create events here; drivers view them. Think of these as the official company schedule boards.
  • Your personal calendar -- only you can see it unless you invite someone. Use this for one-on-one meetings, reminders, or anything that doesn't need to be on the shared schedule.

When you create an event on a group calendar, every group member can see it automatically -- you don't need to invite them individually. When you create a personal event and add attendees, only those specific people receive the invite.

Permissions Reminder

The On Call Schedule and Time Off Schedule group calendars are locked down. Only managers (group owners) can create, edit, or delete events on those calendars. Drivers can view the schedule but cannot make changes. This prevents accidental edits to the official schedule.

↑ Back to Contents
📧

Viewing the Group Calendars

Everyone
  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Tap the Calendar icon at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Tap the hamburger menu (top-left corner) or the calendar name at the top to open the calendar list.
  4. Under Groups, check the box next to On Call Schedule and Time Off Schedule.
  5. Go back to the calendar view. Group events now appear alongside your personal calendar, color-coded so you can tell them apart.

Each group calendar gets its own color. You can tap between Day, 3-Day, and Month views using the tabs at the top of the calendar.

↑ Back to Contents
📧

Subscribing So Events Show Automatically

Everyone

By default, group events might not send you push notifications. To make sure you get alerts:

  1. Open Outlook and go to Calendar.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu to open the calendar list.
  3. Find On Call Schedule under Groups.
  4. If there's a Subscribe or Follow option, tap it. This tells Outlook to copy group events to your personal calendar and send notifications.
  5. Repeat for Time Off Schedule.
Tip

If you don't see a subscribe option, the group events will still appear on your calendar view -- you just might not get push notifications for new events. Check the calendar view regularly, or use Teams notifications as a backup.

↑ Back to Contents
📧

Group Conversations

Everyone

Each group has a shared conversation thread -- like a group email chain that everyone can see. Use it for announcements, schedule questions, or anything the whole group should know about.

  1. Open Outlook.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu (top-left corner).
  3. Scroll down and tap Groups.
  4. Tap On Call Schedule (or whichever group).
  5. You'll see conversation threads. Tap any thread to read it. Tap Reply or Reply All to respond.
↑ Back to Contents
📧

All-Day vs. Timed Events

Key Concept

When creating any event, you'll see an All day toggle:

  • All day ON -- the event spans the full day (or multiple days). It shows as a banner at the top of the calendar. Best for: PTO, holidays, multi-day coverage, training days.
  • All day OFF -- you set specific start/end times. It shows as a time block on the calendar. Best for: on-call shifts with specific hours, meetings, calls.

For a 12-hour on-call shift, turn All day OFF and set the exact hours (e.g., 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM). For a full day off, turn All day ON.

↑ Back to Contents
📧

Responding to Event Invitations

Drivers

When a manager sends you a personal meeting invite (not a group calendar event), you'll get a notification and the event will appear on your calendar.

  1. Open the event from your calendar or from the email notification.
  2. At the top of the event, you'll see RSVP options: Accept, Tentative, or Decline.
  3. Tap your response. You can optionally add a message (e.g., "I'll be 10 min late").
  4. The organizer (your manager) will see your response.

Note: Group calendar events (like your on-call blocks) do NOT require an RSVP -- they're just on the schedule for everyone to see. Only personal meeting invites have accept/decline.

↑ Back to Contents
📧

Quick Reference: Group Event vs. Personal Meeting

Decision Guide
Group Calendar Event Personal Meeting Invite
Who sees it? Everyone in the group -- automatically Only the people you invite
Which calendar? On Call Schedule or Time Off Schedule Your personal calendar
Who can create? Managers (owners) only Anyone
RSVP needed? No -- it's just on the schedule Yes -- attendees can accept/decline
Use for... On-call shifts, PTO, holidays, company-wide items 1-on-1 meetings, small huddles, training with select people
Teams link? Not typically (it's a schedule block, not a meeting) Yes -- toggle Teams meeting switch on
↑ Back to Contents