Tungle

For the past six months, I’ve been using Tungle to schedule and coordinate meetings. The logistics associated with trying to work out schedule details are a time sink. It’s hard, when you do things manually, to guarantee that everyone ends up on the same page.

Tungle works well as either a plugin for Outlook or a web based interface with Google calendar integration. The service lets you propose multiple blocks of times for meetings with people, and it lets the recipients select the times that work best for them.

Instead of relentless back and forth emails and phone calls, the Tungle setup makes meeting coordination a one step, effortless event. In my setup, Tungle is integrated with Google’s calendar and my iPhone. A schedule item goes in one place and is seamlessly updated on all the others.

I also use the Tungle.me service which lets people see my availability and request meetings based on my availability. Every day, the amount of time I spend coordinating details is waning.

I have learned a surprising thing. Executive assistants hate Tungle. There’s something about the fact that the tool makes the work so simple that is threatening. I’ve had a large number of assistants refuse to use the tool to schedule a meeting for their boss.

So, while Tungle may be just the thing if you’re trying to schedule meetings for candidates with hiring managers, you might test it when you’re making executive sales calls. Inside an organization, it may be impolitic to have your CEOs assistant scheduling meetings on your Tungle. The rules of engagement vary widely. Tungle is a work in progress. In the short time I’ve been an active user, the service has rubbed off a number of rough edges.

This is a fantastic way to deal with one of the HR world’s single greatest hassles.