We have now released in the Condeco application the ability to enable Personal Space reminders through the use of 'ICS Files'.

An ICS file, which stands for "iCalendar" file, is a type of file used to store and share calendar events and appointments.

When the 'Attach ICS File' option in Group Settings is checked, the recipient of the 'Booked for' or ‘Booking confirmation’ email will receive it as a calendar invitation. This invite will appear in their native calendar app, but it won't show that they're busy during the scheduled time. So, when others check their availability using the 'Scheduling Assistant,' the invite will not make the user appear as “busy”.

For this release, we have enhanced the ICS file functionality by introducing an 'Add ICS reminder' dropdown box under Group Configuration. With this enhancement, users will now receive native reminders for their reservations directly within Outlook. This can be configured and enabled on a per group basis. Administrators can select from between 15 minute to 48 hour reminders.

Previously, ICS files always showed up at 8 am in a user's calendar. Now, they will appear in the user's calendar at the start of the 'Check-in period' set in Group Settings.*

Additionally, when cancellation emails are sent, ICS files will automatically be included if ‘Attach ICS Files’ has been enabled for the 'Booked for' or 'Booking confirmation' emails. This way, if a reservation is cancelled, it will be marked as 'cancelled' in the user's calendar.

We suggest clients configure the 'ICS with Attachment' option to 'False' in the Email rules within Global Setup. If this value is set to 'True,' Condeco will send the ICS file as an attachment that the recipient must manually open and save to their calendar. Whereas, when the options is set to 'False,' Condeco sends the email as an invitation, which is automatically added to the recipient's calendar.

*Please note that for series bookings, reservations will always appear at AM time if an AM slot is selected as part of the series.