Guide
How to schedule a meeting over text without the back and forth
Text Pally who you are meeting and for how long. It checks your connected calendar, writes a message with a few real openings, the time zone, length, and format, and sends it and the invite when you say so. When many times could work, a scheduling link such as Calendly is simpler.
Place a temporary hold while you wait and send one calendar invite as soon as they choose. If none works, ask for their preferred windows instead of trading another random list of times.
A practical approach
What to do
Set the meeting rules
Decide the length, video or phone format, earliest useful date, working hours, and buffers before you check openings. Note which rule can bend for a guest with little availability. Keep the rules in a calendar note or scheduling tool so you do not rebuild them for every text.
Offer real openings
Check the live calendar and send a short list of specific start times in one message, with the duration, time zone, and format stated once. Avoid “sometime Tuesday,” which sends the search back to the other person. Offer only times you can keep free while you wait.
Hold and confirm
When your calendar fills fast, place labeled holds on the offered times and remove the unused ones once the person picks or the window expires. Confirm the choice by text and send the invite right away with guests, location, and agenda. From then on, the invite is the source of truth.
Handle failed options once
If none of the times work, ask for a few windows, their time zone, and any hard deadline, then return the first real matches. If calendars still do not meet, switch to a written update. One structured reset beats another round of guesses.
The Pally option
How Pally helps
Pally checks your connected calendar, finds openings, and writes the scheduling message. It shows you the draft first, or sends it and the calendar invite when you tell it to.
Morning brief
A short morning brief with what matters: your day, your inbox, and the things you said you'd do.
See the recipePre-meeting briefs
Walk in knowing who's in the room, your history, and what's still open, without doing the homework.
See the recipeSay it later
Tell Pally what to send and when. It lands at exactly that moment.
See the recipeOptions
Other tools people use
Fair alternatives, including ones that overlap with Pally.
Calendly
Calendly fits people who want guests to choose from available times without exchanging a list by text.
A booking link can feel impersonal for sensitive or high-context meetings and still needs accurate calendar rules.
Orchid
Orchid fits founders who want meeting booking through an assistant in iMessage or SMS.
It drafts replies for you to approve rather than sending them on its own.
Hey Noah
Hey Noah fits founders who want an assistant they can copy on email or text to schedule across calendars.
Access is invite-only, and pricing is unpublished.
Lindy
Lindy fits workdays where scheduling, rescheduling, meeting preparation, and follow-up need one assistant workflow.
Its broader meeting system can be excessive when a simple booking link solves the problem.
Compare Pally and LindyCarly
Carly fits email threads that need an AI agent with its own email address to reply and book meetings.
It works by adding an agent email address to the thread.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many times should I offer?
Offer a small enough set to scan in one message, spread across more than one useful window when possible. Use a scheduling link when your calendar has many valid choices.
Should I hold every proposed time?
Use temporary holds when double booking is likely, label them, and set an expiration. If your calendar is quiet, a quick recheck before confirming may be enough.
What should the calendar invite include?
Include the agreed time zone, duration, format or location, guests, and a one-line purpose. Add preparation material only when the attendee needs it before the meeting.
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