Striven Integrations
Microsoft Calendar Integration
Guide
Overview
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The Microsoft Calendar Integration allows you to sync incoming Appointments from both your Microsoft Calendar and Striven Calendar in order to have the most accurate schedule available in any view. This useful feature allows you to enter Appointments from Striven or your Microsoft Calendar without having to worry about missing any meetings.
In order to use the Calendar in Striven, you will want to make sure users have the permission “Calendar ”. To learn more about permissions and User Roles in Striven, check out our User Role Guide.
Example of Striven Calendar Permission Included in User Role
You can locate the Striven Calendar by clicking on the Profile Menu and selecting Calendar from the drop-down list.
Example of Striven Calendar Option on the Profile Menu
To learn more about the Calendar feature in Striven, make sure to check out our Striven Calendar Guide.
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Turning on the Integration
To turn the Microsoft Calendar Integration on within your Striven system, you will need to navigate to:
Company → Settings → Integrations → Appointment Integration
- Note: Your User Role will require the “Google/Microsoft Calendar Settings” permission in order to make changes to these settings.
This Calendar Integration Settings page will display the current status of your Calendar Integration, as well as provide the option to turn on the Google Calendar Integration, the Outlook/Office 365 Calendar Integration, or to turn off either of the Calendar Integrations as desired.
- Note: You may only have one Calendar Integration activated at a time.
Example of the Google/Microsoft Calendar Settings Page
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Granting Access in Striven
Once the Calendar Integration feature is enabled for your Striven system, you will need to navigate to your My Profile-Security page to click the Grant Access button (as seen below) to sync Striven with your Outlook/Office365 Calendar.
- Note: Please allow 24-48 hours for all Appointments to sync between both calendars.
When you click the link you will then be taken to a Microsoft Login page asking you to select the correct Microsoft account. You will want to make sure you are selecting the same account that is associated with your User Account in Striven.
After selecting the correct Microsoft account, you will then be prompted with a Permission Request to allow Striven access to your Microsoft account. If you are completing these steps as the Microsoft Account Administrator, you will have an extra option to “Consent on behalf of your organization” in order to enable the integration for all users at once.
Example of Permission Request to Grant Access to Striven for Account Administrator
If you are logged in as the Microsoft System Administrator, you will also be given the option to “Consent on behalf of your organization” which would cover all users in Striven.
Example of Permission Request to Grant Access to Striven for System Administrator
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Appointments Created Prior to Integration
When the Calendar integration is turned on and all settings are configured properly, your Appointments will begin to sync between the Calendars from that point forward. Past Appointments will not sync, and existing Appointments that are scheduled for a future date/time will not sync unless or until they are modified after the integration is turned on. All future Appointments and current Appointment modifications should sync going forward.
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Office 365 Configurations
Depending on how your Office 365 Organization is set up, you may possibly run into your Office 365 restricting access to apps such as the Striven Calendar Integration. Configurations can be completed in your Azure Portal in order to ensure your Calendar integration is set up correctly.
It is important to note that if you use an IT team or company to handle your Office 365 Account, they can help as needed with these configurations.
Once you are logged into your Azure Portal you will want to navigate to the Dashboard → Enterprise Applications.
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Allow Users to Grant Access
If you would like for your users to grant consent themselves for the Calendar integration, you will want to make sure you have selected the following options:
- Allow user consent for apps (All users can consent for any app to access the organization’s data).
Example of Azure Portal Setting to Allow User Consent
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Only Allow Admin to Grant Access
If your configurations are set up as “Do not allow user consent (An Administrator will be required for all apps)”, your configurations will appear as below:
Example of Azure Portal Setting to Require Administrator Consent
If you do have your settings configured for an administrator to consent for all apps, you will need to have your Microsoft Administrator log into Striven to consent for them as they are attempting to connect the Calendars on the My Info page. A non-Administrator will be greeted with the following message when attempting to connect the Striven and Outlook Calendars:
Example of Microsoft Admin Approval Request
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Require Reason when Connecting Calendars
Another option is to require users to submit a reason when attempting to grant access to Striven from Microsoft. This can be configured by going to the User Settings within the Enterprise Applications area in your Azure Portal.
Example of Azure Portal User Settings
When the user attempts to connect their Striven Calendar to their Outlook Calendar they will be prompted to “Enter justification for requesting this app.” The user can then enter the reasoning as to why they would like to have their Calendars sync.
Example of Microsoft Approval Request Requiring a Reason
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Adding Appointments
When you add an Appointment from your Striven Calendar, this will then sync with your Outlook Calendar.
Adding an Appointment from your Outlook Calendar will sync with your Striven Calendar as a tentative Appointment.
Example of Both Outlook and Striven Calendar Views when Adding Appointments
If the Attendee added to your Outlook Appointment is also a Contact or Employee that is saved within your Striven system, the Striven Appointment will pull in the correct record.
Example of How Adding Attendees to Outlook Appointment Displays in Striven Calendar
Attendees that are added to an Outlook Appointment and are not listed as a Contact within Striven will be added to the Appointment in Striven as External Attendees.
Example of How Adding External Attendees to Outlook Appointment Displays in Striven Calendar
Adding a Contact from Striven to an Appointment will then sync to the Outlook Calendar with their Contact information added into the Outlook Appointment details.
Example of How Adding Attendees to Striven Appointment Displays External Attendee Info in Outlook Calendar
If your Contact or Employee in Striven is also a Contact listed within your Outlook Calendar, then the Outlook Calendar will pull the correct Attendee into the Appointment.
Example of How Adding Attendees to Striven Calendar Displays in Outlook Calendar
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Recurring Appointments
Recurring Appointments set within Striven should sync on your Outlook Calendar as they are generated based on the lead time set for the recurrence, but will not have the recurrence settings set within Outlook. In other words, the Appointments in Outlook will be set as individual Appointments, instead of part of a recurring series.
Recurring Appointments that were created in Outlook will only bring in the initial Appointment. You will need to go into the Striven Appointment created from the Outlook Appointment and set the same recurrence to have it recur on your Striven Calendar as well.
For a smooth syncing process for recurring Appointments, it is recommended you create any recurring Appointments from Striven to allow them to sync to your Outlook Calendar as they are generated.
Example of How Recurring Appointments from Striven Sync with the Outlook Calendar
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Recurring Appointments with Attendees
Adding a recurring Appointment onto your Striven Calendar that includes Contacts will also carry over into your Outlook Calendar. As such, an invite will be sent to the Attendee(s) so they can add the Appointments as they are generated onto their own Calendar(s).
Since only the original Appointment will come over if created in Outlook, it is recommended to store all Contacts and create all recurring Appointments in Striven.
Example of Recurring Appointments in Striven Calendar & Outlook Calendar
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Calendars Not Syncing
When you create an Appointment and your Calendars are no longer syncing, you will be alerted in the Attendee list in the Striven Appointment. A red warning label will appear next to your name to indicate there’s an issue with the calendars syncing.
Example of Warning Label Indicating Calendars are Not Syncing
You can follow these steps to make sure both Calendars will sync once again:
- Visit this link to access your My Apps within your Microsoft Account.
- Search for the Striven App that is listed within the App list.
- Remove the Striven instances listed.
- Log out of Striven.
- Log back into Striven.
- Navigate to your My Profile page in Striven.
- Use the Profile Waffle menu to navigate to your My Profile-Security page. A message will be displayed with a button for you to authorize access to Outlook/Office 365. Click the Grant Access button, and this will synchronize your calendars.
- Note: Please allow 24-48 hours for all Appointments to sync between both Calendars.