Meetings can be a problem in any organization. It isn’t only because people hate them, it’s getting them on the calendar. For internal communicators, the real problem is getting the right people to the right meetings at the right time — especially when these meetings involve senior leaders and company-wide updates. The challenge is exacerbated by the fact that communicators aren’t in charge of meetings. Rather, it’s a problem they inherit.
Recognizing this often overwhelming problem, Cerkl investigated it more closely, and found there is a definite need for a tool that internal communicators can use to reliably and consistently get events on calendars.
As Rachel Folz, Cerkl’s Head of Product, says, “In a hybrid or remote-first world, communicators are often tasked with promoting all-hands, manager syncs, and training sessions — events critical to alignment and culture. But there’s a huge hurdle when it comes to getting those meetings onto calendars.”
Calendar Invite Challenges for Internal Comms
Cerkl identified the challenges that communicators and others using interactive calendars face.
Communicators want or would like to:
- Be able to invite people to an event or meeting from Broadcast and have it show up in their calendar as if I sent it. Ideally, it should be tentatively accepted.
- Use Broadcast’s powerful audience management system to create and share events to get the right people to events.
- Be able to invite people to an event or meeting hosted by a leader and have it look like it came directly from them.
- Include body text and/or a physical or virtual location in a calendar invite so people know where to go.
- Update or cancel an event, and have the audience’s calendars reflect this.
- Add and remove invited attendees so the calendar invites can stay in sync with organizational changes.
People also want to be able to track, accept, or decline calendar invites.
Cerkl Broadcast Solving the Problem at the Root
User testers have rated solving the calendar invite problem with an average score of 9.2 out of 10.
The Cerkl Broadcast solution supports sending calendar invites that automatically show up as “tentative” on employee calendars. There will be no more ICS juggling required.
With this new capability, communicators can:
- Send invites from key leaders to give the event visibility and importance.
- Include all relevant info — who, what, when, where — directly in the calendar item.
- Update or cancel events, and have those changes reflected instantly.
- Add or remove attendees dynamically as the business changes.
This feature isn’t just about tech. It’s about getting comms off the hook for poor attendance and putting critical meetings where they belong — in front of the right people, at the right time.
The types of meetings it will be particularly helpful with include:
- All-hands meetings
- Training sessions
- Multi-location manager calls
Why Native Calendar Invite Tools Miss the Mark
Interactive calendars have become part of daily work life. These are often integrated into email clients like Outlook, while others, like Google Calendar and Apple Calendar (iCal) are available online as part of broader productivity suites and mobile ecosystems.
Most companies rely on tools like Outlook or Google Calendar, which is why it’s fair to assume that sending a calendar invite via these platforms is enough. However, it’s not. That approach might work in limited contexts, but these tools aren’t designed for internal comms at scale.
Here’s where they fall short and miss the mark:
Limited Context or Content
Native tools like Outlook and Google Calendar place limits on how many people you can invite. This makes them impractical for organization-wide announcements or town halls. For division- or company-wide events, that’s a non-starter.
Another issue is that calendar events don’t support rich context like full agendas, linked documents, or background discussions.
Problems with Shared Calendars
Users can easily become overwhelmed by too many meetings or overlapping events, especially when multiple calendars are synced. Shared calendars can also quickly become cluttered and difficult to interpret.
As Rachel says, “Shared calendars are clunky to get people to use and not as visible on second devices like phones and tablets. They just don’t get the job done.”
Inconsistent Cross-Platform Integration
While many calendars support syncing, the experience isn’t always seamless between platforms, for example, between iOS, Android, and Windows. Features may vary or behave inconsistently depending on the device or app version.
Most comms teams fall back on creating an .ICS file and attaching it to an email. But ICS files behave unpredictably across email clients and platforms, leading to issues like incorrect time zones, missing event details, or calendar events that never sync.
- People often don’t download ICS files, so the event never makes it to their calendar.
- ICS files can look suspicious, like malware.
- If plans change (which they always do), you’re stuck with outdated invites floating around, and no way to update or recall them.
“In one case, a communicator had to send someone physically to a canceled meeting just to tell people it wasn’t happening,” says Rachel.
Weak Collaboration Features
While calendars can invite attendees:
- There’s no list flexibility. You’re limited to static distribution lists that don’t reflect dynamic organizational structures, segment needs, or personnel changes.
- Leader logistics are a challenge. If you want the invite to come from the CEO for visibility or impact, they have to send it from their own calendar — and you know that’s not happening. This creates unnecessary logistical hurdles, bottlenecks, and delays.
- They don’t want the noise. Communicators and admins don’t want a flood of accept/decline notifications, day-of pings, or last-minute questions clogging their inboxes. Traditional invites create unnecessary distractions that derail focus and slow execution.
What’s Next?
If you are already a Cerkl client, you will have access to the Calendar Invites Beta Release immediately.
If not, do you want to learn more about what Cerkl Broadcast can do for you? If so, schedule a chat and we’ll suggest ways the platform can help your organization.
