How do I configure Resource Scheduling Options in Office 365?

Learn about the Resource Scheduling Options in Office 365

A resource account is a non-person related account. Examples: meeting/conference rooms, audio-visual equipment, project, or vacation calendars. 

Users must be granted permission to interact with a resource account.

Resources can be set up to handle reservation requests in one of two ways:

  • Moderated: Requests to reserve the resource must be approved or denied by a person (delegate) manually. This provides oversight to the resource and allows more control over who has access to the resource and at what times. A moderated resource must have at least one delegate who is responsible for accepting or declining reservation requests, and it can have many delegates associated with it if desired. A delegate can accept or decline requests to reserve the resource, just like a person accepts or declines meeting requests for his or her own calendar. This option can be set by leaving Automatically process meeting requests and cancellations unchecked under Scheduling Options. See the tables below for more details.

  • Auto-Accept: Requests to reserve the resource are automatically accepted, based on availability. A room or piece of equipment which is configured to auto-accept reservation requests handles its calendar automatically. No one is responsible for accepting or declining reservation requests on behalf of the resource. This option can be set by checking the box to Automatically process meeting requests and cancellations under Scheduling Options. See the tables below for more details, as well as for more customization options for when events can be automatically accepted or declined.

A room or equipment resource has its own calendar, which can be viewed and modified just like a person's calendar. When a request for a room or piece of equipment is accepted in Office 365, an event is added to the resource's calendar.