Using add-ins on behalf of other employees (delegated access)

Learn how AskCody supports meeting management in delegate access mode

In Microsoft Outlook an employee can have special permissions to access and manage another employee's calendar.

This permission is named delegated access in Microsoft Outlook and lets you perform tasks on behalf of others in their calendar.

AskCody offers two ways of supporting delegated access in Outlook: Modern Add-ins and VSTO Add-ins. Regardless of which method you choose, by having the add-ins available on Outlook, and making sure that the calendar permissions regarding delegate access are in place in Outlook/Exchange in your organization, and that users have the AskCody role "Add-in User with Delegate Access", employees will be able to use the add-ins to manage meetings on behalf of others by simply opening them from the event window in Outlook.

This article contains: 

• Modern Add-ins vs. VSTO Add-ins
• Deploy Modern Add-ins
  
• Install VSTO Add-ins
  
• Update from VSTO Add-ins to Modern Add-ins
  
  

Modern Add-ins vs. VSTO Add-ins

• Modern Add-ins are a "one-for-all" Add-in that can be used by all employees, no matter the need for delegated access functionality or not, and it is possible to deploy centrally to all users at once. (Recommended)
• VSTO Add-ins is an older type of Outlook add-ins that are locally installed on all the employee's computer who needs delegated access functionality.

There are services out there that support centralised deployment of VSTO Add-ins, but AskCody only provides limited guidance of this, here. 

There are no visual differences between the VSTO Add-ins and the Modern Add-ins. It is simply a difference in how they are installed/deployed to the employee's Outlook client.

Deploy Modern Add-ins

To use Modern Add-ins, it is important that your organization run on the following requirements.

How to deploy Modern Add-ins

1. Log in to your Microsoft account
2. Navigate to the Microsoft Exchange Admin Center (you need Exchange Administrator access)
3. Click Settings
4. Choose Services & Add-ins
5. Click on the button Deploy Add-in
6. Click Next
7. Choose the option I have a URL for the manifest file.
8. Open a new internet tab → Log in to the AskCody Portal → Navigate to the Admin Center → Open Add-ins → Copy the Manifest URL for the Add-in.
9. Paste in the Manifest URL from the AskCody Portal
10. Click Next
11. Choose Mandatory, Always enabled (This way it will automatically show up in the employee's Outlook ribbon).
12. Click Next
13. Choose who should have access to the Add-in.
14. Click Save

The Modern Add-in is now deployed to the employees you chose in step 13 and will be visible in the Microsoft Outlook ribbon when they log-in to Outlook the next time. Employees will now be able to use the add-ins to manage meetings on behalf of others by simply opening them from the event window in Outlook.

Read more about the deployment of Modern Add-ins and see pictures of each step, here.

Install VSTO Add-ins

The following instruction will guide you through how to install VSTO Add-ins manually on one employee computer. 

There are services out there that support centralised deployment of VSTO Add-ins, but AskCody only provides limited guidance of this, here. 

1. Log in to the AskCody Portal
2. Open the Admin Center
3. Go to Add-ins for MS
4. Click on Download on the VSTO Add-in you want to install.
5. Choose what version of Office you run: 32-bit or 64-bit? Found out what version you run, here. 
6. (When the version has been chosen the installation file will be downloaded)
7. Open the downloaded Zip-folder, it will contain 4 files.
8. Choose the Application file (.exe)
9. The Application file is dependent on other files to be installed and will now ask you to extract these files. Tick the box open extracted files when done and then click the Extract all button.
10. This has now extracted all the files you need to install the VSTO Add-in. If the folder does not open automatically, then navigate to the folder where you saved it in step 9.
11. In the extracted folder click the Application file again. This will open the actual installation window. 
12. Click Install.
13. As usually, a control window pop-up and notifies you that the installation will make changes to you computer (meaning: install the VSTO Add-in). Click Yes to continue.
14. The installation will now start, but to finish you need to agree to the Terms & Conditions (Your company most likely have already signed this in the Pre-sales phase). Click Next in the installation window, then tick the Accept box and click Next again.
15. The set-up window now requires a License Key.
16. To get the license key: Open a new internet browser window → Log in to the AskCody Portal → Navigate to the Admin Center → Open Add-ins for MS → Copy the License Key for the VSTO Add-in.
17. Paste in the License Key from the AskCody Portal and click Next.
18. Click Install and the installation will complete. 
19. Finally, Click Finish to exit the installation and Close to close the window. 

The VSTO Add-in is now installed and will be visible in the Microsoft Outlook ribbon when the employee log-in to Outlook the next time. Employees will now be able to use the add-ins to manage meetings on behalf of others by simply opening them from the event window in Outlook.

If you need to install more than one VSTO Add-in, simply repeat the process. 

Update from VSTO Add-ins to Modern Add-ins

1. Follow Step 1-14 from Deploy Modern Add-ins
   *We recommend, you deploy (push out) the "new" Add-ins to all employees using the Add-ins already, including the employees that were using the VSTO Add-ins before. This makes sure all employees have the same Add-ins, and not just the employees booking on behalf of others (using Delegated access). But if it's easier for you to deploy only the new Modern Add-ins to the employees booking on behalf of others feel free to do that. 
2. Uninstall the VSTO Add-ins from all the computers who had VSTO Add-ins installed.
   It is not required that you uninstall the old VSTOs, but keeping them, will result in two pairs of "Add-ins" in the Outlook Ribbon on the PAs and Secretaries computer. 
   
   1. Open the computer program Control Panel.
   2. Choose Programs and Features.
   3. Find and click on the VSTO Add-in in the list you wish to uninstall from the computer.
   4. Click Uninstall.
   5. As usually, a control window pop-up and notifies you that this action will make changes to the computer (meaning: uninstall the VSTO Add-in). Click Yes to continue.
   6. Click the Uninstall button in the Setup window.
   7. The uninstallation will start.
   8. Click Close to close the window. 
   9. The VSTO Add-in is now uninstalled and will not be visible in the Microsoft Outlook ribbon when the employee log-in to Outlook the next time. 

Repeat the process if you need to uninstall more VSTO Add-ins. 

The Modern Add-ins are now deployed to the employees and will be visible in the Microsoft Outlook ribbon when they log-in to Outlook the next time. Employees will now be able to use the add-ins to manage meetings on behalf of others by simply opening them from the event window in Outlook.

There are services out there that support centralised deployment of VSTO Add-ins, but AskCody only provides limited guidance of this, here.