Best Practices for Appointment Tracking

Appointment tracking is a critical component of calendar integration in Bullhorn ATS. This article provides best practices for configuring user and system settings to ensure appointments are tracked consistently, troubleshooting common issues, and optimizing your setup for seamless performance. Learn how to address challenges such as duplicate emails, forwarding rules, and platform-specific behaviors to maintain reliable appointment tracking.

Key Considerations for Appointment Tracking

Accurate appointment tracking in Bullhorn ATS relies on proper configuration of user and system settings. This section highlights common factors that can affect tracking, such as duplicate email addresses, email forwarding rules, and the platform used to send invitations. By addressing these considerations, you can ensure consistent and reliable appointment tracking for all users.

Duplicate Email Addresses

Issue: Duplicate email addresses across active or disabled user records can cause conflicts, preventing appointments from tracking.

Best Practice: Ensure each user has a unique email address associated with their record in Bullhorn. Check for duplicates in both active and disabled records, and update or remove duplicates as needed.

Microsoft Teams vs. Outlook Invitations

Issue: Invitations sent via Microsoft Teams may not track the same way as those sent directly from Outlook.

Best Practice: For consistent tracking, send meeting invitations directly through Outlook rather than Microsoft Teams.

Email Forwarding Rules

Issue: Forwarding rules, either in Outlook or configured through journaling, can interfere with tracking.

Best Practice: Disable email forwarding rules for affected users to prevent interruptions in tracking.

SPF Record Validation

Issue: Incorrect SPF records can prevent proper authentication of emails, leading to tracking issues.

Best Practice: Ensure SPF records are correctly configured and include all relevant email relay services.

Steps for Troubleshooting Appointment Tracking

  1. Validate User Settings
    • Check for duplicate email addresses across user records.
    • Ensure email forwarding is disabled for affected users.
    • Confirm users are sending meeting invites directly from Outlook.
  2. Verify System Configuration
    • Confirm the organization’s SPF records include all necessary relay services.
    • Test tracking by adding appointments manually to verify integration.
  3. Identify Patterns
    • Compare invitations that successfully track with those that fail. Determine whether the source (e.g., Outlook vs. Microsoft Teams) or other factors differ.