Jifflenow: Enhancements to Endorsement feature

The current endorsement feature is essential for facilitating meetings with executives, allowing Meeting Managers (MMs) and Executive Assistants (EAs) to prioritize requests and ensure that VVIPs are only invited to meetings that truly warrant their time. However, this feature has shortcomings that hinder its effectiveness:

1. Lack of Transparency: Non-admin requestors are often unaware that certain participants require endorsement from MMs or EAs. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and wasted effort in scheduling.

2. Absence of Status Updates: Requestors do not receive any updates on the endorsement status of their meeting requests, leaving them in the dark about whether their requests are being considered or have been accepted.

3. Limited Response Options: MMs and EAs can only accept endorsement requests, with no option to reject them along with a reason. This lack of communication leaves requestors without clear guidance on why their requests may have been denied.

4. Blocking of Calendar Availability: Until an endorsement is approved, executives cannot be marked as accepted or declined for the meeting. This means that if double booking or request management isn't enabled for the executive, their calendar remains blocked, preventing other requestors from scheduling that time.

These issues create inefficiencies and confusion, undermining the intent of the endorsement feature and limiting effective scheduling.

Proposed Solution

To enhance the endorsement process, we propose the following improvements:

1. Rejection Capability: Users who can endorse will also have the ability to reject requests, allowing for better communication of decisions.

   

2. Mandatory Rejection Reason: When a request is rejected, users will be required to enter a reason, which will then be displayed in the meeting details and history.

   

3. Clear Status Updates: Introduce a new email notification system to keep requestors informed about the endorsement status of their meeting requests. These notifications will provide real-time updates for all key actions, including when the request is pending, approved, or rejected, ensuring complete transparency throughout the process.

   

4. Calendar Management: Upon rejection, the meeting block will be removed from the user’s calendar, allowing for better availability management.

5. Enhanced Visibility: A "Needs Endorsement" tag will be visible in the booking flow for non-admin users, providing clear instructions on the need for endorsement and who to contact.

6. Meeting History Documentation: All actions related to endorsement (approved, rejected, or pending) will be logged in the meeting history for transparency.

By implementing these changes, we can ensure that the endorsement process becomes a more effective tool for managing executive meetings, enhancing communication, and ultimately maximizing the value of VVIP time.