Group chats are excellent for conversation but poor at comparing availability. “Tuesday works” may omit the time zone, reactions are ambiguous, and quiet members are easy to miss. A TimeVote poll gives everyone the same exact candidates and the same three explicit answer states.
Separate discussion from the final choice
Use the chat to identify constraints and realistic dates. Once the set is stable, create the poll with exact starts and durations. Avoid a long list: three to six serious candidates are usually easier to answer than every imaginable time.
Write the decision and the deadline together
Use a recognisable meeting title and include a deadline beside the link. Explain that everyone must answer every candidate and that the organiser will confirm the final time after reviewing the counts.
Give everyone the same low-friction path
Participants open the link, enter a display name, and mark every candidate Available, If needed, or Unavailable. No email or account is needed. Their private receipt allows changes while the poll is open and should not be posted in the group chat.
Close at the announced time
A deadline keeps late responses from moving the target indefinitely. The manager sees how many people responded and can compare Available, If needed, and Unavailable counts for every candidate before confirming one.
Return the decision to the chat
Confirm one candidate in TimeVote, then post the selected time and next action in the original conversation. The ranking is a deterministic aid, but the group and organiser still own the decision.