Most scheduling pain is not a calendar problem. It is a conversation problem. Someone proposes a time, two people answer, one person answers a day later, and the thread quietly dies. Then it starts again.
The fix is boring and it works: propose a small set of options, collect answers in one place, and close the decision quickly.
Propose fewer times
Three to five options is the sweet spot. Fewer feels like a demand. More feels like homework, and response rates drop sharply once a poll looks like a spreadsheet.
Pick options that are genuinely different — a morning, an afternoon, a day later in the week. Two slots thirty minutes apart are not really two options.
Give the poll a deadline
A poll without a deadline is an open loop. Say when you will decide, and decide then. People answer faster when the window is visible.
Read the result honestly
The winning column is the one with the most yeses, but "if need be" answers matter. A time where four people are enthusiastic beats a time where six people are reluctant.
Decide, announce, move on. The cost of a slightly worse time is almost always lower than the cost of another week of messages.
FAQ
How many time options should I offer?
Three to five. That is enough to find overlap without turning the poll into a chore, and it keeps the results readable at a glance.
What if nobody can make any of the times?
Add a second short round with two or three new options informed by the first round. Do not reopen the original poll with ten more slots.
Do participants need an account?
No. Anyone with the link can vote by typing a name, and they can come back later to change their answer.