Adding a Zoom link to a calendar invite

A Zoom meeting link can be added to a Sora calendar invite by either including a static meeting link within the task template or by manually adding a meeting link to a calendar event after it has been created. This article explains when to use which approach and the steps involved in each.

Adding a static Zoom link to a task template

This is the preferred method of adding a Zoom link anytime the calendar invite being created is for an event that will never have multiple overlapping occurrences. For example, maybe your company puts on an “Employee Benefits” training session for new hires. Even though this is a recurring event that takes place every time someone new joins the company, there will never be more than one session being delivered at the same time. In situations such as this, you can create a single Zoom meeting link and include it within the Sora calendar invite template so that it gets automatically applied to all invites for that specific event. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Within the Zoom web app, create a new No Fixed Time meeting and configure all the desired settings for this event.
We recommend that you uncheck the default Waiting Room option in the Security section, otherwise the host (i.e. the person completing this step) will have to manually admit attendees into each meeting.
  1. Copy the Invite Link from Zoom and paste it into the Location field of the corresponding calendar invite task template within Sora.
  1. Publish the task template.
Changes to a calendar invite template, including the addition of a meeting link, will not update any previously created calendar events, even if the event has yet to take place.

Manually adding a unique Zoom link

For events that can have multiple overlapping occurrences, a single Zoom link will not suffice. For example, let’s say you want to schedule a first-day lunch with the new hire and their onboarding buddy. In this example, there can be multiple different first-day lunches taking place across the company at the same time, and each would need its own Zoom link.

In situations such as this, the suggested practice is to not include a meeting link in the calendar invite task template, but instead add an assignment task to the workflow to notify the appropriate person (e.g. the event host or a meeting attendee) to manually add a unique Zoom link to the calendar event. You should configure this assignment task to be dependent on the calendar invite task so that it goes out as soon as the event gets created, and you should populate the task instructions with any relevant information (e.g. names of event invitees) that would help the assignee locate the corresponding calendar event.