Scheduling poll: the complete guide
You suggest dates, everyone answers Yes, Maybe or No, and Wannja shows the date that suits everyone best. This page explains every step and every field.
Everything in steps 1 to 6 is free. Fields marked “Pro” need Wannja Pro (CHF 7 per month or CHF 70 per year). More about Pro
When to use a scheduling poll
A scheduling poll is the right choice when the date is still open: board meeting, parents’ evening, rehearsal, team dinner. If the date is already set and you want to know who’s coming, use a sign-up. If you want to ask for opinions or hold a vote, use a poll.
People who vote don’t need an account or an app – just the link. To create a poll you need a free account; you can fill in the poll first and only create the account when you save.
Step by step
Title and description
Open Create a scheduling poll. Enter a title that still makes sense in a list of messages, for example “Board meeting March”. The description should cover what participants need to know: what it’s about, how long it will take and by when they should vote.
Location or video link
Optional: “Location or video link”, for example “Club room, Bahnhofstrasse 5”, or a Teams or Zoom link. Participants see it when voting, and it appears in the “Date confirmed” email and in the calendar file. A link that starts with https:// becomes clickable.
Enter date options
Under “Date options” you enter one date per row, optionally with a start and end time. “Add date” adds a row. If you choose a “Default duration” at the top (for example 1 hr), Wannja fills in the end time as soon as you type the start time.
- Same day, several times: enter the day more than once, for example Tuesday 18:00 and Tuesday 19:30.
- Whole day: just the date, without a time – for an outing, say.
- How many? Up to 200 options per poll. Fewer is usually better: people happily answer 4 to 8 dates, not 30.
Set the options
For each date you can enter “Max. seats” (see the field overview). Below that: “Allow “Maybe”” (on by default) and how long the poll stays valid. Then click “Create poll”. If you’re not logged in, log in now or create a free account with your email address – your entries are kept.
Share the link
Once the poll is created, you’ll see the voting link, with buttons below it for copying it and for sending it by email or WhatsApp. Post it in the group chat, send it by email or put it up on a notice board. Keep the admin link to yourself – we also send it to you by email.
The admin link opens the results and editing without logging in. Don’t pass it on; anyone who has it can change and close the poll.
View the results and confirm the date
At the top of the results page you see the “Best match”, with bars for every date. “Add to calendar” downloads the date as a calendar file (.ics). With “Confirm date & notify participants” you choose the final date; all participants with an email address receive the “Date confirmed” email with a calendar invitation.
Every field explained
You see these fields on the “Create a scheduling poll” page. All of them are free.
| Field | What does it do? | When is it useful? Example |
|---|---|---|
| Poll title | Required. Shown on the voting page, in emails and in your overview. | Always. “Choir rehearsal weekend” rather than “Date”. |
| Description (optional) | Free text above the dates. | Duration, location, please reply by Friday. |
| Location or video link | Location or link (up to 1000 characters). An https link becomes clickable. Appears in the “Date confirmed” email and in the calendar file. | Meeting room, or a Teams link for an online meeting. |
| Default duration | Works out the end time as you type the start time: none, 30 min, 1, 2 or 3 hrs, or a custom duration (5 to 480 minutes). You can still change the end time afterwards. | Many options of the same length, such as 90-minute meetings. |
| Date options | Date (required), time from and to (optional). At least one date, at most 200. | Tue 4 Mar 19:00–21:00, Thu 6 Mar 19:00–21:00. |
| Max. seats | Limits how many people can say Yes to this date (1 to 9999, empty = unlimited). Once the date is full, it shows “full” and Yes can no longer be chosen; Maybe is still possible. Anyone who has already said Yes keeps their seat. | A guided tour with 12 seats per date; office hours with 1 seat per time slot. |
| Allow “Maybe” | Besides Yes and No there is “Maybe”. For the best match, Yes counts double and Maybe counts once. | Switch it off when you need firm answers, for example when seats are limited. |
| Poll valid for | 1 week, 1 month, 3 months (default), 6 months or – with an account – unlimited. After that the poll is archived and the link no longer accepts votes. With a response deadline (Pro), it ends 14 days after the deadline instead. | 1 week for “When shall we go out for dinner?”, 3 months for planning the year. |
Fields with Pro
With Pro, creating a poll has three steps: basic details, “Participants” and “Preview”. These settings are added:
| Field | What does it do? | When is it useful? Example |
|---|---|---|
| Lists, groups, people, Guests | Everyone you select gets a personal link; you see who has answered. You add guests with a name and optionally an email address, without saving them. | A board, class or team you ask regularly. More on this: People, lists & groups. |
| Send invitation emails now | Sends the invitations as soon as the poll is created. For people without an email address we send you their personal links so you can pass them on yourself. | Switch it off if you would rather share the link yourself. |
| Open participation | With invitations: people who only have the general link can also vote, under any name they enter. | An invited board plus guests you haven’t added individually. |
| Response deadline | People can vote up to and including this day; after that the page is read-only. The day after the deadline you get an email asking you to confirm the date. 14 days after the deadline the poll is archived. | When you need an answer by a particular day. |
| Automatic reminder | Invited people who haven’t answered yet get a reminder in the last 5 days before the deadline – no earlier than 2 days after the invitation and at most one per deadline. Also applies to guests with an address. Needs a response deadline. | Whenever you set a deadline and invite people. |
| Visible from | From this date the poll appears on your portal page. | Prepare a poll and only show it on the portal on Monday. |
| Hide other people’s responses | Participants only see their own answer, never anyone else’s. Only you see the results. | When nobody should be influenced by the others, for example for parent meetings. |
| Participants’ email address required | Anyone voting via the link must enter a valid email address and receives the edit link at that address. | When you want to tell everyone the confirmed date later. |
| Show on portal page | Shows the poll on your portal page (wannja.ch/your-name). | A club portal that your website links to. |
Without a response deadline, the validity you chose applies with Pro too (default 3 months). If you set a deadline, the poll stays valid until 14 days after it.
Share and invite
The voting link works for anyone who has it. It fits any channel: group chat, email, club newsletter, notice board. People who vote enter a name and, optionally, an email address for the edit link.
With Pro you invite people from your lists and groups personally. You then see in the results who is still missing and can remind individuals, a selection or everyone. Anyone who opens the general link instead of their personal link picks their name from the list of invited people – unless you have switched on “Open participation”, in which case they type in a name instead.
Reading the results
- Best match: the date with the most points. Yes counts 2 points, Maybe 1 point. If several dates are tied, Wannja shows all of them and you decide.
- Bars: for each date, green for Yes and amber for Maybe, plus the number of No answers.
- Table: who said what for which date, with a totals row.
- Invited (Pro): who has answered and who is still to answer, with reminders.
- Print, Excel and CSV: when logged in, you get a print view, an Excel file and a CSV file.
Confirm the date and tell everyone
Under “Confirm date & notify participants” you choose the date and click “Confirm & send”. The email goes to everyone who entered an email address when voting and to invited people with an address – with a calendar invitation attached. This is free.
If only people without an email address voted, download the date with “Add to calendar” and share it via WhatsApp or as a link. If you keep a Wannja calendar, “Add to calendar” adds the date straight to it.
Change, close or delete later
- Edit: you can change the title, description, location, dates and options at any time. New or changed dates are marked “new” when voting; anyone who has already answered sees a notice. In the results you notify those affected who have an email address with one click.
- Remove response: remove individual answers in the table, such as a test entry. This cannot be undone.
- Resend edit link: if someone has lost their confirmation email, you can send the personal link to the address on file.
- Close: the poll no longer accepts votes, but you can still see the results. “Reactivate” makes it valid again.
- Duplicate (Pro): use the poll as a template for the next one. Answers and invitations are not copied.
- Delete: in the overview of your polls. Archived polls stay stored until you delete them.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
| Mistake | Better |
|---|---|
| Admin link lost | With an account, you’ll find all your polls in the dashboard. The link is also in the email you get after creating the poll. |
| Sent the admin link instead of the voting link | Always share the voting link (the “Copy link” button at the top of the results page). If it’s already happened: duplicate the poll or create a new one, and delete the old one. |
| Too many options | Better to do two rounds: first weeks, then days. |
| Nobody gets the “Date confirmed” email | The email only goes to people with an email address. Ask people in the description to enter one, or require it with Pro. |
| Someone votes twice under the same name | Wannja won’t accept a name that has already been used. To change their answer, the person needs their edit link; lost it? Request it again at wannja.ch/meine-links. |
Frequently asked questions
How many date options can I add?
Up to 200 per poll, on the free plan too.
Can participants see who voted for what?
Yes, the table is visible to everyone. With Pro you can switch on “Hide other people’s responses”; then each person only sees their own answer.
Can I add dates after creating the poll?
Yes, under “Edit”. New dates are marked “new” when voting, and anyone who has already answered sees a notice. In the results you notify those affected who have an email address with one click.
How long does my poll stay online?
As long as you chose under “Poll valid for” (1 week to 6 months, unlimited with an account). With a response deadline (Pro), until 14 days after the deadline. After that it is archived: the link no longer accepts votes, but you can still see the results and reactivate it.
What exactly does “Best match” mean?
The date with the most points: Yes counts double, Maybe once. If there is a tie, Wannja shows all dates with the same score, and you decide.