Clockwise: Intelligent Calendaring

Clockwise is positioning itself at the forefront of AI-powered scheduling solutions, offering what they call “intelligent calendaring.” The platform is designed to revolutionize how individuals and teams manage their time, promising to work “like magic” to optimize schedules and boost productivity.

Key Features

1. Prism: AI-Powered Scheduling Assistant

Prism is Clockwise’s flagship AI assistant, capable of:

• Finding available time slots
• Proposing meeting times
• Easily rescheduling events
• Sharing availability
• Clearing schedules
• Scheduling tasks

2. Intelligent Time-Finding

Clockwise navigates complex schedules and can rearrange events to:

• Find time for busy groups
• Book urgent meetings

3. Multi-Event Management

Users can perform bulk actions such as:

• Clearing an entire day’s schedule
• Rescheduling meetings when out of office
• Booking multiple one-on-ones in a single request

4. Availability Sharing

• Generate text-based lists of available times
• Create one-time scheduling links

5. Task Management

• Convert to-do lists into “Flexible Holds” on the calendar

6. Quick Event Control

• RSVP, mark as flexible, or reschedule events with a single click

7. Collaborative Rescheduling

• Create and share pending rescheduling proposals for attendee approval

Technology Behind Clockwise

Clockwise boasts a proprietary scheduling engine built specifically to reason about time. Key statistics include:

• Analysis of 160,000,000 meetings on average per day
• Capability to test millions of calendar arrangements
• Dynamic calendar reactions based on preferences

Target Users

Clockwise caters to various user profiles:

1. Deep Work Seekers: Professionals looking to create and protect blocks of uninterrupted focus time.
2. Busy Calendar Bees: Team members juggling multiple meetings and shifting priorities.
3. Networking Navigators: Individuals coordinating with external contacts frequently.

Client Base

Clockwise claims to serve over 40,000 organizations, including notable names such as:

• Asana
• Atlassian
• Etsy
• Shopify
• GitLab
• Uber
• Zoom
• Reddit
• Instacart
• HubSpot

Customer Testimonials

1. Abbie Kouzmanoff, Senior Product Manager at Amplitude: “Engineers have seen an improvement in heads-down time and ability to get work done, which of course is productivity and ultimately business impact.”
2. Brandon Leonardo, Cofounder of Instacart: “Clockwise is one of our most adopted AI products. It’s the tool our team loves the most to keep their days running smoothly.”
3. Alex White, Senior Engineering Manager: “It’s part of our company culture to use Clockwise; it’s been really beneficial because it’s a respected spot on our calendar, whether it be for lunch or Focus Time.”

Pricing and Plans

Clockwise offers a tiered pricing structure to cater to different needs and organizational sizes:

1. Free Plan

• Cost: $0 USD per user per month
• Target: Teams who need smart calendar management for a healthier work day
• Features:
  • Automatically find the best time for tasks and routines
  • Schedule seamlessly outside your organization with unlimited Clockwise Scheduling Links
  • Protect personal time for meals, travel, and appointments
  • Delegate calendar management to Prism

2. Teams Plan

• Cost: $6.75 USD per user per month, billed annually
• Target: Teams looking to automatically create and protect Focus Time
• Features: Everything in Free, plus:
  • Optimize meeting times to free up uninterrupted time for focused work
  • Protect deep work time with auto-scheduled Focus Time holds
  • Schedule meetings with an external invitee and multiple teammates with group Scheduling Links

3. Business Plan

• Cost: $11.50 USD per user per month, billed annually
• Target: Companies looking to automate calendar management org-wide
• Features: Everything in Teams, plus:
  • Measure meeting load and focus time across your entire organization
  • Access advanced billing management and admin controls
  • Balance meeting distribution using round-robin scheduling logic

4. Enterprise Plan

• Cost: Custom pricing (“Let’s talk!”)
• Target: Organizations with advanced security and customization needs
• Features: Everything in Business, plus:
  • Centrally manage user provisioning and deprovisioning via SCIM
  • Configure custom data processing for enhanced security
  • Receive guaranteed preferred support and maintenance

Clockwise’s pricing structure is designed to scale with the needs of the organization, from individual users and small teams to large enterprises. The free tier offers a good entry point for those wanting to try out the basic features, while the paid tiers provide increasingly sophisticated tools for time management, team coordination, and organizational insights.

For larger organizations or those with specific security and customization requirements, the Enterprise plan offers tailored solutions. As with many SaaS products, annual billing provides a discount compared to potential monthly rates.

It’s worth noting that potential users should contact Clockwise directly for the most up-to-date pricing information and to discuss any customization needs, particularly for the Enterprise plan.

Integration and Compatibility

Clockwise is available on Google and Microsoft platforms, indicating compatibility with popular calendar services like Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook.

Security and Privacy

The website mentions Security, Terms, and Privacy policies, suggesting a focus on data protection and user privacy. However, it also notes the use of cookies for various purposes, including personalization and analytics.

Alternatives to Clockwise

While Clockwise offers a comprehensive AI-powered scheduling solution, there are several other platforms in the market that provide similar functionalities. Here are some alternatives worth considering:

1. Calendly:
   • Features: Automated scheduling, integration with various calendar platforms, time zone detection
   • Best for: Individuals and small teams looking for a straightforward scheduling tool
2. x.ai:
   • Features: AI-powered scheduling assistant, natural language processing for email scheduling
   • Best for: Professionals who frequently schedule meetings via email
3. Doodle:
   • Features: Poll-based scheduling, integration with calendar platforms
   • Best for: Coordinating meetings with large groups or external participants
4. RescueTime:
   • Features: Automatic time-tracking, detailed reports on productivity, focus time settings
   • Best for: Individuals looking to improve personal productivity and time management
5. Microsoft Bookings (part of Microsoft 365):
   • Features: Scheduling page, integration with Outlook calendar, automated confirmations and reminders
   • Best for: Businesses already using Microsoft 365 suite
6. Google Calendar:
   • Features: Basic scheduling, integration with Google Workspace, appointment slots feature
   • Best for: Users deeply integrated into the Google ecosystem
7. Timebridge:
   • Features: Meeting coordination, availability sharing, time zone management
   • Best for: Professionals scheduling meetings across different time zones
8. Acuity Scheduling:
   • Features: Online appointment scheduling, payment processing, client self-scheduling
   • Best for: Service-based businesses like coaching or consulting
9. ScheduleOnce:
   • Features: Customizable booking pages, integration with video conferencing tools, team scheduling
   • Best for: Businesses with complex scheduling needs
10. When2meet:
    • Features: Simple, free group scheduling tool
    • Best for: Casual users or small groups looking for a no-frills solution

When considering alternatives to Clockwise, it’s important to evaluate your specific needs:

• If you’re primarily looking for a simple scheduling tool, options like Calendly or Doodle might suffice.
• For those deeply integrated into Microsoft or Google ecosystems, their native tools might be more convenient.
• If AI-powered assistance is a priority, x.ai could be a good alternative to explore.
• For businesses with specific needs like payment processing or client self-scheduling, specialized tools like Acuity Scheduling might be more appropriate.

Each of these alternatives has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice will depend on your specific use case, team size, integration requirements, and budget. It’s recommended to take advantage of free trials when available to test which solution works best for your needs.

Conclusion

Clockwise presents itself as a comprehensive solution for the modern workplace’s time management challenges. By leveraging AI and advanced scheduling algorithms, it aims to reduce the cognitive load associated with calendar management, allowing professionals to focus on their core work. Its adoption by numerous high-profile tech companies suggests that it’s making significant inroads in the productivity tools market.

For individuals and teams struggling with time management, meeting coordination, or finding uninterrupted focus time, Clockwise could be a valuable tool to explore. However, as with any AI-powered tool handling sensitive calendar data, potential users should review the platform’s security and privacy policies carefully before adoption.