Create Quick Email Polls in Outlook

Sometimes you don’t need a full survey or a long email thread. If you just need a fast answer from a group like what day works best, what topic to cover, or what food to order Outlook has built-in tools that let people vote in seconds.

Outlook gives you two options under the Insert tab while you’re composing an email:

Polls lets you ask a regular multiple-choice question.

Scheduling Poll helps a group pick the best meeting time.

When to use this

Here are a few examples that work well in real life:

Picking the best time for a quick IT training (ticket submission, MFA, SharePoint basics) Voting on a menu for an employee lunch or event Choosing a training topic (password resets, printing/scanning, Teams, SharePoint) Getting quick feedback after a change (“Did this fix the issue?” Yes/No) Selecting between a few options (logo choice, flyer design, room location, etc.)

If the goal is “quick group decision,” this is usually the fastest way to get it.

Polls vs. Scheduling Poll

Use Polls when you want a simple vote with choices (one question, multiple answers).

Example: “Which topic should we cover?” or “Which lunch option should we order?”

Use Scheduling Poll when you want people to vote on date/time options and automatically land on the best meeting time.

Poll features (what the options mean)

When you build a poll, you’ll see a few settings that are helpful:

Add options

Add as many choices as you need. Keep it short when possible so people actually vote.

Multiple selections

Turn this on when you want people to choose more than one answer.

Great for things like lunch menus (“pick your top 2”) or training topics (“select any you want covered”).

Add images

You can add pictures to the question or to each option.

This is perfect for menus, design choices, or anything visual.

Example: add a photo for “Sandwich Platter,” “Pasta Tray,” “Salad,” etc.

Record names of respondents

If enabled, you’ll be able to see who voted for what (only visible to the poll creator).

If disabled, it collects responses without names.

Share aggregated results

If enabled, responders can see the totals after they vote.

If disabled, only you see the results.

Tips for better response rates

Keep it to one question per email Use clear choices (avoid long sentences) If it’s an event menu, turn on Multiple selections If you want transparency, turn on Share aggregated results Add a short deadline line: “Please vote by 2:00 PM today.”