Last updated on March 18th, 2023 at 09:00 pm

Agile offices are characterized by their ability to easily adapt to the needs of different employees and groups. She can work at a hot desk, then meet with Jordan and Ira in a conference room, and then move into a breakout space with Mia without slowing down. But this type of flexible workplace can only be achieved by putting controls in place. Workplace reservation and management software is usually running in the background.

Imagine the chaos that occurs when multiple employees and groups try to meet in the same conference room or use the same hot desk at the same time. An employee would spend more time looking for a suitable Workspace management software than actually using it if there were no system of organization and prioritization. Three examples illustrate how important workplace reservation and management software is.

1. Better space utilization

Using workspace reservation software extends the use of rooms beyond what’s currently available. Jason may only use the third-floor conference room down the hall since it’s close by and convenient. He is accustomed to it. He might not bother looking for another space if someone is in there. Additionally, he might discover there’s another conference room just one department over, just a two-minute walk away, if he uses room scheduling software.

Not only does room booking improve space utilization, but it can also improve accommodation. Jasmine might have a tendency to book the same group workspace for every meeting. This space can only comfortably accommodate four people, and Jasmine frequently meets with groups of five and six. Jasmine may be able to find better accommodations if she uses booking software to book different rooms based on the size of her party that day.

2. Less time spent commuting to work

One of the most important aspects of a meeting room booking system is saving time. The amount of time employees spend wandering from one area to another is effectively wasted. The ability to book a room for a specific period of time eliminates wasteful time up front. From 1-2pm, Leslie and company can reserve the Blue Conference Room, which might save them 10 minutes otherwise spent looking for space. The Blue Conference Room is already booked, so Donna and her team won’t waste time walking there.

Based on the scope of available workspaces within facilities, these minutes can add up to hours or even days. Imagine how much one minute per hour can add up to, for example. The time saved per hour adds up to 10 minutes per day, which amounts to 43 total hours per year, or about a week of work.

3. Planning and locating employees is easy

Knowing where an employee is at any given time is an underrated feature of a desk booking solution. This is particularly useful in agile workspaces, where employees change workspaces throughout the day. By checking active room reservations, it is easy to find an employee or even an entire team.

Nancy searches the employee directory for Talib and sees he’s in a meeting for the next 40 minutes. Instead of calling him, she emails him. To discuss revisions, Laurentta wants to get her design team together. As an alternative to tracking them all down, she invites them all to a conference room and lets the room booking software determine the closest available space between them.

No matter the size of a workplace or the commotion within, room booking software makes it easy to get your bearings and collaborate with coworkers. Scheduling rooms updates calendars, which updates availability, which simplifies and streamlines collaboration. Everyone knows where each other is, when they’re free, and what spaces are available nearby.