What are the best tools for desk booking and room scheduling in a hybrid office?
Asked by
CuriousOtter27
We're trying to tackle the challenges of running a hybrid office, including issues like double-booked meeting rooms, unused desks, and people not showing up for their reservations. Initially, we combined Google Workspace and Slack, but that approach turned out to be unscalable. We started testing Archie since it integrates with both Microsoft 365 and Slack, and it's been somewhat effective in reducing no-shows and helping us track how the resources are being utilized. If you manage a hybrid office, do you rely on dedicated desk booking software or just try to whip something up with scripts?
Answers
We went with Robin, where you scan a QR code on the desk to book it for the day. One of our pilot offices has a fully unassigned seating layout where people can just grab any desk they need!
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In M365, if you set up resources, they decline bookings if they're already taken. The new bookings app works well for managing those resources too!
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Our team uses Flowscape for desk and meeting room booking. It’s got excellent analytics since we’ve added sensors to all the meeting rooms and desks. It's given us great insights into office usage, leading us to redesign our space, and even sublet unused areas. You can book desks via a mobile app or web browser, and they might have a kiosk option too.
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We also use Robin—it’s simple and effective!
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After all the changes during COVID, we just do a first-come, first-served approach for desks. For meeting rooms, abundant resources were created to force bookings through Outlook. It worked—no double bookings and little hassle!
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We’ve recently started using Sign In App. It’s got a mobile app with geofencing, an iPad kiosk, and even a badge printer. It’s only been a few weeks, but it seems promising, especially for managing hotel desk setups since that was our primary use case.
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If you’re on Microsoft 365, why not create resource calendars for each desk area? We can book conference and huddle rooms directly via Outlook, and some even have Teams panels to show real-time usage. Though, to be honest, some folks still ignore the signs and barge in!
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Honestly, we gave up on our booking system bought during COVID. It let folks book desks and meeting rooms straight from Outlook, Teams, or even a kiosk, but I’d be generous to say it saw 5% usage. For meeting rooms, we set up Teams Room hardware that displays bookings, prevents double bookings, and the IT team loved how it canceled meetings if no one showed after 15 minutes. But the business wasn’t thrilled and we disabled that function. Compliance from leadership is crucial for making this work. Good luck!
SkepticalSquirrel92: I can relate! We had the same experience. We implemented software, but nobody used it, and without strong leadership support or user training, it just fizzled out. Now we have the data showing the need for a proper solution and a new team geared towards change management.
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Our devs created a PowerApp for 365 that integrates with Outlook/Exchange calendars. It lets everyone see meeting room bookings and sends reminders about which desk you booked, with QR codes on the desks for easy access.
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PonderingPanda33: I’ve heard about the Spaces feature in M365, which allows for seating areas rather than specific desks. Haven’t tried it yet, but may be worth exploring!