People working together over table

Meeting room booker: benefits & key characteristics to consider

Published:

March 7, 2024

Updated:

September 30, 2024

Getting started

6

min

In an era when office space optimization is more critical than ever, the utilization of a meeting room booker can be a game-changer for your business, no matter its size. In other words, this tool removes the hassle of conference room management

From fostering collaboration by ensuring meeting spaces are accessible when needed to enhance operational efficiency and preventing booking overlaps and confusion, the benefits are endless. A smartly chosen room booker can even contribute to the company’s bottom line by reducing downtime, streamlining administrative tasks, and offering insights into space usage

But with the many options on the market, selecting the right room scheduling software is key. It must align with your company’s specific needs, offer seamless integrations with existing systems, and be user-friendly enough to encourage widespread adoption. In the search for this perfect fit, one will stand out. Welcome to the world of workspace management which is being transformed by technology.

What is a meeting room booker?

A meeting room booker, also called room scheduling software, is a digital tool that helps your organization manage the reservation and scheduling of conference rooms. It’s designed to work seamlessly across various resources and platforms. It enables employees to check room availability, book spaces, and even see the setup and equipment in each room, all from their computers or mobile devices. This software can also synchronize with your company’s calendar systems to keep everything up-to-date, enhancing workflows and efficiency.

The top 6 benefits of using room scheduling software for your employees and business

1. It provides you with valuable metrics about how your workplace is used

A common issue in offices with meeting rooms is that they are not always used like they should be or do not match employees’ needs. The only way to fix this problem is to get feedback from users and data from tools like workplace management software. Meeting room bookers aren’t just about convenience; they’re powerful data gatherers. By tracking when, how, and which rooms are used, they provide valuable insights into your workplace’s actual space usage.

2. It ensures the office space is optimally used and matches employees’ needs

With a meeting room booker, you can apply better resource management and potentially see significant cost savings by redesigning or downsizing offices. Why would you continue offering 10 conference rooms if data shows that workers only occupy half of them? Moreover, if team members want to brainstorm in a specific room, they can book it within three clicks (with the deskbird app). They no longer have to worry about the availability of this space for their next meeting. If your company goal is to bring people back into the office, this could certainly play in your favor.

3. It enables your company to save on office costs

The data you collect, thanks to the workplace analytics reports of your meeting room booker, enable you to make data-driven decisions regarding the office space that can result in tangible cost-saving opportunities. For example, your company could work with fewer spaces, thus lowering the expenses related to real estate and maintenance. In other words, with detailed usage insights, you can make informed choices on whether to downsize, repurpose, or invest in more space, leading to more strategic financial planning.

👋 Try our hybrid office calculator and discover where to save costs in your workplace!

 

Person speaking to audience
Event taking place in meeting room

4. It boosts efficiency and fosters seamless workflows

According to a Steelcase Workplace Survey, room scheduling software boosts workplace efficiency by cutting the time employees waste, up to 30 minutes daily, for 40% of workers in need of collaboration spaces. With real-time visibility of vacant rooms, it streamlines the booking process, eliminating the frustrating hunt for meeting spots. This simplicity contributes to smoother workflows, as staff can quickly secure spaces, synchronize meetings with team availability, and keep projects moving without unnecessary interruptions or delays, fostering a more productive work environment.

5. It prevents scheduling conflicts and frustration among the workforce

A meeting room booker is crucial in maintaining a harmonious workplace atmosphere. It effectively prevents double booking, which leads to frustration and friction among employees. When everyone can easily find and reserve a space for collaboration there are fewer scheduling conflicts over room availability. Therefore, investing in office space management technology plays a key role in fostering positive workplace relationships and morale.

6. It makes collaboration easier for teams and improves productivity

The last benefit of this non-exhaustive list is that it also helps employees collaborate more easily when coming to the office. In a hybrid work environment, people often go on-site to gather with their colleagues and work on collective tasks. Imagine the frustration and the loss of productivity when they arrive and no meeting room is available. Room scheduling prevents wasting time coming to a room already taken and looking for a new one, or worse, having to cancel the meeting. Team members no longer have to worry about this and can be fully engaged and productive in their daily tasks.

🎬 Do you want to learn more about how we can support your hybrid work environment? Discover the features of the deskbird app in less than two minutes in this video!

9 golden rules to choose the right meeting room booker

1. Analyze your current meeting room booking system (if you have one)

Before diving into the market for a new meeting room booker, it’s essential to evaluate your current system. What’s in place? What are the most common issues employees are talking to you about? Can you access room analytics reports to determine if all your meeting rooms are used efficiently? You have to find out what works and what doesn’t. This helps you determine your organization’s specific needs and challenges. By doing so, you can choose a solution tailored to address your pain points effectively rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all product.

2. Consider an employee-centric and user-friendly meeting room booker only

As an IT manager, many room booking solutions might look very user-friendly, but this is not the case for everyone. If team members do not use your new meeting room booker because they don’t understand how it works, what’s the point? The right tool should be intuitive, easily adopted by all employees, and integrate smoothly into their daily routines. Otherwise, you could end up with a tool that creates more problems than it solves. Ensuring the booker is accessible and people-focused is crucial for its successful adoption and the streamlining of meeting management.

👉 Discover how your team can easily find their colleagues and book a desk in their favorite office area, thanks to our interactive floor plan feature!

Colleagues discussing in meeting room
Colleagues discussing in meeting room

3. Make sure the tool you check is equipped with real-time availability

Choosing a meeting room booker with real-time availability is critical to prevent double bookings and scheduling conflicts. This feature allows everyone to see up-to-the-minute room statuses, ensuring that a space is available when they book it. Real-time updates foster trust in the system, as employees can rely on the accuracy of the information, reducing confusion and wasted time. Therefore, it is really crucial to check this aspect as it is a cornerstone of efficient resource management in a dynamic, fast-paced workplace.

4. Look for a meeting room booker that provides workplace analytics

Having made it this far into the article, you should not be surprised that investing in room scheduling software equipped with workplace analytics is a must. Again, it provides detailed insights into room usage and occupancy trends, allowing you to make data-driven decisions about space management. With this information, you can optimize your office layout, eliminate wasted space, and enhance resource efficiency. Analytics can reveal hidden patterns in space utilization, which can influence choices and significantly impact operational costs and employee satisfaction.

5. Check that integrations to other resources are possible, quick and easy

In today’s tech-driven workplaces, the power of integrations cannot be overstated. Having to go from one tool to another and look for the right tab to book a room or a desk for your next visit to the office is simply time and energy-consuming. A room booking app must offer integration capabilities to seamlessly connect with your existing set of tools, such as calendars and email systems. This ensures a smooth user experience where data flows effortlessly between applications.

6. Analyze if the platform matches your scalability goals

Opting for a tool that aligns with your scalability goals is essential for future-proofing your workplace. As your company grows, your need for space and resource management becomes more complex. A scalable solution can adapt to increased demand, additional users, and more rooms without performance hiccups. It’s crucial to select a system that can expand along with your business. It ensures longevity and continued efficiency without the need for costly and disruptive software changes down the line.

7. Choose room booking software that is mobile-friendly

Opting for a mobile-friendly meeting room booker is also an essential aspect to consider in our on-the-go world. With a significant portion of the workforce often away from their desks or working remotely, the ability to book and manage spaces via a smartphone or tablet is a must. A mobile-friendly booking software ensures that everyone has access to this tool whenever they need it, improving coordination and maintaining productivity, regardless of their location.

8. Remember that customization is more important than ever

As every business and workforce has unique requirements, customization plays a crucial role when choosing your workplace technology. Moreover, software that allows for personalization can adapt to the specific workflows, branding, and room characteristics of your organization. Through this, it creates and guarantees a user experience that feels familiar and intuitive. This helps with the tool’s adoption and overall effectiveness. It also ensures that the software supports your specific organizational processes and policies.

9. Check users’ reviews before investing in any software

Lastly, don’t forget to have a look at the reviews of past and current users of the room scheduling software before making a decision. These reviews offer honest insights into the software’s performance, user experience, and reliability. They can highlight both the strengths and potential issues you might face, providing a clearer picture of the tool’s real-world application. By understanding the experiences of other organizations, you can gauge the software’s fit for your own company and avoid any unwelcome surprises post-implementation.

💡 Check out our customers’ reviews to discover what our users think about the deskbird app!

Team collaborating on whiteboard
Team collaborating in meeting room

The reasons the deskbird room scheduling app could be the best match for your organization

Our app is one of the most user-friendly workplace management tools you can find

The deskbird room booking feature stands out as one of the best workplace management tools due to its exceptional user-friendliness. Its intuitive interface streamlines the booking process, which enables employees to reserve spaces quickly and efficiently. This ease of use not only enhances the overall user experience but also encourages widespread adoption across your organization, ensuring that meeting scheduling is as smooth and hassle-free as possible.

Our workspace booking software offers seamless integrations

Remember, the ability to integrate smoothly with your existing tech stack is among the most crucial criteria when selecting a new workplace tool. deskbird’s versatile integration capacity ensures it works harmoniously within your ecosystem to enhance workflows and boost efficiency. This capability is a game-changer and guarantees that our software can become a central part of your office’s digital landscape.

Our office analytics feature collects key data to help you optimize your workspace and costs

Another key aspect to look at when choosing a meeting room booker is the analytics feature. Well, guess what? A complete office analytics segment is one of the pillar features of the deskbird app. The app provides actionable insights into workplace efficiency by tracking and analyzing room usage, occupancy patterns, and peak times. As an IT specialist, you can leverage this data to help facility, finance, and HR managers optimize the office space, adjust resources, and improve booking policies. Ultimately, this results in better space utilization, more effective planning, and reduced overhead costs. It’s a great tool for any organization looking to harness the power of their workspace data.

👋 Do you want to optimize space and cut costs with a flexible office? Learn how you can save up to 30% with these cost-cutting ideas!

Our booking system is designed to offer you a highly secure digital experience

The deskbird room booking software places a high priority on security to ensure that your organization’s scheduling data is rigorously protected. Using advanced encryption and complying with strict data protection protocols, deskbird safeguards sensitive information against unauthorized access to give you peace of mind. In today’s digital landscape, where data breaches are a significant concern, choosing a room booking solution like ours that commits to high-security standards is imperative for maintaining trust and integrity.

Our tool is much more than just a room booking solution

Our app goes beyond the traditional bounds of room reservation systems. It is an integrated workspace management platform that helps you effortlessly harmonize desk booking with parking space allocation, and streamline the complexities of daily logistics. On top of enabling users to book spaces, our software provides you with key analytics to offer insights into resource utilization and optimize the workplace environment. The deskbird app is a comprehensive suite of tools meticulously designed to manage and enhance all facets of the modern office experience, from entry to exit and everything in between.

Our meeting room booker is user-centric and constantly updated to meet your needs

One of the deskbird app’s core strengths is its user-centricity and the constant updates made to meet the companies’ and employees’ requirements. Not only do we track, but we also anticipate your expectations to guarantee a seamless and responsive experience. Our developers actively listen to feedback. They then use it to adapt the app’s features to your evolving demands, be it for reservation ease, administrative control, or analytical depth. deskbird is dedicated to adjusting to its users, making it an invaluable tool for dynamic workspaces.

A meeting room booker is an essential resource in today’s offices, streamlining room reservations and maximizing space efficiency. Its assets are undeniable, from eliminating double bookings and scheduling conflicts to saving valuable time and facilitating better meeting planning. Now that you know how to choose a room scheduling software that matches your needs, why not request a free demo or start a free trial of the deskbird app? Like this, you can concretely try our user-friendly interface and discover the benefits of each feature in detail!

Meeting room booker: benefits & key characteristics to consider

Paulyne Sombret

Paulyne is a highly respected expert in hybrid work. She's known for her writing on sustainability in the hybrid office, flexible work models, and employee experience. With a strong background in content and SEO, her work explores the exciting trends and latest news in the world of work.

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