You and your team have dedicated hours and hours to this meeting, making sure all your information is up to date. You've double-checked all your data and practiced your delivery more times than you can count. You're ready to go - until you realize you forgot to book a room for the meeting!
The good news is, finding and booking space is fast and simple with the right room scheduling system in place. You can simply pull out your phone and book a space that accommodate all your attendees and has all the workplace technology you need.
At Egyptian Workspace Partners, we've helped many businesses gain control of their real estate usage with room scheduling systems, so their employees can save time, be more productive and use space more effectively and efficiently.
In this article, we'll break down how room scheduling systems can help your business increase productivity and profitability. We'll explain how to implement it, what its benefits are and whether room scheduling is the right investment for you.
What do You Need to Implement Room Scheduling Systems?
Typically, room scheduling systems are made up of two components: hardware and software. Room scheduling systems like Steelcase Room Wizard or Crestron Room Scheduling are powered over Ethernet via a single network cable and connect to your network for easy installation and operation from one complete platform.
Hardware
- Room scheduling panels have a touchscreen interface, live outside your meeting space and offer versatile size, color and mounting options (drywall, direct-to-glass, mullion mounting)
- Display room information shows the room name, a full schedule for the day, meeting information and a check-in function so users can walk up and reserve directly from the device
- Availability indicators connect via USB and provide a visual cue if the room is available or not (ex., a light bar turns red or green based on availability)
Software
Most room scheduling system hardware offers built-in software that directly connects to popular calendaring platforms from Microsoft, Google and more. If you change platforms down the road, you can easily update it.
- Calendar integration lets organizations utilize their current calendar software (like Outlook or Gmail) so employees are already familiar with scheduling on the platform
- Two-way communication ensures your schedule is always up to date so you can see real-time availability, updates and room information
Who Uses Room Scheduling Systems?
Who exactly benefits from using room scheduling systems? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Every single person and team (both inside and outside of your organization) can benefit from using room scheduling systems, including:
- Your organization as a whole
- Organizational department teams (Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, Leadership)
- Division teams (Sales, Engineering, Design or Marketing)
- Project-based teams or contractors
- External guests, clients, vendors and outside reps
What are the Benefits of Room Scheduling Systems?
1. Room Scheduling Helps You Manage and Maximize Real Estate
In today's workplace, only 54 percent of office real estate is being used. For this reason, organizations want actionable data so they can accurately measure space usage to plan for the future, make improvements and maximize their real estate.
Fortunately, room scheduling systems can be used for more than booking a room. They can also be used to optimize meeting space and increase employee productivity by analyzing room usage, meeting trends and other space metrics with occupancy sensors.
Occupancy sensors set the stage for optimizing space and technology investments. These sensors indicate when a room is being used, then release the room for booking when people leave.
Additionally, occupancy sensors help you understand what rooms are being used and what rooms aren't being used, so you can grow your business, build an agile workplace that adapts to the unpredictable and better support what your employees need to be innovative.
2. Room Scheduling Simplifies and Streamlines Collaboration
Not all meetings and meeting spaces are created equal. Sometimes, you just need a small room for a quick one-on-one meeting. Other times, you need a much larger room with presentation and conferencing capabilities.
Whatever you need, room scheduling systems help your people book the right meeting space. Whether they need a meeting room to collaborate with colleagues or a private space for a HR meeting, they can choose from a broad ecosystem of zones to minimize meeting interruptions and double bookings.
Employees can easily book space from the room scheduling panel itself, their laptop or even their phone. Plus, some room scheduling systems integrate with email calendars and partner software like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
For example, Crestron AirMedia technology seamlessly connects to calendar platforms like Outlook or Gmail, so open spaces are always available for booking. Even better, it supports digital signage to improve communications across your organization.
3. Room Scheduling Keeps Your Employees Safe and Healthy
Workplace safety measures have always been important, but the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for the office to play a role in mitigating the spread of disease. It also inspired some organizations to adopt a hybrid work-from-home policy to decrease operation costs and keep employees safe.
With room scheduling systems, people can take full advantage of their time in the office. They can safely reserve their workspace in advance, so they know they have a dedicated space for the day, whether they're collaborating, focusing or learning.
Organizations can also use room scheduling systems to monitor occupancy and identify hotspots that might require more attention. Most importantly, they can ensure the confidence and wellbeing of their employees with a reliable process for booking space.
4. Room Scheduling Reinforces Your Company Brand and Culture
Every workplace is a powerful tool for recruiting and retaining employees. When it's time to reimagine your office, room scheduling systems can help shape your company's brand and culture and how you welcome employees (and guests) into your workspace.
Like digital signage, room scheduling systems can help you unlock your business's creative potential. You can upload logos, choose from thousands of color options and even add custom image to match your existing signage and reinforce branding.
Are Room Scheduling Systems Right for Your Business?
Room scheduling systems offer a variety of benefits for any business. They streamline and simplify the process of scheduling meeting space via a familiar platform, and provide peace of mind so employees can easily book space with time to spare.
On top of that, room scheduling can grow with your organization, especially when combined with other workplace technologies like conferencing technology, digital signage and sound masking, to increase employee wellbeing and engagement within your business.