Hot desk booking systems have become a chosen method by many forward-thinking companies to optimise office space for a diverse range of work environments, from corporate offices to collaborative work spaces and co-working settings. Why has hot desk booking becomes to popular in the last few years? Well, the answer lies in its nurturing a culture of flexibility and efficiency, which is necessary in today’s ever-evolving workplaces. Today, businesses frequently use hot desk booking software to efficiently implement and manage hot desks.
This article aims to provide an overview of the essential features of hot desk booking system software, helping you select the ideal solution for your organisational needs. So, let’s get started by learning what a hot desk booking system is.
What is a Hot Desk Booking System?
A hot desk booking system or software is an easy-to-use tool designed to keep workspaces organised. It’s perfect for all kinds of places, from big company offices to shared workspaces, like co-working offices, and even flexible office setups. Hence, the hot desk booking software simplifies the management of these areas, reducing confusion and saving time.
Here’s an overview of the primary functions of hot desk booking softwares in workspace management:
- Desk Reservation: Hot desk booking software empowers employees to book desks on-demand or in advance. This means no more having to sit at the same spots every day. People can choose what works best for them every day, whether that is a quiet or social zone, depending on their individual productivity needs and workflow processes!
- Space and Resource Booking: Most hot desk booking software can double up as a meeting room booking system. This simplifies the often-complex process of reserving meeting rooms and the allocation of all workspace resources, including desk equipment, amenities, and facilities, ensuring employees can access appropriate spaces for collaboration, brainstorming sessions, and presentations. For example, at Acall allows you to book both desks and meeting rooms without even switching platforms.
- Workspace Availability and Occupancy Insights: It tracks the real-time use of desks and rooms while also offering visibility into occupancy rates. This feature of hot desk booking software is particularly useful for hybrid office setups, where it’s important to avoid overcrowding. It also allows for the limitation of slots in co-working and collaborative spaces to ensure a comfortable working environment.
For a more in-depth understanding of hot desking implementation, you can refer to our published article on hot desking.
6 Essential Features Of Hot Desk Booking Systems
Selecting the right desk booking software for your business is a pivotal decision that can impact workspace management, employee productivity, and overall operational efficiency. To help you understand what’s at stake, let’s explore the top six essential features of a hot desk booking system:
1. Advanced Booking Options
Advanced booking options are the bedrock of any effective desk booking system. They provide the flexibility that modern workplaces demand, addressing various needs and work styles. Here are the two most important features to include in the advanced booking options as part of hot desk booking solutions:
- Immediate and Future Bookings: The software should offer the capability to make quick desk reservations for employees who need workspaces at the spur of a moment. Similarly, it should also allow for bookings well in advance, accommodating planned activities, projects, or meetings.
- Booking Restrictions: To ensure fair usage of resources and prevent hoarding, the software should allow administrators to set booking restrictions. Thus, this could include the maximum booking duration or number of consecutive bookings. These restrictions maintain an equitable workspace allocation for all employees. Also, at Acall, we have a feature– spot permission– that enables or restricts access by user groups or areas like VIP rooms.
The Acall desk booking system enables you to visualise occupancy rates at any given moment, allowing users to choose the best time to check into a desk.
2. Real-Time & Interactive Maps
Through real-time interactive maps, visual representations make it easier for employees to find and select their preferred desks or meeting rooms while also being able to see which desks are occupied. But what attributes should these real-time interactive maps have?
- Visual Clarity: Maps should provide a concise view of the workspace layout. Employees should easily discern available and occupied workspaces, allowing them to make informed choices swiftly. Acall lets you check the office occupancy and then make your reservation accordingly, using a web or mobile portal.
- Real-Time Updates: Crucially, these maps should be updated in real-time. This ensures that employees can access accurate, up-to-the-minute information about workspace availability. Thus, it prevents frustration that may arise from walking across the office only to find that their chosen workspace is already occupied.
- Layout Planning: In addition, effective desk booking software should enable easy modification of layouts to accommodate changes in the spatial arrangement.
Easily modify your seating charts and layouts on the Acall Web portal to adapt to changing layouts.
3. Mobile Accessibility
You cannot afford to have an application not geared towards mobile users for many reasons, especially in today’s fast-paced work environment where flexibility and instant access are essential. Many employees are often working from multiple positions within the same day! So, a desk booking software must be accessible via mobile devices to cater to constantly moving employees, ensuring they can easily book desks, view office layout, and more.
Here are the two most important features to have in hot desking softwares to cater to mobile devices:
- On-the-Go Bookings: With mobile access, employees should be able to book desks or meeting rooms from anywhere, at any time. Hence, this feature enhances convenience and flexibility, no matter where the employees may be. Also, the Acall Mobile app lets you make desk reservations right from your phones!
- QR Code Check-Ins: Mobile accessibility can also facilitate QR code check-ins. This streamlines the workspace entry process, minimising physical touch-points and creating a more secure workspace environment. The Acall Mobile app not only lets you use QR code check-in, but it also includes Wi-Fi check-in, spot check-in kiosk, and desktop check-in!
The Acall mobile application allows you to book a desk on the go.
4. User-Friendly Interface
An intuitive and user-friendly interface is very important for widespread adoption and software utilisation. What features help achieve this? See below.
- Restricted Access Control: User permissions can be crucial in desk booking systems for managing hot desking environments, where workplace allocation is dynamic. User permission settings ensure that access to specific areas, like VIP rooms or restricted zones, is controlled and monitored based on user permissions. For example, Acall’s Spot Booking feature offers even more control by allowing the administrators to specifically enable or disable office areas for certain user groups.
- Streamlined Booking: The booking process should be easy and intuitive. Making a desk booking should be simple. Booking a meeting room should also be a touch away. So, the employees should be able to make reservations with just a few touches, minimising the time and effort required.
5. Integration Capabilities
Modern workplaces rely on a variety of tools and software for different functions. The desk booking system software should work with these existing systems and not cause any errors.
- Calendar Integration: Integration with popular calendar software like Google Calendar and Outlook is particularly valuable. It ensures that booking is synchronised across platforms, reducing the risk of double bookings and making it easier to manage schedules.
- Access Control Integration: The software should also integrate with access control systems for enhanced security. This ensures only authorised users can access reserved workspaces, improving workspace security.
6. Reporting and Analytics
Informed decision-making is crucial for optimising workspace management and resource allocation. Not only that, but robust reporting and analytics features provide valuable insights that guide decisions for a desk booking system environment. Here’s how to implement this:
- Workspace Utilisation Insights: The software should offer insights into maximising office space utilisation, helping administrators understand which areas are frequently used and which are available. Then, this data can inform decisions about layout adjustments and resource allocation.
- Employee Preferences: Analytics should also provide insights into employee preferences. This can include data on which workspaces (e.g., standing desks, private offices, or open workspaces) are most in demand amongst the employees. Understanding these preferences can guide workspace planning.
Office space analytics to inform decisions about layout adjustments and resource allocation.
Conclusion: Essential Features for an Ideal Hot Desk Booking System
In summary, a hot desk booking system is an essential tool for modern workplaces seeking flexibility and efficiency. What are the most important features for a hybrid work software, then? Well, its core lies in offering advanced booking options, real-time maps, and mobile access to cater to the needs of employees. Features like customisation, a user-friendly interface, integration with other tools, and powerful analytics enhance its functionality. This software also simplifies managing hybrid or shared office spaces, or co-working spaces, allowing businesses to adapt to changing work patterns with ease. By choosing a solution that encompasses these essential features, organisations can ensure a seamless and productive work environment for their team.
So, if you’re looking for the right desk booking solution for your company/co-working space, Acall desk booking software is an exciting option that ensures an efficient workspace experience for teams.
Edited by: Syed Umar Bukhari
