Whether you are a company with limited space for your employees or an agency that rents offices temporarily to clients, the task of scheduling and reserving office space and equipment can be cumbersome if you don’t have the proper tools to keep track of inventory and bookings.

With desk booking software, companies can allow their employees and clients to reserve workspaces and resources, which streamlines the desk booking process.

This guide will provide you with information to help you choose the right desking booking software for your company or office rental facilities.

Here’s what we'll cover:

What is desk booking software?
Common features of desk booking software
What type of buyer are you?
Benefits of desk booking software
Key considerations
Market trends

What is desk booking software?

Desk booking software allows companies to streamline their employees’ or clients’ booking processes. These booking platforms enable workers to check the availability of workspaces and reserve them using their remote device.

Desk booking software also enables companies to manage the inventory of audiovisual equipment and other types of hardware, providing insights on desk utilization (such as how often inventory is used and by whom).

Common features of desk booking software

Desk availability schedule	Display the availability of rentable workspaces using calendars and office maps.
Desk reservation	Allow employees or clients to reserve available desks, offices, and equipment.
Booking management	Add additional desk spaces, update equipment inventory, and manage upcoming bookings, itineraries, and reservations.
Floor plans and maps	Display detailed views of office floor plans to both clients and managers as visual representations of available or unavailable space.
Occupancy management	Provide information regarding current and future occupancy rates.
Utilization reporting	Track the frequency of usage of individual assets or office equipment.
Access controls and permissions	Create usernames and passwords, and grant access to different levels of managerial functions.

What type of buyer are you?

Coworking spaces: Independent workers that do not regularly require permanent office space rely on coworking companies to provide temporary desk space, meeting rooms, and audiovisual equipment. By employing desk booking software, coworking agencies can provide an interface to their clients that allows them to view available inventory and reserve spaces that satisfy their business needs.
Companies with limited office resources: Larger companies are able to save on overhead costs by limiting the amount of physical office space that they provide their employees by assigning space to workers only as needed. Desk booking software allows employees to reserve office space for occasional meetings or collaborative efforts, while leaving the majority of work to be done in remote environments.
Outside sales teams: Outside sales representatives ideally meet with clients in the field. However, desk booking software allows sales personnel to occasionally reserve showroom space, demonstration equipment, or temporary offices for closing deals and signing physical contracts.

Benefits of desk booking software

Optimize utilization of rentable space and equipment: For companies that rent spaces to clients, desk booking software can provide a clear view of what factors clients are most drawn to, whether it be size of the space, location within the overall coworking facility, or even ambient factors, such as external noise or availability of natural light. Facility managers can also keep track of which types of technical equipment their customers are using the most to ensure they can maintain inventory levels that keep up with client demand.
Lower overhead cost: Commercial real estate can be one of the most costly line items in running a successful business. By using desk booking software internally, companies can cut their office rental or ownership costs by reducing the amount of space available, sharing the same working space among multiple employees, and then providing employees with a booking system that allows them to reserve valuable office space on an as-needed basis.

Key considerations for purchasing desk booking software

With so many desk booking software packages available on the market today, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one. Consider the following when selecting the best fit for your enterprise:

User base: Depending on the software package, there can be a longer learning curve due to a broader range of booking options, especially for products that are designed for enterprise use. On the other hand, desk booking offerings meant for coworking and employee spaces are generally easier to use, due to the unpredictable level of technical know-how of your intended clientele. Consider the ease of application support for the intended user base when choosing a desk booking solution.
Inventory management: Note that many software offerings in the desk booking space allow companies to track more than just desks and office space. Many packages also allow management to provide and keep track of office or audiovisual equipment to clients and employees. Consider whether your organization needs this added functionality (and the additional associated expense).

Market trends to understand

When researching the desk booking management software market, there are some market trends to consider to help make the right decision for your business.

IoT integration: As Internet of Things (IoT) technology continues to infiltrate applications of all types, real-time occupancy sensors are becoming integrated with office spaces to provide information about how much time people occupy working spaces. Sensors in office equipment will also make it easier to know the physical location of company assets. The integration of this technology into desk booking management systems will provide invaluable information, maximizing inventory capabilities.

Global move toward work-from-home environments: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, mobile technology was making it easier for company employees to work from home and for independent entrepreneurs to be more productive. This trend continues at a breakneck pace, meaning that management of temporary physical office space will be even more of a necessity in the coming future.

Note: The application selected in this article is an example to show a feature in context and is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.

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