Shopping for a room booking system? Don’t just grab the first calendar tool you see. Finding the right software can save your organization tons of scheduling headaches. But wading through the options gets overwhelming fast.
Let’s cut through the clutter and talk about key features. Whether it’s meeting rooms, shared workspaces, class spaces or equipment, here are the capabilities your system can’t live without.
Real-Time Availability Dashboard
The main event—see open slots in real-time from a central dashboard in a smart office. A glance should show all rooms and resources and times they’re booked. Bonus points if it displays availability for the next week or month too. No more double-booking snafus!
Top systems let authorized users access the live dashboard from any device. Custom floor plan view? Even better. The simpler it is to visualize availability, the better.
Calendar Integration
What’s better than a specialized booking system? One that integrates directly into your existing calendar tools like Outlook or Google.
Two-way sync automatically imports bookings across both so all details are populated in one place. Get ready to ditch the calendar juggling act.
Access Permission Settings
Not everyone needs access to create bookings. Your system should allow granular permission settings.
Give core staff broader booking powers while regular users can just view availability or make requests. Prevent meddling by locking down permissions to certain rooms or time slots.
Request/Approval Workflows
Speaking of requests—the system should support booking approval workflows. Require managers to greenlight requests for high-demand rooms.
Automated notifications at each approval stage keep the process moving. Customizable rules route requests based on room, department, or whatever makes sense for your organization.
Mobile Accessibility
In this mobile era, checking availability on the fly is a must. A responsive web portal you can access on smartphones already helps. But some systems take it further with mobile apps.
Browse rooms, make/modify bookings, approve requests and more on iOS and Android. Extra handy for folks always on the move around your facilities.
Usage Metrics and Reporting
Here’s where the fancy data comes in. A robust reporting suite supplies metrics to optimize booking practices.
Track usage and occupancy rates for each room. Analyze trends to identify high/low demand periods. Export reports to share with stakeholders. Get your analytics geek on.
Self-Service Booking
Empower users to book spaces themselves to prevent bottlenecks. Self-service portals let users browse availability and instantly reserve rooms/equipment unassisted.
Of course, built-in safeguards like access limits prevent abuse. But automation saves admins tons of time and gives users freedom. Customization for different user types keeps things flexible.
Recurring Reservation Options
For frequently booked spaces, setting up recurring reservations is a lifesaver. No more manually recreating the same darn meeting every Monday for eternity.
Systems should allow scheduling recurrent bookings through intuitive series creation tools. Configure the frequency, end date and exceptions all in one workflow.
Customization and Branding
Here’s the fun part—making the system yours. Look for ways to customize the interface with your branding, terminology and design scheme.
Update notification templates, approval flows and forms to match your organization’s voice. Add logos, colors and themes to complement your aesthetic. White label it, baby!
Integrations and APIs
Last but not least—integrations. How easily does the system play with others? At minimum you want calendar app integrations.
Bonus if there’s an open API. This allows even deeper connections to internal databases, payment systems, facility management tools etc. The possibilities get endless.
Whew—that was a boatload of functionality to consider! But taking the time to understand features that solve your organization’s unique scheduling needs is worth it. The right platform turns headaches into efficiencies and unlocks room booking bliss. Onwards!