The meeting room is arguably the hub of the modern workplace, but so many businesses struggle to keep them in good order.
We all recognise the situation – employees trying to find a free meeting room for a last-minute discussion, or the unprofessional interruption of someone awkwardly popping their head around the door.
How can this be avoided? The simple answer is to plan. Planning a great meeting room booking solution is the antidote to disorganised, chaotic, and confusing meeting room usage.
Below are five steps to help plan an ideal meeting room booking system:
1. Think about Usage
Before anything else, you must consider how each meeting room is used. Ensuring that you have a clear idea of which meeting rooms are used most frequently, what they’re used for, and by whom is the simplest way to create a perfect plan. Using meeting room reporting can provide this information quickly and efficiently.
{{cta(’95bad370-ac92-4ae4-8365-8447a1313caa’)}}
2. Set Rules
To establish an impeccable meeting room booking system, rules must be set around who, how often, and how far in advance meeting rooms can be booked.
Look at what is, and what isn’t, working in your current setup and take stock of your needs – who needs to be able to book a room without permission? How soon are meeting rooms being booked up? Which workspaces are used most frequently?
Using occupancy sensors can help you gain an accurate insight into how your space is being used. Don’t forget that rules can be changed (but not broken, in this case), so if something doesn’t work as well as you felt it would, don’t be afraid to change it.
3. Reflect on What Should Be Available
Contrary to popular belief, it is not always necessary to kit out every meeting room with the best technology, or indeed have access to all possible catering options. Make sure you take a look at what will work best, both by asking employees and observing what happens on a regular basis.
4. To Integrate or Not?
This entirely depends on the preference of your employees, and how you use your other software. Integrating typical workplace software (like Outlook) with a meeting room booking solution can be an easy way to create a streamlined booking process, but is not always necessary.
5. Provide for Different Levels of Visibility
While visibility of a meeting room schedule is incredibly important, the level of visibility can, and sometimes should be tailored, to create the most efficient meeting room booking system.
Digital signage outside of meeting rooms can create an uncomplicated way for employees to see which rooms are available at a glance. Signage that includes touch screen technology, allowing employees to make last-minute changes, can be helpful in a particularly busy and large office.