In today's fast-paced, collaborative work environment, efficiently managing conference rooms and shared resources is crucial for maximizing productivity. Whether overseeing a bustling corporate office, a co-working space, or an educational facility, having the right room scheduling software can streamline operations, reduce booking conflicts, and enhance team coordination.
However, choosing the best one for your organization can feel overwhelming, given the wide range of room scheduling assistant solutions available. In this buyer's guide, we'll walk you through the key features to look for, the benefits of using scheduling software, and how to find the optimal fit for your specific needs and budget.
TL;DR:
- Room scheduling software streamlines booking and prevents conflicts in shared spaces like conference rooms.
- It integrates with calendar systems (e.g., Google, Outlook) for seamless meeting coordination.
- Using room booking software increases productivity by ensuring meeting room availability and resource readiness.
- Facility managers can optimize space use, gaining insights for future planning and cost-efficiency.
- Meeting room booking software supports hybrid work models, offering flexibility between remote and in-office work.
- Tools like real-time availability, AI scheduling assistant, and mobile apps enhance workplace organization.
- Managers of coworking spaces and enterprises benefit from improved scheduling, analytics, and workflow efficiency.
- Choose meeting room booking software based on your needs, integration capabilities, ease of use, and budget.
What Is a Room Scheduling System?
A room scheduling system is a software tool or platform allowing users to book, manage, and optimize shared spaces like meeting rooms, conference rooms, or classrooms. It helps prevent scheduling conflicts, tracks room availability, and often integrates with calendars and other tools for efficient planning.
Facility managers use room scheduling assistants to make room reservations and manage conference room schedules, as well as coordinate meeting room availability with equipment requests from staff members.
A room scheduling system is a useful tool, particularly in a hybrid work model, where people are allowed to work both from home and from the office, at their own preference.
If you are looking for such an application, you probably know the market is not short of room scheduling system options. However, they are not all created equal, so it's important to know exactly how to choose the best one for your business.
Looking to find out more about that? Read on and find out more from our guide to choosing the best room scheduling software for you.
Why Should I Invest in Room Scheduling Software?
As mentioned before, room scheduling software is extremely useful in a modern workplace. Here are some of the main benefits to consider when it comes to reservation software:
Make Meetings Easy to Find, Book and Schedule.
A room scheduler or room finder will enable you and your team to easily find, book easily, and schedule meetings, whether you're managing a traditional office or hybrid work environment. Conference room reservation software helps ensure room availability, preventing double bookings and reducing friction among team members. It streamlines the process, ensuring all equipment is ready when needed while providing your company with the flexibility required in a post-pandemic world.
Gain Insights Into Space Utilization
A room reservation system will also allow you to gain insights into how space is being utilized. This will allow you to better plan your office space for the future. For instance, it will help you determine if you need another conference room or specific pieces of equipment you need to invest in.
Likewise, it can also help you determine if parts of your office are regularly unused by your employees so you can sub-rent them or transform them into a co-work space for freelancers and consultants.
Data is key to good business decisions, so knowing exactly how your space is used can help you make the best choices for your company!
Increase Employee Productivity
A conference room scheduling software can help you increase employee productivity by ensuring that a room is free for a meeting when the room is supposed to be available, and by assuring you have the option to book additional rooms as needed.
Room scheduling software also allows you to reserve room resources in advance, so that room resources are already reserved and ready for your meeting when it begins.
Moreover, if your employees need specific pieces of equipment to be readily available for special meetings, a meeting room scheduling software can help them make sure they book the right conference room in advance, so everything is ready for their meeting.
How Does Conference Room Scheduling Software Work?
Conference room scheduling software allows businesses to easily manage meeting room bookings and resources online easily, improving overall space management and making scheduling more efficient. Using tools like Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, or a specialized scheduling assistant like YAROOMS, this software helps users find available meeting rooms and resources, book them for specific time slots, and integrate everything into their existing calendar systems. Conference room booking becomes seamless as users can instantly reserve rooms or conference spaces via the booking app without the hassle of manual requests or conflicts.
The conference room booking platform typically shows the real-time availability of meeting rooms and related resources, such as projectors or conference screens. This prevents double booking and helps admins and employees save time when scheduling meetings. The room finder feature ensures that meeting room resources can be found and reserved quickly, even in coworking spaces. For example, if training resources are needed across multiple rooms, the software tracks when they are free and can be booked accordingly, allowing for optimal use of office space.
For Whom Is Room Scheduling Software Useful?
Room scheduling software is useful for pretty much every type of business. As long as you have an office space and as long as you have employees, a room scheduling software will definitely prove its use for you.
Let's take a look at this in a bit more detail, from the perspective of those who tend to capitalize on the benefits of such software the most:
Facility Managers
Post COVID-19, the role of a Facility Manager has changed tremendously. From managers who used to sit on the outside of the leadership tables, Facility Managers and their strategic skills are now considered to be essential to building the workplace of the "new normal".
A room scheduling software can help a Facility Manager to properly assess room use, room performance, and room capacity, as well as plan accordingly when necessary. Room schedulers or room bookers are essential when it comes to room management nowadays.
For Facility Managers whose roles are becoming more room-centric, room scheduler software can be extremely beneficial in helping them do their job.
A room scheduling tool is one of the most important room management tools that a building or infrastructure manager can have. Room schedulers help them plan better, accommodate the right number of people, ensure safety and hygiene are up to par with current standards, and so on.
In the hands of Facility Managers, as well as employees, room scheduling software can maximize revenue by allowing employees to book specific rooms online.
Managers of Coworking Spaces
These managers need room scheduler software to help coworking space managers room bookings for their members, or guests. If room scheduling software is not an option for them, they can use room scheduling software open source options.
Some room scheduling software allow users to alter availability of rooms at certain times so that employees do not have reservations during meetings and other events. The software can also generate email or text message alerts to users to serve as reminders of meetings and room reservations.
Room scheduling software can have other capabilities, such as room booking history which helps in planning room utilization. It may also be programmed with security features that let employees see room availability only through a pin code. These capabilities help minimize room theft, while helping the manager by eliminating room booking mistakes.
The room scheduling software can also be integrated with a calendar, so that employees have an easy way of checking room schedules and availability, while looking for a date to set up a meeting. The room scheduling software can also support multiple users in a company, allowing room bookings from different locations.
Workplace Experience Managers
Meeting room scheduling software is valuable for workplace experience managers because it makes scheduling and managing meeting times much easier. Features like a meeting room finder and room booking system help ensure room availability and prevent double booking, saving admins and employees a lot of time during work hours. The software also allows managers to schedule meetings efficiently, track room usage with analytics, and adjust resources based on demand. It helps streamline the entire process, making the workplace more organized and productive.
In addition to simplifying scheduling, meeting room scheduling software greatly improves the overall workplace experience. Employees can focus more on tasks and less on administrative hassles by ensuring that meeting rooms are readily available when needed.
The meeting room booking software provides clear visibility of room availability, making it easy to find and book a suitable space without back-and-forth communication. It also enhances flexibility, allowing teams to adjust plans if work hours or meeting times change quickly. With the help of detailed analytics, workplace experience managers can better understand room usage patterns and optimize resources, creating a more efficient and employee-friendly environment.
Common Room Scheduling Software Functionality
Although room scheduling software functionality will vary from one tool to another, the general features most of the apps in this niche provide include the following:
- Room booking
- Room finder
- Mobile meeting room booking app
- Hot desking
- Work planning
- Safety features (such as features that help maintain the social distance between employees)
- Various integrations (such as with Microsoft Teams or Outlook, for example)
Types of Room Scheduling Software Buyers
Just as there are many types of room scheduling software options, there are also many types of room scheduling software buyers. In general, however, they can be categorized as follows:
Small and Medium-Size
Small and medium-size businesses that invest in room scheduling apps usually do so for three reasons: to improve room booking efficiency, to implement hot desking, and/or to improve room availability.
Enterprises
These businesses typically invest in room scheduling software to automate room management processes (such as room booking) through the implementation of room APIs or integrations with popular room scheduling apps that are available on the market.
How Do I Choose a Meeting Room Scheduling Software?
Now that you better understand room scheduling software's benefits, you may ask, "How do I choose the right one for my needs?" The answer can be simple and complex, as there's no one-size-fits-all solution for everyone.
To find the best fit, you need to consider several key factors. First, does the software meet your specific needs? For example, if you need a robust room finder feature, real-time room availability, and the ability to integrate with tools like Google Calendar, Outlook, or Slack, look for a platform that supports these.
Check if the conference room booking software simplifies room booking in an office or a co-working space and how well it integrates with your current tech stack. Does the booking software allow you to schedule resources like meeting room equipment and conference screens? Also, ensure it has a user-friendly interface so that admins and employees can easily reserve rooms and complete tasks.
Additional Considerations for Choosing Conference Room Booking Software
Beyond basic functionality, think about whether the booking software is easy to set up and use. Does it help streamline meeting room booking processes, prevent double booking, and save time? It's important to choose software that does the job right by offering features like customizable time slots, real-time room availability, and seamless calendar integration.
Some platforms (for example, Yarooms conference room booking software) even offer workplace analytics, providing Facility Managers and HR teams valuable insights into space management, meeting room booking trends, and resource allocation.
Lastly, ensure that the software fits your budget. Room reservation systems come in various pricing options, from simple booking apps to more advanced suites with space management and analytics capabilities. Be sure to prioritize what your organization needs most, whether straightforward meeting room booking, capacity management for large teams, or tools to enhance workplace safety and productivity. Once you've outlined your priorities, you can find the platform that best aligns with your goals.
What Are Other Use Cases for Room Scheduling Software?
A lot of people look at room scheduling software as just another solution to track rooms and meetings. However, as you have seen from this article, there are multiple, extensive applications to room booking and resource scheduling software. In a nutshell, some of the best use cases for room scheduling software include the following:
- Room scheduling software for companies who provide room booking services to clients, such as hotels and conference centers.
- Room scheduling solution for real estate, to help agents book house views in a well-planned and healthy way.
- Room scheduling software for the healthcare industry to manage room bookings and room scheduling software.
- Room scheduling software for schools, to keep room bookings orderly and up-to-date room scheduling software to book rooms in a school.
... And so on. As you can see, you don't have to be a huge Enterprise to reap all the benefits room scheduling has to offer. Additionally, there are a few more points you should definitely consider:
Conference Room Scheduling Software
Conference room scheduling software can help you from a range of perspectives. More specifically, it can help you minimize room scheduling errors which can be damaging to the success of your company. For example, room booking mistakes made by employees can cause room clashes, frustration, loss of time and energy (which could have been used on something more productive), and so on.
Meeting Rooms Scheduling Software
This type of feature includes several other benefits, including room utilization and space planning.
This room scheduling system is designed to help you plan room usage and coordinate room reservations, which can be extremely useful if your company has multiple employees.
Desk Scheduling Software
Some desks in your office are more "wanted" than others. Hot desking allows you to shift room schedules to ensure that everyone gets a chance to use the room and the desk they want.
With room scheduling software, it's easy to view room schedules and desk schedules and rotate who sits where and on which days. No more clashes, no more "envy", no more frustration -- just ease of use and accessibility.
Which Is the Best Meeting Room Scheduling Software?
As mentioned before, we can't answer that question for you. The answer will vary according to what you are looking for and what you aim to achieve with it.
What we can answer, however, is...
Why Should I Use YAROOMS as Room Scheduling Software?
We can't make this decision for you, but YAROOMS is an excellent room scheduling option because:
- One shared space calendar keeps all your room bookings in a single place.
- Powerful integrations with Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams or Zoom helps organize hybrid meetings and engage both remote and on-site employees at the same time.
- It is rich with features to control people flow, room capacity, and timing between bookings so you can conduct a safe return to the office.
- Comprehensive reports provide insight into your room booking data and help optimize office utilization.
- On-the-go scheduling is enabled through mobile app and room panel app: you can check room availability or book on the spot.
- Yarvis, the Yarooms AI workplace assistant currently available in Microsoft Teams, handles complex meeting room booking tasks and improves scheduling workflows.
At the end of the day, room scheduling software doesn't program rockets to go to Mars -- but it can surely help teams in all industries work more flexibly, securely, and efficiently. Choosing the right software is an important matter you should definitely consider thoroughly -- and just in case you have any questions, we're here to answer them.
