The flexible workspace is considered by many to be the workplace of the future. Coworking spaces offer all the amenities of a standard office, with no commitment and pressure. You’re not required to wear your business best, you can come and go as you please, and you still have access to all those gadgets that you might not have at home: like fax machines, printers, and secure shredders.
While flexible workspaces seemed for a long-time like they were relegated to Silicone Valley start-ups, our changing working environments are making coworking spaces a more common and widely accessible option for employees working remotely or starting their own businesses.
What is a booking system?
Coworking software offers a seamless and easy way to organize and monitor desk and room bookings for your coworking space. Booking software is useful for managing the fluid workspace of a coworking space, and the process is user-friendly and accessible to both members and drop-in guests. It provides a quick and easy option for room booking and will increase your customer satisfaction and customer service.
Booking systems also allow customers to book the rooms they want from anywhere and to pay for it directly within the system. This means you won’t have to deal with credit cards or any money changing hands. It also boosts client confidence since they know the room they want will be available when they arrive.
Why bother with a booking system?
The true essence of a good coworking space is to make the clients’ work lives better by simplifying their tasks and still making them feel appreciated. An automated booking system allows pre-paid clients to change and choose rooms at will (sometimes changing the scenery can help with a block!). It also allows drop-in customers the chance to snag an available room without having a pre-paid membership.
Booking software also takes the pressure off you to manually oversee bookings. If you don’t have an automated booking system, you’ll be getting calls and messages from your members constantly to see if you have rooms available and then it’s on you to keep track of the booked rooms. This runs the risk of you double-booking a room and ending up with two groups of irate customers.
The software also means you won’t be spending all your time checking in guests, managing room bookings, figuring out who people are there to see, and tracking down missing hosts who have gone AWOL.
One way to look at a booking system is to see it as an automated receptionist who will take care of all the nitty-gritty details, leaving you free to look after more critical aspects of your business, like customer care, finances, and doing what you need to help your space grow and succeed.
Still not sold? Here are some other benefits of room scheduling software:
- It will make your coworking space more efficient.
- It avoids the unavailability of rooms at critical times.
- It lets specific rooms stay available for special occasions or requirements.
- The calendar in the software provides a detailed view for organizers to manage their schedules better
- Space managers can review how the resources are being used, give access to authorized users, and keep track of meeting durations and information.
