Not long ago, office booking software had pretty limited utility for most businesses. Every employee had an assigned workstation, and they only needed to interact with a reservation system when they needed to schedule a meeting or book a particular amenity. A handful of employees would briefly use the tool each week.

That’s simply not the case anymore. The modern workplace has changed dramatically over the last few years, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated global shifts that were already well underway. Many businesses are designating a greater percentage of space to hoteling and implementing work-from-home policies, and as a result, office booking software is playing a more integral role in day-to-day operations.

Here’s why office booking software is more important now than ever.

There are more types of reservations in the workplace

Reservation systems prevent scheduling conflicts with shared spaces and ensure employees have access to company resources when they need them. In the past, this was most useful for reserving meeting rooms. You could reserve a space and expect that nobody would be in there at your scheduled time, or that if there was someone there, you could appeal to the authority of your reservation.

Conference rooms are still an important use case for office hoteling software, but now they’re just one of many. In a dynamic workplace, employees may need to reserve parking spaces before they come into work, a workstation to use for the day, special equipment such as a particular camera, amenities like e-bikes or daycare facilities, and numerous other types of shared spaces, perks, and equipment.

Making shared resources reservable helps employees use them more efficiently and equitably, and as more of life at the office relies on reservations, office booking software has become more essential.

More businesses are becoming hybrid workplaces

Before COVID-19, many businesses were unsure whether a virtual workforce could be as productive and reliable as an in-person workforce. Working-from-home was often a privilege reserved for special cases, such as employees who lived out-of-state or those with unusual circumstances.

The pandemic demonstrated that virtual employees can be just as productive as in-person employees—if not more productive, since they don’t have to navigate the commute to and from work. And while not every job can be performed remotely, many businesses have experienced the benefits of using a hybrid workplace model, where there is always some combination of virtual and in-person employees.

As more businesses shift to a hybrid model, there’s a greater need for specialized reservation systems that address the unique makeup of each location.

Reservation systems help track shared equipment

When you urgently need a piece of shared equipment and it’s not in its usual location, it’s extremely helpful to know who is currently using it or who used it last. Modern office booking software like Tango Reserve can help employees track down equipment they need by providing greater visibility into where it is or who they should talk to.

Employees expect flexibility regarding where and how they work

For many employees, flexibility is the best perk a company can offer. They want to decide which days they come in and where they’ll work when they do. To facilitate this flexibility, businesses need a variety of reservable workspaces and a simple, intuitive system for scheduling time to use a space.

Reservations are a key component of space management

As we learned in our 2021 Workplace 2.0 Summit, executives are playing a more central role in space management. Optimizing your corporate workspace has a significant impact on employee satisfaction and productivity, and can yield major cost savings as well. Using office space more efficiently prevents companies from paying for additional square footage they don’t need, and many businesses find opportunities to scale down their real estate portfolio.

Office booking software gives you a crucial datapoint for space management by showing you how often various spaces get reserved and what percentage of the workday they’re serving a purpose.

Simplify office booking with Tango Reserve

Tango Reserve is a purpose-built office booking solution that can integrate with your entire IWMS platform. Using our mobile app, your employees can reserve the spaces and equipment they need and even receive AI-driven recommendations about when they should come in and where they should work. 

Want to see how it works?

Schedule a demo of Tango Reserve.