Why is desk booking software on the rise?

Over the past few years, technology in businesses has been re-energised and we’ve seen various trends of different solutions being the new must-have to streamline business processes. One of the latest office must-haves is desk booking. Desk booking software is not a new concept, however in the past few months there’s been a huge shift in the amount of people interested in implementing a solution for desk booking in their organisations.

So, why is desk booking software on the rise?

A shift in the way we work

If we cast our minds back to 18 months ago, going into the office everyday was the norm, and no-one really questioned it - it was just working life. Then March 2020 hit us with the dreaded “p word” and fast forward to now, in the second half of 2021, the way we work has completely changed. Nowadays, people are working here, there and everywhere (if you’re one of the lucky ones working from your holiday villa in a nice, hot country - we envy you!), as hybrid working has now become the norm for companies in many industries.

While it’s great to be flexible with how we work, for safety purposes it’s still important to know when and where your employees are working, and a desk booking solution can help with this. It’s important to note that organisations may need to reassure their team that booking desks isn’t a way of micromanaging - it’s a case of ensuring the team is safe by knowing who is on site.

A bigger emphasis on agile working environments

Flexibility is the big buzz word at the moment and agile working environments puts flexibility at the core. Agile workspaces are all about introducing more flexible ways of working - focusing on having different working areas and different ways to work such as sitting vs standing desks, break-out areas and meeting spaces. The aim is to be as productive as possible, improve working relationships and empower employees to collaborate across the business.

A concept that tends to go hand-in-hand with agile workspaces is hot desking which is where desk booking software comes into play. A desk booking solution makes it a lot easier for organisations to implement a hot desking policy, allowing team members to book out spaces for either a whole day or just a couple of hours.

Solutions for managing workplace capacity

Social distancing is most definitely a concept that’s here to stay, at least for a good while. For many organisations, opening at a reduced capacity is a simple solution to allow them to maintain social distancing in their workplace.

Desk booking software makes it easy for companies to manage capacity, allowing them to mark certain desks as unavailable to ensure distance is kept between workspaces.

Co-working spaces have become more common

Recent circumstances have enabled organisations to become smarter with how they use office space and many organisations have come to the realisation that they no longer need a large office, particularly when introducing hybrid working. As a result of this, co-working spaces have become a lot more common. Some companies are getting rid of physical offices altogether and encouraging employees to work from home or utilise co-working spaces, while some others are sharing their office space permanently with another company.

A desk booking solution is the perfect fit for co-working spaces. As mentioned earlier, desks and meeting rooms can be booked out for the day or just a few hours if it’s for a meeting; so if you’re sharing your office with another company, there’s no need to fight for meeting room availability!

Spaces by Sign In App

We recognised that the workplace was changing and there were new circumstances that our community needed solutions for. Earlier in the year, we released Spaces which is the smart and flexible desk and meeting room booking add-on for Sign In App. Spaces is designed with flexibility in mind; our online editor allows you to recreate your workspace or upload a floor plan and employees can book desks in just a few taps from our smartphone Companion app.

Learn more about Spaces here, or alternatively if you’d like to get in touch with a member of our team to chat more about our desk booking solution, you can reach us via live chat, telephone or email. Find all of the ways to contact us here.