Written in collaboration with Appointedd
This article is part of our workspace best practices series.
Online booking is a powerful tool that can help flexible workspace operators have a competitive advantage, reduce operational costs, and maximize profit.
In a recent article, Steve Golding argued that if a workspace operator’s meeting room revenue is low, it’s because of their own doing. Among the arguments Golding presented, was the fact that not many workspace operators have the necessary software or platform to offer meeting room bookings that allow for bundling options and to take payments online.
His argument reaches the conclusion that reserving a meeting room is much too complicated, which drives away clients.
Enter Online Booking Systems
Online scheduling and booking solutions are a blessing in disguise. You need to let go of the micromanagement maniac and let technology do what it is supposed to do; in this case, make your staff’s lives easier and make your operations more efficient.
Online booking and scheduling can be used for meeting rooms, specific workstations, event rooms, and even for potential clients to book workspace tours. Let’s not forget that these platforms can also take online and real-time payments that can often be made in various currencies and can help you track your workspace’s usage.
To better understand why online booking is an essential business tool for workspace operators, Allwork spoke with Appointedd, an online booking and scheduling platform.
Leah Hutcheon, Founder and CEO of Appointedd, started by mentioning that “online scheduling and booking solutions can optimize service delivery and offer compelling ROI for any flexible workspace (business center or coworking space).”
The five main benefits observed include:
Save Time
Allowing workspace members and clients to book facilities online cuts down on all the time and resources needed to take reservations by phone or email. Tours, meeting rooms, event spaces, hot-desking…it can all be easily organized by using a unified booking platform.
Streamline Administration
The amount of administration often involved in workspace management can be significantly reduced by letting a real-time calendar fill itself up automatically (or so to speak). At the time of booking, clients submit their details, their requirements, and the amount of time that they’ll need, and the information is automatically updated in the database and your workspace’s calendar.
Online booking platforms also send automatic confirmations and reminders, saving your staff time to allow them to focus on delivering superior customer service.
Increase Revenue
By taking secure online payments and deposits at the time of booking, facilities can generate revenue 24/7. This is especially important as it allows operators to track their turnover and gather data on how their workspace is mostly used. Additionally, by making availability transparent and bookable at any time, even out of business hours, the center will inevitably begin to attract more clients.
No Risk of Double-Booking
Because these platforms update instantaneously with new bookings or cancellations, the risk of double-booking and upsetting clients and the risk of ‘wasting’ usable space or rooms is minimized. Which brings us to the next major benefit of online booking platforms.
Holistic Center and Workspace Management
Online booking platforms allow workspace operators to view all activity in one place; booking, payments, reports, and client information can all be found in one dashboard. Most of these platforms can also be integrated with other technology solutions or accounting systems–centralizing and simplifying workspace management even more.
If you want to learn more about how online booking and scheduling can contribute to a flexible workspace’s success, take a look at this case study on Falkirk Business Hub.
If you’d like to learn more about Appointedd and their online booking and time management solutions, click here.
