When it comes to booking desks in a hybrid office, there are many different software options to choose from. It can be tough to decide which one is the best for your company. Luckily, we have compiled the best desk booking software for hybrid teams and organizations with various sizes, goals, and budgets.
Because of the nature of today's workplace setup, the traditional way of assigning a specific workstation to a person is now almost obsolete.
Companies need to be more flexible with their office space. On top of that, they need to ensure that they meet health requirements by providing a certain number of workstations and avoiding overcrowding.
There are two types of desk booking software: hot desking apps and office hoteling software.
This type of software allows employees to book a desk or workspace at any time, based on availability. This is best for teams that are constantly changing and don’t have a permanent workspace assigned to them.
For example, if a workspace has 10 desks, an employee can reserve one desk in that space. Once they arrive in the office, they find whichever desk that is available within that space.
This is a popular setup for growing tech companies or startups with more than 200 employees.
Hoteling office space means that you can book a specific desk ahead of time.
For example, if a workspace has 10 desks, you are explicitly booking Desk 1. You come in and work at that specific workstation.
This is a crucial difference because some job roles require certain technical requirements. For example, you need to reserve a desk outfitted with a phone landline, HDMI cable, and a printer. You can't just show up with your laptop and work at any available desk.
Hoteling ensures that the appropriate desks are reserved ahead of time not only to avoid overcrowding but to ensure that everyone meets their technical requirements and can work productively.
Read our article, Everything You Need to Know About Desk Booking Software, so you can learn more about the different questions and criteria you need to consider.
Now that we've covered the basics between a hot-desking app and a hoteling office space, it's time to check out the different options that will work for your company.
Of course, since you're reading the Where.team blog, our first recommendation is our own Slack desk booking app. With Where, you can easily see where everyone's working from, coordinate shared work, and foster team interaction.
Everything is managed through the Slack app, including setting your status. However, admins and employees can also access the web app to add office spaces and access analytics. It also has a contact tracing feature.
One of the challenges of a hybrid team is to ensure that employees have a balance of independent work and in-person work. This is especially crucial for highly creative companies that rely on innovations that come from in-person brainstorming.
But when a hybrid team has an employee-led schedule, they will opt to work from home more often than not. Or when they do work at the office, their teammates are not there.
Coordinating in-person meetings becomes a mess because there is no set schedule. That's why employees need a bit of a nudge and give them an easy way to meet and work at the office. That's exactly where Where comes in.
Besides adding multiple offices and desks in each workspace, Where makes coordinating office meetups easy and fun. With where you can:
Where's pricing is straightforward. You pay $2 per month per active user. For example, if you have 200 active employees that are using Where, it costs $400 per month. It also comes with a 30-day free trial, so you can decide if it's the right choice for your team. Book a demo here if this sounds like the ideal solution for you.
While AskCody is also a hot desking software, its specialty is managing meeting rooms and ensuring that in-person meetings are efficient.
It works best with teams using Microsoft software, including Outlook and Office365. It's recommended that larger companies require more security and guest management, like law firms, government offices, and financial headquarters.
They also offer:
Generally, the cost is $20 per room or $6 per desk per month. For example, if you have the Essentials plan, you'll pay $600 per month if you have 100 desks.
With Envoy, you'll be able to add offices and desks that employees can book, but they also have features that make it easy to implement COVID-19 protocols, such as facilitating health questionnaires.
Envoy is an office hoteling software better suited for enterprises managing multiple workspaces in a building because they also integrate with your building’s access control system.
The price depends on the number of desks and locations you manage. The standard plan costs $3 per desk per month and is sold in packs of 25 desks. So, if you have 100 desks, you'll pay for $300 per month for 1 location.
Skedda is an online booking system that makes it easy for venues owners or facilities managers to rent out their desks, rooms, and other spaces.
While this can work for hybrid companies with distributed teams, it's best for sports facilities, music venues, and corporate headquarters.
A noteworthy feature is the ability to automate some scheduling features. Space owners and facilities managers also love the data they get as to how much their spaces are being used.
Skedda charges by the number of spaces. A space is anything that can be booked in your venue, including desks, meeting rooms, and recording rooms. For example, if you have 25 spaces, it costs $99.17 per month billed yearly.
If you’re looking for more flexibility and features that go beyond managing desks and office spaces, here are three more options:
On top of managing workspaces, Yarooms also have real-time floor maps and mobile apps. Like Skedda, this works with large-scale venues and workspaces. It can get pricey, as you can end up paying $4800 per year.
This flex office software works best with flex space operators, as it helps them automate administrative processes, including bookings and billings. Pricing depends on the number of members and locations. If you have 200 members and 2 locations, it costs $249 per month.
Lastly on this list is Robin. It’s perfect for facility teams who want an easy way to update floor plans and analytics about how to maximize space. The prices can also range between $1500 to $3000 per year. Their pricing page requires that you set a demo first, so they can get your requirements and recommend the best plans.
So, which desk booking software is best for your hybrid team? The best one is the one that fits your needs and budget. If you have hybrid teams with an employee-led schedule who mainly use Slack, Where is the easiest and most fun desk booking app to use. However, if you’re looking for more features on top of managing desks, especially if you have multiple offices and buildings, solutions like Skedda, AskCody, and Envoy are worth exploring.
