Space management software: What space planning software is best?
7 important features of office space management software
So, what exactly should you be looking for in an office space management solution? Below, we’ll explain what key features to consider, and how you can evaluate each.
1. Desk booking capabilities
That’s by far the most important feature you need. To make sure your team uses the app you choose, you need to make sure that it’s intuitive and easy to use, and, ideally, integrates directly into your communication tools, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Officely does exactly that: It enables your people to book desks with a few clicks, without having to open another app. They can also see who else is coming in and decide when to go to the office. (After all, nobody likes to commute to an empty office, right?)
2. Meeting room booking system
Chances are your office has a few meeting rooms – and that they’re an in-demand resource. To make sure everyone can use them without any scheduling conflicts and make the most out of their time at the office, you need to make sure your workspace management app features a meeting room booking system that’s intuitive and updated in real time (hint: Officely does).
3. Attendance visibility
Real-time attendance visibility helps you as much as it helps your employees.
If your people know who’s going to be in the office, they’re more likely to come. Commuting is a big ask if they’re not going to be able to interact with anyone – and having employees sit alone in an office obviously won’t help you build a successful hybrid culture, either.
If you use a tool that tracks attendance visibility in real time, everyone will know who’s in the office, what fun social activities they have planned, and when’s the best time to come if they want to ask Ben all the burning questions they have on that new project.
4. Space utilization data reporting
To be able to optimize your space and resources – and ensure you’re not paying for an office that sits empty most of the time – you need to know how your team is actually using it.
Do you have five meeting rooms but never use more than three at once? The other two could probably be repurposed. Are your desks constantly overbooked? It’d probably make sense to add a few more.
5. Floor plans and visitor management solution
For bigger offices, floor plans and visitor management can be a great way to keep things running smoothly, ensuring your visitors won’t get lost.
Visitor management also helps you keep your office secure and only let in people who have a legitimate reason to be there, while also providing a great visitor experience to those who do. First impressions count! If a candidate or a potential partner or client can’t find your office, doesn’t know how to enter, and struggles to find their way around, they probably won’t come again.
Floor plans, on the other hand, enable you to decide exactly what the best use of your space is, and change things quickly when needed.
6. Integrability
Top space management software plays well with others – and the best tools will be accessible directly from your communication apps. Integrations are key not only for smooth office ops but also for high adoption rates: If employees need to remember to open yet another app to book a desk, they probably won’t.
Look for tools that integrate well with the rest of your tech stack, too. Officely syncs with Slack, MS Teams, Workday, Remote, and more.
7. Ease of use
Another thing you need to be mindful of if you want to ensure high adoption is the user experience. If users can’t quickly figure out what they need to do to book a desk or a room, they simply won’t do it, and your new app will go unused.
That’s exactly why we’ve made Officely super simple to use: it’s built by a modern, flexible team for modern, flexible teams. Booking a desk takes only a few clicks and zero effort.
Insights: Why should I care about workspace management?
To boost workplace efficiency, space management is essential. If each day employees are spending time wandering around, looking for a free desk (and hoping there is one), this not only feels frustrating, but it also saps their energy.
To make coming into the office as seamless as possible, you need to manage the space you have in the right way – and use the best space planning tool.
Understand and optimize space allocation
An empty desk is more than just wasted real estate; it’s wasted money. When you track and analyze how your team is using your physical space, you can make the right decisions about how to make the most of it in a way that ensures every square foot serves a purpose. The right workplace management platform helps you do exactly that.
Encourage team collaboration
Space management platforms not only help optimize space but also encourage office usage, and bring people and teams together for better and easier collaboration. And when people work together, their intrinsic motivation also increases.
The way an office is laid out impacts your team’s ability to work together well. In a hybrid workspace, being able to chat with your coworkers when you come to the office without disturbing others is all the more important – so make sure you plan for areas where informal collaboration feels easy and natural.
Ensure your office has areas that make collaboration easy
Increase productivity
While collaboration overload can tank your team’s productivity, so can the lack of opportunity to collaborate. It’s tricky to get the balance exactly right, but with the right office layout and desk booking system, you’re much more likely to achieve that.
A well-managed office reduces distractions, gives people the ability to collaborate easily, and improves communication. Plus, it helps eliminate redundant meetings or time wasted in trying to figure out which meeting room is free and where to speak with a coworker without distracting everyone.
Improve employee satisfaction
Good space management means there’s always a comfortable area for workers that meets their needs.
Nobody wants to struggle to find a desk or squeeze into a crowded corner to work. If you use the best practices of space management (and the right tools for it), your office will meet everyone’s needs and be a place that people actually like coming to.
Ensure you have the right spaces for focused work, video calls, team meetings, and quick catch-ups. Happy employees are more productive and engaged, and that starts with providing them with a great workplace experience.
Ready to optimize workplace management with the best space management software?
Great space management starts with the right mindset and tools. In this article, we’ve covered both – but if you’d like to see how these two come together, you can book a free demo to see Officely in action and learn how it can help you build a workspace that works for everyone on your team.
From desk and room booking to real-time space utilization data and attendance visibility, it has everything you need to create an office space that helps your people do their best work, together.
