Investing in Room Booking Software vs Free Scheduling Tools

If you’ve looked into room booking software at all, you’ve probably come across multiple free scheduling tools and platforms.

You might be wondering whether a paid solution is really worthwhile.

But as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for — and sometimes “free” can cost you more in the long run.

Why pay for conference room booking software?

1. Full access to features on mobile devices

When offices reopen, employees may not be in the same place everyday. Many organizations are managing their return to work by staggering employee schedules and implementing desk hoteling.

Employees expect to retain their flexible work styles, so they need a mobile solution that follows them wherever they go. And research shows employees who use work-related enterprise mobile apps believe it saves them time and increases their productivity.

Free room booking software may be accessible from a mobile browser, but it will likely be a scaled-down version with limited functionality.

Paid conference room booking software comes with a native mobile app that does everything the desktop version can. And it’s just as easy as the apps your employees use at home — which is exactly what they expect.

2. Integrations with other business tools

Free room booking software doesn’t always integrate with the other software and apps your workforce uses. As a result, employees must do everything twice. They have to create the reservation in the room booking tool and then open their calendar tool and create an event there.

The best room booking software can connect directly to Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCloud Calendar, as well as notification platforms like Slack.

Employees can make a room reservation in the scheduling app and it will automatically sync with their preferred calendar app or vice versa. The details will be shared between the programs with no need to enter anything twice. And since it connects to Slack, employees receive automatic meeting reminders and invitation alerts right in their chat window.

That way, your employees can continue to use familiar technology to schedule meetings and invite people, with the added benefit of more reliable room booking.

3. Space and asset utilization data

Free scheduling tools may include limited reporting features, but the volume of available data is substantially lower than what is typically offered with a premium solution.

For instance, some free tools charge extra for things like booking activity reports and data retention. That’s valuable information you could be using to improve space utilization and optimize your conference rooms. (If a large conference room is taking up a lot of valuable real estate but is rarely being used, you’d want to know about it, right?)

Maximizing your ROI in conference room booking software

There are plenty of free room booking tools and some subscription-based software designed just for that purpose. And if you’re a smaller organization with just a few rooms, that might be enough.

However, fast-growing organizations and enterprises with multiple offices need a room booking software that gives them the insights to make the most of their space — while still being as easy for employees to use as any app on their smartphone.

To accomplish this, you need room booking software that can integrate seamlessly with other systems, such as:

• Space management software, so you can see how conference rooms fit into bigger picture of your real estate portfolio
• Room scheduling displays, so employees can find and book a room at any time. Wayfinding software that helps your employees navigate to their meeting
• Internet of Things (IoT) sensors that help you adjust cleaning schedules based on need and collect real-time occupancy data on how your spaces are being used
• Workplace analytics that provide you with the insights you need

Armed with this information, you can make data-driven decisions that impact everyone in the workplace and equip your entire workforce with the tools they need for success.

Now that’s worth every penny.

Teem’s room booking software integrates with all the features you need to get the most from your investment. And it’s as easy as tapping a tablet. See how it can save your workplace time, money, and hassle. Schedule a free demo today.