Desk sharing software can be an important tool for modern businesses that work hybrid. It helps firms use their offices more efficiently and reduce unnecessary costs. But what is the return of investment (ROI) of such software? How can office costs actually be lowered?
The most important facts at a glance:
- Desk sharing software allows employees to book desks, meeting rooms, and other resources on days that they will work from the physical office
- Because a certain percentage of employees are working remotely each day, the required amount of space & resources is proportionally less
- Desk sharing software analyses the actual usage of physical office space. Under-utilized areas and resources can be eliminated.
What is desk sharing software and how does it work?
Desk sharing software allows employees to book and reserve desks, rooms, or other IT equipment on days that they will be working from the office. More advanced software also enables workers to track when they will be working from home, are on business trips, or otherwise not physically located in the office.
Desk sharing software is typically hosted in the cloud and can be accessed from anywhere, meaning employees can make and manage their bookings no matter where they are working. Depending on the tool, bookings can be made either as a stand-alone web and mobile applications, or as an integrated part of another system (for example Microsoft Teams or Slack).
Some of the most common features of desk sharing software are:
- Booking desks and work stations or areas
- Managing IT resources like projectors, conferencing equipment, or monitors
- Notifications and reminders of upcoming bookings
- Integration with calendar and email systems
- Analytics and usage reports
How does desk sharing software help lower office costs?
There are several factors to consider when calculating your return on investment. The actual costs will always be particular to your business, but there are certain factors that will likely be relevant for most businesses:
- Monthly rent
- Monthly heating and electricity
- One-time equipment purchases: desks, furniture, IT equipment
- Time spent commuting
Desk Sharing software can help businesses cut costs across all of those factors.
Optimization of office usage: By analyzing capacity & actual booking data, managers can understand how many desks they actually need on any given day or week. Excess space can be either divested (at the end of the rental contract), sublet to another tenant, or put to some other (potentially more profitable) use. For growing companies, using existing office space more efficiently means that extra office space might not have to be acquired because more people can use the same amount of space
Reduced heating & electricity costs: Smaller offices mean reduced heating & electricity costs. This is particularly important in colder months, and during periods when energy prices are highly volatile.
More efficient resource management: By managing resources such as desks, IT equipment (like monitors & projects), unnecessary one-time purchases can be avoided. Smaller offices with fewer desks also mean fewer one-time acquisition costs of furniture and IT equipment.
Sustainability: Hybrid working and the use of appropriate software also helps with overall business sustainability. Saving office space has a positive effect on a company's eco-balance. In Europe, large corporations will be required to report on environmental risks and steps they are taking to mitigate those risks. Reducing the amount of time their employees spend commuting (particularly with cars) can have a positive impact.
How can Seatti help reduce office costs?
With our MS Teams integration, you can optimize office space based on booking data, while giving your employees more flexibility.
And to make sure everything runs smoothly, you can implement Seatti into the Microsoft ecosystem very quickly. Seatti not only enables employees to book desks, but also offers companies the opportunity to collect long-term data. The integrated data analysis tracks anonymized booking data, allowing you to make data-driven decisions regarding your office investment.
