How to build the best meeting room booking software?

If you are planning to take your sales to the next level, increase your brand coverage in the industry and get a good user base, having the best meeting room booking system can be a gold digger to get you both customers and sales. Gone are the days when you had to approach a developer to create a room booking system for you. Now, with the emergence of SaaS technologies, you can avail the benefits and build a free online booking system for your website. In the absence of a better system, your meeting schedules can fall into chaos in case of double booking and cancellations. Here are some of the best practices for meeting room booking systems that will help you find the best solutions for your requirements.

 

Reduces communication by improving efficiency

When you go through the meeting room booking process, it requires multiple channel communication between various parties. Online booking systems make communication between parties easier and approve several rounds of communications in an easy way.

 

Bridge the gap between the digital and physical world

It is frustrating when a room that was already booked ends up being vacant. It is not just a waste of time, but a waste of resources too. But with meeting room booking software, maximizing your space is easier than ever before. Always regularly update your booking calendar when an appointment gets rescheduled or canceled. By doing so, you are facilitating utilization of the room to those who need it. Ensure that you use a meeting room booking software that offers integrations with your calendar. Then, bookings and cancellations made through the email system will be reflected in your system. Using an online booking system facilities seamless transaction between parties with less errors.

 

Track your meeting room usage

Are there some rooms that tends to be famous among your clients? Are rooms for certain hours, but not utilized to its fullest capability? Track such details in your booking system to have a better understanding about the usage of meeting rooms. This will also help you to optimize your meeting rooms well in the future.

 

How to find the best meeting room booking software?

Every booking system is unique and you won't find a room booking software that suits all types of businesses. That is why you have to find the best meeting room booking software that offers highly customizations to suit your needs.

Write down the features you require

Preparing a list of features you need with essential attributes will help you make better decision based on the features. Here are some useful features you can consider adding.
• Online booking page with custom features
• Built-in Book Now Widgets and buttons.
• Automated SMS and email reminders
• Efficient client chat
• External calendar integrations

Compare

Once you have a complete list, do your research. Rely on reviews to find the best meeting room booking software suite that includes all essential features and functionalities you need.

Sign up for a trial

After shortlisting a few software systems, sign up for a free trial to try out the software in real. If the trial period is long, you will get more time to experiment with the system. If you are still confused between two software systems, using the trial version can help narrow down it to a final choice.

 

Building the best meeting room booking software

After you have selected the meeting room booking software you want, you have to set it up and tailor it according to your business.

Input your business details

Start by entering your business details including address, map view, and other essentials. The more information customers have about your business, the more trust they will have on your brand.

Set up services and availability

Define your services and availability and add booked out slots so that users can have a clear understanding of the availability of rooms. Specify the services you offer with clear descriptions, prices, durations, etc. If you are accepting online payments, set it up and test it.
It is important to set the buffer time for your services, too. Most meeting room booking systems will facilitate defining several ways to book a service. For example, bookings can be made via private URLs, your booking page, or through internal calendars. If you have more staff in your team, ensure that they have valid services and permission roles assigned to them.

Automate reminder SMS and mails

Automated emails and SMS have shown to reduce no-show ups by 90%. Compared to email reminders, SMS reminders have a higher open rate. So, ensure that you send timely reminders to customers via SMS to complement mail notifications. According to the services, the message content varies and you might have to send out multiple reminders before the scheduled appointment. Set up time and service-specific SMS and email reminders to improve efficiency.

Customize your booking page

Nowadays branding is very important as it makes your service appealing to your customers. Ensure that your logo is clearly placed on your booking page and add high-quality images that can improve the trustworthiness of your website. Don’t forget to include a copy of a well detailed description of your brand and what your users can expect. You can also display customer reviews as review badges.

Make meeting room scheduling agile

An agile work environment is becoming increasingly common, and this will make room booking coordination more difficult. That’s when a meeting room booking system that is cloud-based and flexible enough to cope up with the agile working environment is important.

Set up calendar synchronization and app integrations

If your business manages multiple calendars like Office 365, Google Calendar, Exchange, etc., setting up a two-way calendar system can make things easy. It helps you to view all scheduled appointments in a single place and eliminates double bookings. A meeting room booking software can be integrated with all the other apps you use for accounting, social media activities, email marketing, and video meetings.

Test

Before using and sharing your booking system, ensure it functions efficiently and offer your clients with the best customer experience. Make a test booking and see if everything is working as expected, whether the payment is through, reminder notifications are received, and there are no technical glitches in the booking process.

Conclusion

If you constantly hold different meetings in an assortment of meeting rooms, you probably need the best online booking systems to manage your appointments. If you have been trying to streamline your booking process, the best meeting room booking software can make meeting room bookings as easy as clicking a button.

 

About the Author

Shirley Stewart currently a business consultant & marketing head for RentCubo which is specialized in eCommerce rental marketplace.