The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every facet of existence on a global scale, and businesses have seen significant changes to the way that they operate. With national policies limiting face-to-face gatherings, requiring social distancing, and recommending a Work-From-Anywhere model, forward-thinking organizations have adapted quickly to ensure business continuity.
In-person meetings have not taken a backseat—they have just evolved into more creative formats that take advantage of innovative new meeting technologies such as a meeting room management system. These systems can be one of the best investments a company can make now in the new normal.
So, let us dive deeper.
Meetings – more important than ever?
Scheduling meetings instead of relying on traditional communication modes such as email and phone conversations makes for a more efficient workplace. According to market data, in-person meetings can generate more than 13 ideas, while virtual meetings can deliver up to 10.43 ideas per session.
Additionally, experts say that as much as 93% of what we communicate is imparted through non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and posture. Similarly, meetings—whether they are face-to-face or virtual—help people feel connected to each other, which the pandemic has highlighted as an important emotional need for all humans.
What Makes a Great Meeting Room Management System?
When choosing among meeting room managers or room booking systems, keep an eye out for these features.
Ease of Use and Accessibility
The best room booking solution for your organization is one that, first, can be used by anyone in your team. Your meeting room management system should come with user-friendly functionality that is not hard to understand and shouldn’t have a huge learning curve for adoption.
It should also be easily accessible from various platforms, including mobile. If access is limited to desktop, for instance, it can create roadblocks for scheduling, particularly if team members are on the road and need to book rooms for spontaneous meetings. Anytime, anywhere access is crucial to optimizing workplace efficiency, as well as positively impacting business success.
Real-Time Synchronization
Your meeting room booker should also have a centralized database that reflects real-time information, such as room availability status, time slots, check-ins, and other necessary details. It is especially beneficial if the system has an app that shows rooms that will soon be available. So that anyone on the team can properly plan for meetings. Some apps only display free rooms, and you want something that lets you view all your options so that you can make the best choice.
Cross platform Integrations and Scalability
Your team should not have to learn a whole new proprietary software system that only works within its own eco-system. Cross platform collaboration is an important feature for operational efficiency, and your software investments must provide comprehensive support across different platforms. This will make adoption of a new system much easier while also boosting operational productivity. So, choose a booking system that already works with various calendar programs, such as Office 365, Exchange, and G Suite.
It is also necessary for this system to integrate with other 3rd party platforms easily through an open API. Affording additional scalability and functionality for the future. For instance, if you need to get data about how your business is using meeting rooms, your booking manager should have built-in reporting capabilities for that purpose. And this insightful data should be able inter-exchangeable with other reporting platforms.
Meetio's meeting room management system ticks all boxes. Read more about our solutions below!
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