Getting Results with Archibus
Hoteling
In today's business environment of telecommuters and contract workers, your site has likely set aside a group of unoccupied rooms specifically intended for temporary occupancy. Or, your site might have eliminated all permanent offices and implemented a hot-desk strategy in which employees book a seat each time they come to the office.
Establishing a system for organizing the occupancy of these rooms can help you use expensive space more efficiently. Moreover, when your contract and telecommuting employees arrive at the site, they will be happy to have offices waiting for them and will be immediately able to start working.
With the Hoteling application, users such as the following can search for and book a working space:
- any employee who is not assigned a permanent seat can book a seat for the days they are in the office
- contract or temporary workers
- employees working only half a day
- telecommuters who will be working on site
- groups of employees displaced due to renovations
- outside vendors and contractors working on a renovation project and requiring office space
- work teams requiring team rooms for temporary projects
The process is similar to a booking a hotel room:
- search for available spaces given a number of search parameters (dates, type of room, building, and so on)
- see the available spaces in a floor plan
- select spaces to book
- review and the list of booked spaces
- confirm (check into) the booked space on the day of the booking (if your site implements this optional feature)
Rooms can be booked for any time period, ranging from half-days to years, and can also be booked on a recurring pattern (such as every third Monday). Depending on your security and how the business process owner has configured the application, a department manager's approval may be required.
Workflow rules ensure that rooms are tagged for cleaning and cleaning is completed before the room is available again for occupancy.
As with permanently occupied space, keeping track of the cost of hoteled space is essential for cost control. All booked spaces are charged back to their corresponding departments in the same way as permanent spaces are charged. By charging departments for their space use, the application encourages a shared responsibility for reducing space costs among department and facility managers alike.
Sites may also wish to provide general staff, building occupants, telecommuters and others with access to the following tools so that they can book and check into rooms directly from their smart phone or mobile device. Bookings made from these programs are then managed with the Hoteling application, in the same way as bookings made from the Hoteling application's Create Bookings task.
- the Archibus Workplace Services Portal mobile app
- Archibus Workplace self-service portal
Hoteling | |
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Location |
Archibus non-SaaS
|
Business Result |
Increase space utilization and decrease space costs. By reporting utilization down to individual rooms, the application enables facility managers to pinpoint space that is underutilized and to make informed decisions about shedding space to decrease costs or designating for other purposes. Hold department managers accountable for space costs. Since temporarily used space is charged back to department managers, they are held accountable for the space they use. This practice aligns department managers to the goal of optimizing space use. Enforce rules on types of space use. The application prevents employees from booking space that they are not authorized to use. This ensures that employees are using space properly. Automate processes to improve operational efficiency. The application supports administrators establishing approvals for only the employees that require it. It also supports automated routing. Maintain employee productivity. Employees can book available space in a self-service manner, eliminating the overhead of manually finding rooms or asking for assistance. In this way, employees remain productive and facilities staff can focus on other tasks. |
Used By |
Telecommuters Employees visiting other corporate sites Visitors Any building occupant Department managers Facility managers Finance managers Employees who do not have permanent seat assignments |
Reasons for Automating |
To provide a means for providing temporary workspace to employees and visitors who do not have permanent placement in the office. To understand how space is being used on a temporary basis. To charge departments for their use of booked rooms and encourage department heads to utilize their occupied space efficiently. To decrease space costs by improving space utilization and shedding space that is rarely used. To support current workplace practices, such as agile work environments, telecommuting, and part-time workstation use. To provide a central repository of the temporary use of rooms that can be accessed by key stakeholders over a corporate network or Intranet. |
Related Applications |
Space Inventory / Room Inventory (prerequisite) |
Reports |
Operational Reports
|
The following are typical users:
User |
Tasks |
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Telecommuting employees |
Book an office to work in when you need to work on site. Check into the booked space the day of the booking. |
Employees visiting other corporate sites |
Book an office to work in when you are visiting your company's other sites. Check into the booked space the day of the booking. |
Any building occupant |
Book an office for a temporary contract worker or other visitor reporting to you. Book an office for temporary use for yourself. Check into the booked space the day of the booking. |
Visitors | Receive email about the status of bookings made on your behalf. |
Facility managers |
Find temporary locations for employees whose offices are undergoing renovation. Analyze space usage by examining booked rooms over specific date ranges. Include booked rooms in chargeback analysis. Service booked rooms with basic amenities. |
Department managers |
Book team rooms for work teams working on temporary projects. Analyze space temporarily used by your department. Shed unused space to increase overall utilization and decrease costs. |
Finance managers |
Calculate the shared space component of occupancy. Document, justify, and calculate indirect costs for space covered under government grants or insurance carriers in hospitals for those spaces occupied partially by temporary, contract, or telecommuting workers. Determine the number of seats, and their costs, saved by booked rooms. |
Business process owners |
Define background facilities data. Configure notification procedures. Configure approval procedures. |