The best desk booking tools with a Slack integration in 2024

If you have a hybrid working policy, you need the right desk booking software to give your employees the best workplace experience, build a strong community, and manage your office space efficiently. This facilitates remote work and team coordination, making it easy for teams to make the best out of their time at your workplace.  

However, it might be a challenge to get your employees to remember to use yet another app to let you know when they'll be coming to the office.

The best way to approach this is to integrate your desk booking software with popular platforms like Slack; in this way, you can make office attendance updates easy and intuitive and enhance adoption. This is exactly why we created Officely, one of the best desk booking systems with a seamless Slack integration.

In this guide, you'll find out how to make your hybrid work environment work for everyone by using the right desk booking tool. We'll talk about the key features you should look for, guide you through the selection process, and see what the best options are.

What Features Should You Look For in Your Desk Booking System?

When choosing the right system for your workplace, there are a few key features you should consider:

• User interface and experience: Look for tools that are simple and intuitive to use. A dedicated mobile or Slack app for booking on-the-go is a plus.
• Integration capabilities: The best software will seamlessly fit into your existing tech stack. Look for apps that integrate with Slack and your calendar app of choice (Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, Apple Calendar).
• Booking features: The best room scheduling software will offer real-time updates and enable you to book shared workspaces instantly. A powerful reservation system that facilitates hot desk booking and enables you to book meeting rooms is key.
• Analytics and reporting: Office managers and people managers should be able to get an instant overview of resource utilisation, check the availability of conference rooms, and know who is in the office and when. Strong reporting features are a plus (average daily usage, office attendance rates, and individual presence).
• Customisation options: Look for the ability to set different booking rules, permissions, and policies specific to your organization.
• Scalability: The best hot desk booking software will easily accommodate growth in terms of users, desks, and office locations.
• Flexible office spaces: Look for an app that can support different offices and types of workspaces (hot desks, meeting spaces, and more).
• Notifications and communication: The best desk booking systems send automatic alerts and reminders about who's in the office and enable employees to see when is the best time to join others.
• Transparent Pricing: The best tools will have clear information on pricing, with no hidden costs.

Officely offers four pricing options: Basic (free, for up to 10 users), Simple, Flexible, and Custom

How to Choose The Right Desk Booking Software For Your Hybrid Office?

Now that we have defined the features to look for, let's see what the process for finding the best tool looks like.

1. Define Your Team's Needs

Employee adoption of desk booking is the hardest thing to get right. So, the first thing you need to do is to define what your team needs exactly from your workspace management app.

Do you need to manage hot desking at your office? Is room management important? (For example, do you need employees to be able to book a meeting room through the app?)

Do you need a mobile app or a Slack app? Do you need a tool that integrates with Google Calendar and/or Outlook Calendar? Do you need visitor management functionalities? Do you need hyper detailed reports to support the different hybrid work models you're testing?

2. Evaluate The Tool's Slack Integration Features

If your team uses Slack, the best thing you can do is to stick to Slack's ecosystem and look for the right app in the Slack app directory.

Ideally, look for an app that enables your employees to book desks directly within Slack and receive prompts and updates about who's in the office and when.

Look for a space management tool that supports finding and booking spaces near team members, which can be coordinated via Slack.

3. Assess Scalability and Customisation Options

Find a software that can grow with your company, and which makes it easy to add more users or different office layouts.

The best apps will offer customizable options that match your specific workplace policies or branding. For example, with Officely employees can let each other know whether they'll be carpooling to work, bringing their dog with them, and more.

4. Check the Software's Security and Compliance Policy

Check whether the software provider you've chosen has the right security protocols in place; for employee data, this is essential. Make sure they also comply with local regulations regarding data privacy and employee monitoring.

5. Check User Reviews

Next, head to user review websites like G2 and Capterra to see whether others are happy with the app. Are they managing their hybrid offices efficiently with it? Are they happy with the user experience? Are they saying anything specific about team productivity and employee engagement?

Here's what an Officely user is saying about the app

Case studies (on the software provider's website) can help you assess whether this specific workplace technology has helped solve similar issues to the ones you're facing.

6. Try The App And Collect User Feedback

Most vendors offer a free trial or even a free version for smaller teams. Use this to see how well the software integrates with Slack and other collaboration tools and whether it actually meets your needs.

During the trial, collect feedback from your team to see if your team members like it and would be happy to use it in the future. After all, if your employees won't use the app, there's no point in adding it to your tech stack, right?

7. Compare Pricing Plans

Consider the desk booking tool's cost versus the benefits it provides. Look at different pricing options available and always keep in mind your team's current size and expected growth.

Most tools use a subscription model that depends on the number of users you'll have.

What Are The Best Desk Booking Tools Today?

Here’s a look at some of the best desk booking tools available to teams worldwide.

1. Officely

Officely offers a simple-to-use Slack integration, enabling users to book desks directly through Slack. Its user interface is super intuitive, making it easy for employees to book desks, see who's in the office, and find out when is the best time to come.

Beyond desk booking, you can use Officely to strengthen your company culture by organizing office events and get-togethers (coffee, lunch, drinks after work) without disturbing those working from home. Plus, your team can book extras like car parks, bike racks, white boards, and even spots for their pets.

You can use Officely for free for up to 10 team members, which is ideal for small teams.

2. Hot Desk

Hot Desk integrates smoothly with Slack, offering basic commands for booking and managing spaces. Users can book desks on the go with a mobile-friendly interface, making it suitable for hybrid work environments.

Hot Desk provides a flexible pricing model that can accommodate businesses of different sizes, but its free version is only for five users.

3. Deskfound

Deskfound is another Slack app you can use for resource scheduling and desk booking.

With it, you can assign permanent desks to team members or let them book a hot desk, plus, they can also vote where to go for lunch. It enables users to easily modify their bookings with a simple drag and drop, but it's a bit more basic than Officely and Hot Desk.

Why Choose Officely as Your Desk Booking Tool for Slack?

When investing time and money into setting up a new desk booking tool you want to make sure your employees will actually use it. Getting your team to use yet another app is hard. And if your team members don't use it to book their desks, they might turn up in the office, only to find there is no desk available.

So, to avoid this, you need to equip them with the right desk booking software. Officely checks all the boxes of most office managers; let's see why.

Seamless Integration with Slack

‍Officely's integration with Slack is designed to be intuitive and efficient. It enables team members to book desks, check who's in the office, and even see office layouts directly from their Slack workspace.

This means you can manage your office space without ever leaving the Slack chat window and needing to switch to a different app.

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Officely in Slack

User-Friendly Interface

‍A tool is only as good as its ease of use.

Complex office management tools that aren't used by anyone are obviously not the right solution if you want to make your team members' lives easier.

Officely's interface is super user-friendly and intuitive. Team members can start booking desks and managing their schedules with minimal training, making the transition smooth and hassle-free.

Real-Time Availability and Insights

‍In a fast-paced office environment, desk availability can change by the minute. For an efficient space utilization, you need to make sure desk availability is updated in real time, as soon as someone updates their status on Slack.

Officely offers real-time insights into desk availability and office occupancy levels. This feature ensures that employees can find space when they need it and it also helps administrators understand usage patterns to optimize space allocation, boost employee satisfaction, and even streamline visitor management.

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Officely analytics

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Customizable to Fit Your Office Layout

‍Every office has its unique layout and requirements. You can set up Officely to reflect your actual office space, making the booking experience accurate and reliable. Whether you have hot desks, dedicated desks, or need to manage meeting rooms, you can tailor Officely to fit your needs.

Community Building

‍Officely isn't just about booking desks; it's about creating an office community and making people excited to come in. If team members don't know who'll come, they'll probably stay at home; after all, nobody likes to commute to an empty office, right?

The tool encourages interaction by allowing team members to see who will be in the office, plan meetups, and collaborate more effectively. This feature helps maintain a strong team culture, even in a hybrid work setting. You can also use Officely to announce daily events to encourage team members to join.  

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Get your team excited about the office again

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Boost Employee Productivity and Cohesion with the Right Tool

‍Officely is one of the best desk booking tools out there: With it, your team members can see who's coming to the office, book a desk, plan events, and even bring in their pets and make sure they have a dedicated spot.

In short, it not only makes office management efficient and hassle-free, but it makes your team members' lives easier – and brings back the excitement of going to the office and catching up with coworkers.

Whether you're part of a small startup or a large enterprise, Officely provides the tools you need to manage your space effectively, maintain safety, and improve your team members' experience.

Enhance your office experience with Officely today and build a more organized, efficient, and collaborative workspace.

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