Why Do People Ignore Conference Room Booking Etiquette?

Conference room booking etiquette isn’t overly complicated:

Don’t take a room that’s already reserved.

Don’t reserve a room for a recurring meeting from now until the end of time.

Don’t interrupt a meeting to ask, “Are you almost done in here?”

So why does it seem like people forget their manners when it’s time to reserve a room?

Here’s why it happens and what you can do about it.

What Causes Conference Room Booking Conflicts?

You know that awkward moment when you walk your client across the office only to discover the sales team is meeting in the room you reserved?

You give a shrug of embarrassment and scramble to find another place to meet, but you’re met with full rooms and apologetic looks. You have flashbacks to being the last kid standing in a game of musical chairs—except there’s no music or cake.

Now you’re desperate, so you usher your client into the first room that looks free.

That desperation may have been the same reason the sales team took your room in the first place.

Of course, there are other reasons conference room booking doesn’t go as planned. For instance:

• The room may have been double-booked if employees reserved it through Microsoft Outlook or another calendar app
• It may have been booked by another team that never showed up
• Recurring reservations may have decided not to meet that day
• The meeting might be running long

All these issues create friction in your workplace, pitting one team against another when they should all be working together.

How To Make Conference Room Booking A Breeze

iOFFICE’s conference room booking software simplifies reservations and resolves conflicts. Our room reservation system integrates with Microsoft Outlook, Google Calendar, iCalendar and notification tools like Slack so all bookings are reflected in real-time, everywhere.

Digital room panels make the process even easier by allowing anyone to see whether a room is reserved as they’re walking by.

If the room is available, they can book it simply by tapping the panel. They can also end a reservation early or extend it if the meeting is running long. This eliminates “ghost” bookings and interruptions by employees wanting to know when the room will be free.

Our conference room booking software also integrates with IoT sensors that trigger the room to become available again if they don’t detect the presence of people within a certain period of time.

In addition to making conference room booking a breeze for employees, this technology allows workplace leaders to track utilization and make adjustments based on their employees’ needs.

For instance, they can:

• Divide a large, underutilized conference room into two smaller rooms if demand for smaller rooms is greater
• See which assets are located in each conference room and how often they’re being used
• Clean conference rooms based on usage, rather than on a set schedule

These solutions save time and money and while making your workforce more productive—and eliminating conference room conflicts for good.

Learn how iOFFICE can help you better manage your conference room booking. Request a free demo today.