How Municipalities and Government Offices Can Benefit From Meeting and Workspace Management Software

Government offices and other organizations have long struggled with inefficiencies around meeting room booking. Using Microsoft Outlook^® alone to manage meetings and resources can be a hassle, especially when you add multiple locations to the mix.

Just imagine how much time your staff spends looking for meeting rooms, finding the equipment needed for a meeting, ordering catering, and inviting attendees, only to learn that the meeting room they need is already booked. Fortunately, there is a solution and that is a meeting room booking system.

From meeting room booking to team calendar management to parking spot reservations, the uses for resource booking software are virtually endless. Municipalities, city offices, and other government entities can greatly benefit from the use of resource and meeting scheduling software.

Common Meeting Scheduling Problems That Government Offices Face

When meeting rooms and resources aren’t managed effectively, it results in rooms and resources not being used to their maximum capacity. It also affects the productivity and efficiency of staff members who are responsible for finding and scheduling meeting rooms and inviting attendees.

Some of the most common problems that organizations face when it comes to meeting room management are the following:

• Poor meeting room utilization, where some meeting rooms are booked back to back and others remain empty
• Double bookings and other meeting room scheduling conflicts
• Receptionists being solely responsible for centralized meeting room management
• When meetings are canceled, organizers forget to cancel the meeting rooms they booked and the services they ordered

Organize Meetings and Book Resources Directly from Outlook

Resource Central is meeting scheduling software that integrates with Microsoft Outlook^®, Exchange, and 365. It allows you to easily book meeting rooms, manage calendars, send meeting agendas to attendees, order catering, and more. The Microsoft integration ensures that all information regarding the availability of attendees and resources are fully up-to-date at all times.

Resource Central automatically detects and prevents users from double booking rooms. It also allows you to book meeting rooms in different ways. You can book rooms with a mobile or web app or use a wall-mounted touchscreen display to book a room right on the spot. You can also book rooms right from your Outlook calendar. The interface is a familiar-looking extension of Outlook, so it’s easy to learn how to use.

Interactive floor plans in the Workspace App show exactly where rooms are located in your facility and what their capacity is. This visual aid makes it easier for meeting organizers to find a meeting room with the required capacity. In addition to booking meeting rooms, you can use resource booking software to book desks, cars, parking spaces, and nearly any other resource, depending on your organization’s needs.

Meeting scheduling software also provides insight into how meeting rooms and workspaces are used, along with the patterns of cancellations and bookings. Robust reporting helps management better plan for real estate in the future.

Implement a Meeting Room Booking System for Your Government Office 

In a modern government office, it’s crucial to have a meeting room management system in place that replaces manual booking methods. Proper meeting room management can go a long way toward improving productivity and morale while making better use of office space.

To learn more about how Add-On Products and our suite of meeting and workspace management tools can help you streamline meeting room and resource management, contact us today to schedule a free trial or free online demo.