How to Become More Sustainable with Resource Booking Software
21 Jan 2016
Many business executives feel forced to become more sustainable due to stricter government regulations. However, making your company more sustainable shouldn’t be seen as a nuisance – it can actually help your business become more efficient, profitable, and productive. While it does cost money to comply with environmental regulations, implementing sustainable practices also help to strengthen your brand’s reputation and competitiveness. Through greening your business, you can lower costs, support the optimal use of resources, and improve performance. Companies that are efficient in their use of carbon also tend to be more efficient on an economic basis.
A tool that many companies can benefit from using on the path to improved sustainability is resource booking software. Resource booking software, also known as resource scheduling software, is a fast way to book people, conference rooms, equipment, and other resources. The software offers at-a-glance availability of your resources, so you can find out which workspaces are available and book them immediately. Ordering extra services like catering is also seamless, with work requests being sent out automatically to service providers. Staff can book extra services along with their meetings, which saves them valuable time. Using resource scheduling software, companies can optimize their processes and reap benefits like increased productivity and cost savings.
Reduce Food Waste from Catering
A staggering 1.3 billion tons of food waste is generated around the world each year – that’s roughly one third of all the food produced in the world. Not only is food waste bad for the environment, it can also cost your company money. For example, if you order catering for a meeting but then cancel the meeting and forget to cancel the catering service in addition, that food will end up being delivered and going to waste. This leads to food waste and unnecessary costs that could have easily been avoided.
When you use resource booking software to book a meeting and order catering services, any extra services you booked that are associated with the meeting are cancelled at the same time as the meeting. This prevents mistakes that chip away at your company’s bottom line and lead to food waste.
Enhancing Sustainability Through Hot Desking
One of the keys to sustainability in business is using office space efficiently, particularly since office space accounts for the second highest operational cost for businesses after salaries. Not only are real estate costs high, but you also need to cover the costs of utilities for any office space you maintain.
In traditional office environments, each worker has his or her own desk, but the desks are frequently be vacant because the workers are on business, off sick, traveling to visit clients, on leave, or in meetings. In order to prevent valuable workspace from sitting empty and to minimize environmental impact, it’s crucial to use existing space more wisely with practices like hot desking.
Desk sharing and a non-territorial work style should be the default in today’s increasingly mobile workplace. The design of an office should allow for the flexible use of desks and incorporate space for meetings. Resource scheduling software that accommodates hot desking allows users to book temporary desks for short or long periods.
Resource scheduling software allows you to manage and book hot desks based on your workplace’s needs, so you can create a more collaborative and flexible workspace while generating cost savings. Comprehensive utilization reports give management a better understanding of how workspace is used, informing future real estate decisions.
Booking Eco-Friendly Resources with Resource Scheduling Software
With resource scheduling software, you’re not limited to booking AV equipment, catering, and meeting rooms. You can book virtually any extra service imaginable, including eco-friendly resources like electric cars. For instance, the municipality of Fredensborg in Denmark is using Add-On Products’ Resource Central software to book electric cars and support their CO2 emissions reduction efforts.
Want more information about our Meeting room booking system? Sign up for a free trial of our user-friendly resource scheduling software for Microsoft Outlook® today!
