Shared Resources Bookings with Appointment Scheduling Software

Modified on Sun, 28 May, 2023 at 5:33 PM

In today's fast-paced world, time management has become more important than ever. It is not uncommon to find individuals struggling to manage their time effectively, especially when it comes to booking shared resources. Whether it is a meeting room, a piece of equipment, or a vehicle, shared resources require proper management to ensure that they are available when needed. Appointment scheduling software can make the process of booking shared resources easier and more efficient.

Why use Appointment Scheduling Software for Shared Resource Booking?

1. Efficient Resource Management

Appointment scheduling software helps to optimize the use of shared resources. The software allows users to view the availability of resources in real-time and book them accordingly. This helps to eliminate conflicts and double-bookings, ensuring that resources are used efficiently.

2. Improved Communication

With appointment scheduling software, users can easily communicate with each other regarding resource booking. The software allows users to send notifications and reminders to others regarding upcoming bookings, which helps to improve communication and ensure that everyone is aware of the booking status.

3. Centralized Scheduling

Appointment scheduling software provides a centralized platform for resource booking. This allows users to view all available resources and book them from a single platform. This centralized approach helps to simplify the booking process and reduces the likelihood of errors or confusion.

4. Time Savings

Appointment scheduling software saves time by automating the booking process. Users can book resources at any time, from any location, using a web-based interface. This eliminates the need for manual bookings and reduces the time required to manage resource bookings.

5. Customizable Booking Options

Appointment scheduling software offers customizable booking options to suit different needs. For example, users can set booking limits, block off certain time slots, and set booking permissions for specific users or groups. This helps to ensure that resources are used efficiently and fairly.

How to Use Appointment Scheduling Software for Shared Resource Booking

1. Set up the Software

To use appointment scheduling software, you need to first set it up. This involves creating an account, adding users, and configuring the system settings. You will also need to add the shared resources that you want to manage, such as meeting rooms or equipment.

2. View Resource Availability

Once the software is set up, users can view the availability of shared resources in real-time. This helps to determine when resources are available and when they can be booked.

3. Book Resources

Users can then book shared resources using the software. This involves selecting the resource, choosing the date and time, and adding any relevant details. The software will then confirm the booking and send notifications to all relevant parties.

4. Manage Bookings

Users can manage their bookings using the software. This includes rescheduling or canceling bookings, as well as adding or removing attendees. The software will automatically update the booking status and notify all relevant parties.

Use Case: Centrally Managing Shared Resource Bookings in Leadmonk

In this use case, each resource booking is independent of other shared resource bookings such as meeting room bookings. You want to manage bookings of all the shared resources centrally. To manage bookings of multiple shared resources, such as meeting rooms or gaming devices, centrally, Leadmonk offers two options to meet this requirement.

Option 1: Using the standalone feature in Leadmonk

To use this option, you can follow the below steps in Leadmonk:

1. Create an Event Type for Each Shared Resource

Create an event type for each shared resource, such as meeting rooms or gaming devices, that you want to manage centrally.

2. Customize Each Event Type

Customize each event type by adding the resource details, such as name, description, and booking duration.

3. Create Availability Profiles

Create availability profiles with each resource name for easy identification, and maintain the shared resource availability in that profile for booking.

4. Specify Availability Profiles

Specify these availability profiles in the relevant event types created earlier.

5. Select "Standalone" Option

In the "Availability Preferences" section of the event type, select the "Standalone" option. This option lets the event type behave as a standalone calendar for free-busy availability checks while showing open appointment slots to the invitees. In this case, a connected Google/Outlook calendar is used to add appointments to the calendar and not for availability checks.

6. Add Invitee Questions

Add invitee questions to the event type if required to collect the details you want from invites as part of the resource booking.

7. Add Reminders

Add email/SMS/WhatsApp reminders to the event type to reduce no-shows. You can also make use of workflows to send appointment notifications.

8. Clone Event Types

You can clone the event type to quickly create new ones with minimal changes such as name, description, and availability profile for other shared resources.

9. Publish the Booking Page

Publish your booking page wherever clients find you, such as embedding Leadmonk on your website or adding Leadmonk to your emails, text messages, WhatsApp, or social media profiles.

10. View Appointment History

You can easily see the appointment history of clients in Leadmonk. You can filter appointments by name/email address/mobile number/appointment type, and export appointments to an Excel file for further analysis.

Note

The availability of resources is determined only based on the bookings done in the Leadmonk application. If you make a resource booking outside of the Leadmonk application, then Leadmonk doesn’t consider that while determining the availability check as it does not refer connected calendar for that.

By following these steps, you can efficiently manage shared resource bookings centrally using Leadmonk's standalone feature, ensuring that resources are booked correctly and conflicts are avoided. The process is streamlined and straightforward, saving you time and effort in managing shared resource bookings.

Option 2: Individual Leadmonk User Accounts for Each Shared Resource

If you prefer managing your shared resources using separate user accounts for each resource, Leadmonk provides you with that option. Each shared resource can be managed using a distinct Google/Outlook calendar. Here are the steps you need to follow to set up shared resource bookings using individual Leadmonk user accounts:
1. The owner/admin of the organization creates an organization or workspace in Leadmonk and invites other users using the email address of each shared resource. Check out the help page on creating an organization (workspace) in Leadmonk for more information.

2. Once Leadmonk accounts are created for each shared resource email address, the owner/admin creates a team page and adds these users to be part of that team. For more information on how to set up your team booking page, refer to the help page.

3. Create team event types such as a collective event for each shared resource by adding the Leadmonk user account that represents a shared resource. You can refer to the help page on how to view the team page and create team event types for more information.

4. You can easily track the appointment history of each shared resource in Leadmonk. You can filter appointments by name, email address, mobile number, or event type. Additionally, you can export appointments to an Excel file for further analysis.