Using smartsheet to book workspaces/meeting rooms

Bianca Mitchell

Hi there, I am looking to build some sort of process so that staff can book an allocated workspace as we start to return to working in the office post covid-19.

Currently staff are requesting access to the office through a form in smartsheet and someone gets notified of the new request and goes in to allocate a workspace and approve the request, however we would like to streamline this so staff have access to view what spaces are available and make a booking on their own. We have 19 workstations that we would be looking to have available to be booked.

Does anyone any advice on the best way forward?

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell 

am sorry for the delay, your booking workspace is ready

1- The "Booking Workspace" database as the following screenshot

2- The "Available Workspace" database to check if the Workspace is booked or not as following screenshot

3- the formula for booking and check:

A- Available column in "Booking Workspace" Database =INDEX({Available Workspace Check}, MATCH(Workspace@row, {Available Workspace WS-Range}, 0), MATCH(Week@row, {Available Workspace week-check}, 0))

B- Check by day and week and workspace formula = =COUNTIFS({Booking Workspace WS}, "WS1", {Booking Workspace WEEK}, "W1", {Booking Workspace DAY}, Day@row), this for ( W1,WS1) for example

C- The check by WS formula for each week = =IF(SUM([WS1]1:[WS1]5) > 5, "Booked", "Available")

D- the automation the notify the Employee when booking a booked WS is update request the give the employee an option to change his booking ( screenshot ) show this automation:

E- I create a form so each employee can book his WS for the hole month, by week and by day

links to the sheets and form for you to test

• Booking Workspace database

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=d2c9923b22bf435cb03973dbf1710537

. Booking Form

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/f8a53d3a480744bb954c0355f45a552b

. Available Workspace

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=da8dd9adf1a7490f85899523d3ae756e

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell 

Hope you are fine, i have some questions before i prepare this app for you:

1- is your staff allocated workspace change daily ( for example Bassam select workstation No5 today, and tomorrow he must select again or it's weekly bases or monthly bases )

2- did you want to make the smartsheet control the whole process of selecting and allocating the workspace or you need some senior staff to approve this selection before.

Bianca Mitchell

Hi @Bassam.M Khalil - thanks for coming back to me!

1) allocated workspaces will change daily depending on your working days and if you want to travel into the office so ideally we would be asking staff to book a workspace for each day you need one, if there was an option to book it for a week or consecutive days that would be cool - but not a requirement!

2) if smartsheet could control the entire process that would be great. The current process I have in place staff submit an access request using a smartsheet form and I manually go in to the sheet, allocate a workspace and approve the request. Given restrictions have eased here in Sydney we can increase our capacity in the office so I want to move away from having to 'approve' each request and let staff see what spaces are available and make a booking on their own.

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell 

I will do my best

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell 

am sorry for the delay, your booking workspace is ready

1- The "Booking Workspace" database as the following screenshot

2- The "Available Workspace" database to check if the Workspace is booked or not as following screenshot

3- the formula for booking and check:

A- Available column in "Booking Workspace" Database =INDEX({Available Workspace Check}, MATCH(Workspace@row, {Available Workspace WS-Range}, 0), MATCH(Week@row, {Available Workspace week-check}, 0))

B- Check by day and week and workspace formula = =COUNTIFS({Booking Workspace WS}, "WS1", {Booking Workspace WEEK}, "W1", {Booking Workspace DAY}, Day@row), this for ( W1,WS1) for example

C- The check by WS formula for each week = =IF(SUM([WS1]1:[WS1]5) > 5, "Booked", "Available")

D- the automation the notify the Employee when booking a booked WS is update request the give the employee an option to change his booking ( screenshot ) show this automation:

E- I create a form so each employee can book his WS for the hole month, by week and by day

links to the sheets and form for you to test

• Booking Workspace database

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=d2c9923b22bf435cb03973dbf1710537

. Booking Form

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/f8a53d3a480744bb954c0355f45a552b

. Available Workspace

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=da8dd9adf1a7490f85899523d3ae756e

Bianca Mitchell

Hi @Bassam.M Khalil, this is really helpful - thank you! I wonder if you know if there is a way that the form could only show 'available' workspaces so that you can only see what is available when you are trying to make your booking?

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell

Am glad that my answer was helpful for you, Please help the Community by marking it as the accepted answer/helpful. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

The form can't show 'available' workspaces, but we can solve that by creating Dashboard and input on it the Booking form & a report show only the available WS so any Employee can check this report before he does his booking.

Bianca Mitchell

Thanks @Bassam.M Khalil. I am not sure I know how to add the calendar view showing what is available to a dashboard. Could you point me in the right direction? I've only created dashboards pulling through data into graphs previously. Thanks again for your help!

Bassam Khalil

Hi @Bianca Mitchell 

The following is the report am talking about to show the status

if you want me to create a full package Booking smartsheet application or you need full support for your company in smartsheet to automate every process you have please call me:

Email: bassam.k@mobilproject.it

Mobile ( Whatsapp ) : +966530973300

Gwen Rymill SBP

We are coving the topic of office bookings on today's Tips and Tricks Webinar with free giveaway template - you are welcome to register https://www.smarterbusinessprocesses.com/new-for-2021-smartsheet-tips-and-tricks-webinars/

Bianca Mitchell

Thanks @Gwen Rymill SBP, I registered for the webinar but I think I was too late as an located in Sydney, Australia. Is there a recording or any templates you could share through? Really keen to explore this further. Thanks :)

Gwen Rymill SBP

Hi @Bianca Mitchell

I have emailed you the 'Office booking' Tips and Tricks Webinar recording and the demonstration workspace is available on request.

The demonstration includes taking Bookings to the next level where we show you what we have done for the COVID19 Smarter Vaccination Bookings https://www.smarterbusinessprocesses.com/smarter-vaccination-bookings/

Due to popular demand we are repeating the Office Booking Webinar again on 3rd Feb. The next topic for 24 Feb will be What's New in Smartsheet including Document Builder and WorkApps https://www.smarterbusinessprocesses.com/new-for-2021-smartsheet-tips-and-tricks-webinars/

Bianca Mitchell

Thanks so much for your help Gwen.

I listened to the webinar recording today and it was really helpful, I have registered my details and hope to receive the demonstration workspace shortly so I can take a look through the templates in my own time to help guide what I am going to be building.

Gwen Rymill SBP

Hi @Bianca Mitchell

So glad we were able to help. I know our training manager @Debbie Sawyer has forwarded the workspace and has suggested a few tweaks to your office booking system and is very impressed with your final result. Well done.

Javania Cross Polenska

This is an impressive thread. @Gwen Rymill SBP, is it possible to see the webinar you are referencing. I am trying to build something similar to what Bianca described and don't even know how to get started. @Bianca Mitchell, would you be willing to connect to discuss what you are doing and lessons learned? Our team is managing this by using Excel, and I know there has to be a better way.

Bianca Mitchell

Hi @Javania Cross Polenska, I would be happy to connect to share what I have built for our office. If you want to email me directly bianca.mitchell@ysc.com we can tee something up.