A desk booking system should integrate with three things first: single sign-on, calendars and your employee directory. Together they remove extra passwords, put bookings where people already plan their day, and keep user lists current without manual data entry. Each one lowers the effort of booking a desk, which is what decides whether employees keep using the tool.
Kadence first set out these priorities in August 2021, when many organizations were moving away from one desk per person. The reasoning below still applies to any rollout. The Kadence product details describe the platform at that time; for current integrations, see Kadence integrations.
Why does a desk booking system need to integrate with other tools?
A desk booking system is software that lets employees reserve a desk before they come in. Like any workplace tool, it only works if people use it. When it runs in isolation, every booking creates extra steps in other systems. Integrations remove those steps, so the tool feels like part of the working day rather than one more chore.
Consider how one meeting can ripple across disconnected tools:
- You arrange a project meeting by email.
- You open your calendar to create the meeting, invite others and book a room in your room booking software, or set up a Zoom link if it is virtual.
- You log in to your Monday.com workspace and update the task on the relevant board.
- If a client is involved, you open your CRM and update the record with the meeting details.
Each tool has a role. Get a few of them talking to each other and people save time, effort and frustration. Teams find the technology easier to use, engagement improves, and the organization becomes a more productive and satisfying place to work.
What is the case for desk booking in a hybrid office?
When employees spend part of their time working remotely, there is no longer a need for one desk per person. Organizations need a simple way for people to reserve a desk and to make sure desks and amenities are available when and where they are needed. A desk booking system does that job.
User experience decides whether the system succeeds. Part of that experience is how smoothly it works with the tools employees already use. If integration is not near the top of your desk booking requirements, it should be. The three integrations below do the most to reduce effort for employees and admins.
How does single sign-on make desk booking easier and more secure?
Single sign-on (SSO) is a service that lets people sign in to many systems with one set of credentials. For desk booking, it means employees do not need another password to reserve a desk or change a booking. It also reduces two common problems: reused passwords, which are a security risk, and frequent resets, which waste time.
The password burden is real. One estimate says the average person has to keep track of 100 passwords, and many of those are for work: email, CRM, intranet, LinkedIn, finance systems, project management software and HR systems.
When people juggle that many logins, they either reuse the same password across systems or reset passwords often to get back in. SSO removes both problems by cutting the number of passwords employees need and how often they have to log in. In August 2021, Kadence desk booking worked with a number of third-party SSO services for this reason.
Why sync desk bookings with Microsoft 365 or Google calendars?
Calendar integration adds each desk booking to the employee’s own calendar as soon as it is made. People see the time, duration and desk next to their meetings, so a desk booking becomes as familiar as a meeting invite. That visibility also helps reduce desk no-shows, because a booking people can see is a booking they remember.
Booking in advance gives employees new details to track around each office day. They can no longer sleepwalk to the same desk they have used for five years at 8.59am. They need to know when they booked, for how long and which desk. The desk booking system holds that information, and calendar integration puts it where people already look, which smooths the move between remote and office days.
The same applies to rooms. Microsoft and Google calendars can sync with room booking systems, so meeting spaces appear in the same place as the meetings themselves.
What does directory sync do for workplace admins?
Directory sync connects the desk booking system to your employee directory. New starters are added and leavers are removed automatically, so admins do not re-enter names, emails, teams and phone numbers by hand. It is helpful when adding a handful of employees and a major time saver when setting up a team of 100.
The admin side of workplace technology is often where the effort hides. Behind a clean interface sits data, and less sophisticated systems expect someone to type it in. Directory sync makes onboarding and offboarding quick and keeps the booking system’s user list accurate, which also keeps the usage data it produces trustworthy.
How do integrations affect adoption across the organization?
Integrations decide how much effort each booking takes, and effort decides adoption. By August 2021, organizations had spent some 18 months mastering remote work, from conferences on Hopin to tea breaks on Slack. The office side needed to catch up, and for organizations leaving one desk per person behind, a desk booking system became essential.
Office managers and workplace planners act as conductors, making sure each tool plays in time with the others. Technology that integrates with the rest of the stack helps them do that: employees are less frustrated and more engaged, and the workplace runs more smoothly. For a real rollout, read how one organization implemented desk booking. For how integrations fit a wider platform choice, see the Kadence platform guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which integrations should a desk booking system have first?
Start with single sign-on, calendar sync and directory sync. SSO removes an extra password, calendar sync puts bookings next to meetings, and directory sync keeps the user list current without manual entry. Together they cover access, daily use and administration.
Does single sign-on make desk booking less secure?
No. Single sign-on is a secure way to reduce the number of passwords employees must remember. It also discourages password reuse across systems, which is one of the security risks it is designed to address.
Can calendar integration work for meeting rooms as well as desks?
Yes. Microsoft and Google calendars can sync with room booking systems, so rooms can be booked and seen in the same calendar as the meetings they host.
What does directory sync keep up to date?
It keeps employee records such as name, email, team and telephone number in step with your directory, so people can be onboarded and offboarded without manual data entry.