Space is the second-largest cost for most organisations after people, and decisions about it – how many rooms, how many desks, whether to take another floor or give one back – are often made on impressions. Joan’s room and desk booking platform produces the data those decisions should be based on: what is booked, what is used, when, by whom and for how long. This article explains what the data shows and how facilities and IT teams use it.
The gap between booked and used
Calendar data alone tells you what was booked. It does not tell you whether the meeting happened. Joan’s check-in feature closes that gap: when nobody confirms at the room display within the set window, the booking is released and recorded as a no-show. Over a quarter, the no-show rate per room and per team is the single most useful number a facilities manager can have. It typically reveals that the “shortage” of rooms is a shortage of released bookings.
What the analytics show
- Utilisation by room – hours booked, hours used, no-show rate. Rooms that are always full and rooms that are never used both stand out.
- Utilisation by time – peaks by day and hour, which tells you whether more capacity is needed or whether the peaks could be flattened.
- Meeting size – how many people booked a room versus its capacity. Eight-person rooms used by two people all week is a common finding, and a case for more small rooms and pods.
- Desk usage – for hot-desking, occupancy per zone and per day, which is what determines whether the desk ratio is right.
- Booking behaviour – lead time, duration, recurring bookings that are never attended.
Decisions the data supports
Right-sizing rooms. Converting an under-used large room into two small ones, or adding pods where small rooms are over-subscribed.
Desk ratios. Moving from one desk per person to a ratio that matches measured peak occupancy, with a margin.
Floor decisions. Evidence for taking or releasing space at lease events.
Policy. Booking limits, check-in windows and recurring-booking rules tuned to actual behaviour rather than to complaints.
Technology spend. Which rooms justify video equipment, based on how often they host calls.
Privacy
Utilisation data is about spaces, not surveillance of people. Joan reports occupancy and bookings; it does not track individuals’ movements. Reports can be anonymised, and access is controlled through the platform’s roles. Communicate this clearly when rolling out desk booking; staff acceptance depends on it.
Combining with other sources
Joan’s data pairs well with badge-access counts from an access control system and with Wi-Fi association data for a picture of how many people are in the building versus how many desks and rooms are used. Together they answer the question that matters at lease renewal: how much space do we actually need?
Getting started
The data is only as good as the coverage. Put displays on every room, enable check-in, roll desk booking out to the whole floor rather than a pilot corner, and give it a full quarter before drawing conclusions. Export the reports monthly and review them with the people who manage the space.
Joan through Zen
Zen Interactive Technologies distributes Joan in the UAE and GCC, with room, desk and wayfinding devices in stock in Dubai and the platform licences to go with them. We can advise on device coverage for a floor plan and on the reporting set-up. See the Joan page.