Custom workplace booking and occupancy rate software
Appfront builds software for organisations that want to know how their office is actually used. Bookings of workstations and rooms are set against what really happens, based on check-ins or sensors. This shows you the occupancy rate by floor, by day and by hour, the peak days, and how many booked spaces stay empty. That is the evidence for a decision on more, less or different space.
What is workplace booking and occupancy rate software?
Since hybrid working became the norm, a large part of many offices stands empty on most days and is too busy on a few days a week. A booking system arranges who sits where. But a decision about accommodation, such as giving up a floor, finding a different building or changing the layout, needs more: insight into how the office is actually used, over a longer period.
In practice, that insight is missing. Bookings do not tell you whether someone actually turned up. The booking system has a report, but per week and without distinguishing between floors. Sensors have been installed somewhere, but their data sits in a different dashboard. And the decision about a floor is made on gut feeling, or on a headcount taken on a single Tuesday.
We build custom software because organisations differ: which buildings and rooms, which booking system, whether there are sensors or check-ins, and which questions you want to answer. Measuring usage touches on employee privacy; which data you may use and how, you agree with your data protection officer and, where necessary, the works council.
Booked and used
Bookings set against actual use from check-ins or sensors, so that no-shows become visible.
Occupancy in detail
By building, floor, zone, day and hour, over a period that matters.
Well-founded decisions
Scenarios and reports for a decision on more, less or different space.
How we build your workplace booking and occupancy rate software
We start with your question: which accommodation decision needs to be made, which buildings, which booking system, and what usage data is available. There is often more than you think: bookings, access passes, wifi or sensors. Together we choose which sources are needed, and which are better left out for privacy reasons.
Your decision, buildings, systems and sources for usage.
Bookings and actual use from check-ins or sensors.
Occupancy rate in detail, peak days and scenarios.
Reports for accommodation decisions, and ongoing maintenance after that.
What workplace booking and occupancy rate software actually does
The components below come up in almost every occupancy analysis. Which ones you need depends on your question.
Buildings
Floors, zones, workstations and rooms.
Reservations
From the booking system or calendar.
Use
From check-ins or sensors.
Occupancy
By floor, day and hour.
No-shows
Booked spaces that stay empty.
Scenarios
What if a floor is given up.
Who we build workspace booking and occupancy software for
The software is for people who prepare real estate decisions.
Facility managers
Day-to-day management of offices. Daily occupancy is the core.
Government bodies
Multiple buildings. Scenarios matter most.
Advisers
Real estate advice for clients. The reporting is what's needed.
Building owners
Multiple tenants. Usage per tenant is the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we make your idea tangible in a single day for €1,150, so you know whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we deduct the cost in full.
View OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about occupancy for real estate decisions. For the booking itself, see our page on a flex desk booking system, for facility management our page on facility management software, and for sensors our page on an IoT platform. You can read about our approach on building custom software.
Why Appfront for your workspace booking and occupancy software?
Giving up a floor based on a single count is a gamble. We build on something firmer: bookings alongside actual usage, occupancy in detail, and scenarios that support a decision.
Actual usage
Not just what has been booked.
Over time
Patterns instead of a single count.
Substantiated
Scenarios for the decision.
Security and privacy in workspace booking and occupancy software
Data on workspace usage can reveal things about individual employees. Where possible, the software works with data per desk or zone rather than per person, and personal data is only used where that has been agreed. Access is set up per role.
The software runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage, daily backups and two-factor login.
Frequently asked questions about workspace booking and occupancy software
Questions facility managers ask before getting started.
It sets bookings alongside actual usage from check-ins or sensors, shows occupancy per building, floor, zone, day and hour, highlights no-shows and peak days, and calculates scenarios for real estate decisions.
A booking system handles who sits where, today and tomorrow. This software looks at how the office is actually used over a longer period, and is intended for real estate decisions. It can use an existing booking system as a source.
From check-ins at a desk, from sensors that detect presence, or from other sources such as access cards. Which source fits depends on what you have and what is permitted for privacy reasons.
Where possible, measurements are taken per desk or zone, not per person. You agree with your data protection officer and, where necessary, the works council which data you may use and how. The software follows the arrangements you make.
Calculations of what happens if you change something, for example giving up a floor or having teams come in on fixed days. Based on the measured usage, the software shows whether the peak days would still fit.
Long enough to see patterns, such as differences between days, weeks and seasons. How long that is depends on your organisation and your question; we discuss it in the first step. There is often already history in the booking system, so you don't start from zero.
Check that first. Many booking systems have an occupancy report, and that may be enough. Custom software makes sense if you want to measure actual usage, combine multiple sources, or calculate scenarios for your real estate.
Want to know how your office is actually used?
Tell us which accommodation decision is on the table, which buildings are involved and what usage data you have. We'll show you what occupancy and the scenarios look like.