Action for Children
Desk booking software implementation.
Background
Action for Children is committed to helping vulnerable and neglected children and young people throughout the UK. The children’s charity works across 600 services reaching out to over 300,000 children, young people, and their families – helping support people in areas as diverse as disability respite therapy, foster care, adoption and child neglect. The charity uses Matrix Booking’s room and desk booking software to manage its resources as efficiently as possible.
Action for Children is committed to helping vulnerable and neglected children and young people throughout the UK. The children’s charity works across 600 services reaching out to over 300,000 children, young people, and their families – helping support people in areas as diverse as disability respite therapy, foster care, adoption and child neglect. The charity uses Matrix Booking’s room and desk booking software to manage its resources as efficiently as possible.
Challenge
The charity’s London office is a popular destination for staff, but the workplace does not have enough desks to meet the growing demands of employees. As a charity, they are very conscious of the cost of London office space and were determined to utilise their space as efficiently as possible. Action for Children follows a hot-desking strategy, so desks are available on a first come, first serve basis but for some employees, this meant that due to a long commute – there was often not a free desk space when they arrived at work.
With an ever-expanding mobile workforce, it is increasingly hard to predict the volume of staff that will want to use the office on any particular day. The charity wanted to give better visibility to its employees as to the available space in the office and a quick and easy way to both book and release space. This approach would also avoid possible wasted journeys to the office on days when it was at full capacity.
Solution
Action for Children chose Matrix Booking to provide a solution that would enable all employees to quickly and efficiently reserve desks from anywhere using the web or their mobile devices. The application allows staff to search and select their desk, which is based not only on the time and duration but also on the features and facilities available. For example, some team members need to use a particular type of computer while other required access to a height adjustable workstations or a desk near accessible toilets.
Matrix Booking now allows users to check desk availability before they start their journey to the office. If nothing is available, they can make alternative arrangements or work from home.
Georgina Wells from the CEO Office at Action for Children explained that she could not imagine the offices without it. She said: “The website and app are very user-friendly and integrate well with one another. It has allowed us to maximise the use of desks throughout the day by giving us the ability to book hourly, so we can take advantage when colleagues are in meetings.”
Outcome
Matrix Booking was able to solve the issue of having desk space open to all with a straightforward implementation, which was up and running in a matter of weeks. News of the success the system, brought in to streamline facilities in the London office, spread quickly to Action for Children’s Watford office who decided to follow the same route and incorporate the solution into their infrastructure.
Georgina Wells said: “The Matrix Booking software has become an integral part of the day to day running of our London and Watford offices. It has installed a sense of calm in our hot desk environments allowing our staff to book in advance and knowing they will have a space to work in when they arrive.”
Matrix Booking is a true Software as a Service (SaaS) solution offering clients the ability to increase users when needed. The solution can grow and expand with your organisation, and is not restricted to one single venue or office; it can be deployed anywhere in the estate.
