Do you require Hot Desk users to schedule or walk-in?

[AK]

Wondering. Since we have limited space that we want to get maximum use out of, should we require our "hot desk" users to pre-schedule or at least call?  I hate to turn people away, but feel in order to accommodate, people should plan.

We are a small space owner and may not even open if people are not using it for the day.

Feedback welcome.

[hub30...@gmail.com]

That is a good idea, but sometimes people who have impromtu needs might be turned off

[Alex Hillman]

Even when we were tiny (<1800 sq ft) we never required pre-scheduled usage, and never have. We DO ask people to pre-schedule tours (though we won't turn away a walk-in, we might ask them to hang out in our lounge until we're done with something), but to come in and work I've seen it be an unnecessary barrier in far too many cases. 

Often people plan to come in, and their plans change. Sometimes, people realize that they need a change of scenery. 

Most people do the scheduling systems because they fear overbooking, but when I ask, they've never actually experienced overbooking or even close to it! And especially when you have a mix of alternative zones (including lounge/kitchen type gathering spaces) there's always a backup for someone to have a spot they could sit and work. 

So instead of having people pre-register, the metric we monitor is the daily average # of empty spots. And when that number begins to REGULARLY get close to zero (for even the smallest spaces, I suggest when that number gets anywhere near 2-3 empty spots), we start a waiting list for our highest-usage flex membership options (in our case, that's a 3 day a week plan). This means we stop adding new flex desk-users who are most likely to come in often and take us to "zero spots left."

IMO, this metric is muuuuuuch more useful than "occupancy" which celebrates 100%. I never want our space to be 100% occupied, I want it to be comfortably active and with available spots for someone to walk in unexpectedly and have a great day. The easiest way to do that is to make sure there is always at least 1 open seat, and design that into your space & business model. 

-Alex

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[Alejandro Moreno]

We keep it open and flexible. 

People's plans change all the time, a car breaks down, the kids get sick, etc etc. 

Too much stuff happens to require people to adhere to a rigid system, at least that's the way we see it at our space.