By Brad Hintze, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing

As the world of hybrid work became the status quo for many companies, IT departments and the C-suites above them looked around at their buildings and saw a lot of empty desks.

As Tango Analytics stated in one of the key findings from their 2023 “Future of Work Report,” “Most employers with hybrid workers are wasting space on dedicated workstations.”

The details:

Dedicated workstations are usually the least efficient way to manage your office space. Even if hybrid workers have assigned days that they come into the office (allowing multiple employees to use the same workstation on different days), dedicated workstations will inevitably sit vacant. You’ll always have employees out sick, on vacation, or otherwise unable to come into the office on days they’re assigned. In other words, there’s always going to be some wasted space.

The solution? A reduced footprint that encourages shared spaces, of course.

The problem? Employees finding available desk space — when they need it and where they need it.

It’s become a huge issue. When Crestron rolled out our new desk scheduling solutions at the InfoComm® 2023 trade show, the interest was universal — every dealer, consultant, and end-user that walked through the booth expressed overwhelming interest in our two new devices: the Crestron Desk Touch and the Crestron Desk Q.

Solutions from the Experts

Crestron has been creating scheduling solutions for decades, including room-booking devices in a broad range of sizes, status bars that are integrated into those scheduling panels (as well as standalone light indicators), illuminated hallway signs, and occupancy sensors. It’s only natural that Crestron would extend our expertise into smaller spaces as demand for desk scheduling grows. As we developed these solutions, we made sure that they could integrate seamlessly with a growing list of software partners, including solutions from Microsoft, Tango, Calven, and Appspace, among others. This flexibility allows you to decouple your hardware and software scheduling solutions to meet your organization’s unique needs.

The Crestron Desk Touch (Shipping NOW)

The Crestron Desk Touch is a solution made for cubicles and semi-private offices — really, any desks where a staffer would book for longer (and regular) periods. It features a 3.5-inch active matrix LCD screen, a status light visible from 360°, Wi-Fi® communications and wired connectivity, and power via PoE or a 24v DC supply. This device also includes multiple mounting options for table, wall, or multi-surface applications.

The Crestron Desk Q (Shipping Q1 2024)

The Crestron Desk Q is a fairly simple solution that allows for maximum scalability at minimum cost. Having said that, it’s a big upgrade from the “quick and dirty” solution of slapping a sticker with a QR code on a surface and hoping for the best. This Wi-Fi-connected device features a swappable paper placard with a desk name and QR code, an LED free/busy status indicator (viewable from 180°), power interface via USB-C® connectivity, and flexible mounting options with a 3M dual lock. The Crestron Desk Q is perfect for open workspaces, community workstations, and “in-and-out” and “quick-grab” workstations.

Learn more about Crestron Desk Scheduling solutions

Complete Space Management

No matter what software drives your scheduling solution, you can ensure that every device in your booking system — from the largest conference auditorium to a corner of a shared desk — is monitored and managed holistically. With these two solutions joining the Crestron family of products, you now have the clearest possible picture of what spaces in your enterprise are being used when. By integrating all of our scheduling devices with the XiO Cloud® technology management platform, you’ll be able to optimize every inch of your organization’s footprint and make informed decisions about the best way to organize the physical space of your business. As for your staff, any solution that helps them “hit the ground running” when they’re in the office is bound to reduce frustrations and friction — and that’s priority one for the modern hybrid workforce.