In Archie, you have the flexibility to use either a desk booking system or a day pass system to rent your desks by the day and by the hour to your clients.
Both systems are very different, it's important to understand the differences between these two options to make sure you set up the software correctly according to how you picture the experience of short-term desk rental in your space.
This article serves as a guide to help you make an informed decision.
The main differences between a day pass system & a desk booking system
In summary, setting up your short-term desk rental with a desk booking system makes short term desk rental a one step, very easy process:
Your clients select the date and time they would like to come
They click on the desk or desk group they would like to book
They proceed with the payment
The booking will be confirmed, and they will receive a confirmation email, no extra steps are needed.
They are ready to come to the site on the date and time selected
All of this happens in a minute
On the other hand, the day pass system is a two-step process, is easy to follow, but it is still a two-step process:
The client buys one or more day passes. At this point, they don't need to select when they want to come, this will be done later.
They proceed with the payment
The day pass(es) will be assigned to the client's account, they will receive a confirmation email explaining them that they need to "check-in" a pass when they want to come
Whenever they are ready to come to the workspace (it may be directly or in the future), they can either click on the button on the email received, or log into the app, and "check-in" a pass, which simply means that they will use that pass. For more info about checking in with a pass, you can refer to this article.
At this step, they don't need to pay anything as they already pre-paid in step 1.
When to set up a day pass system vs a desk booking system?
For 70% of our clients, the desk booking system is the preferred choice due to its simplicity from a user experience standpoint. This system is ideal for customers who want to reserve specific desks for designated time slots
On the other hand, the day pass system offers a solution for users who prefer flexibility for their workspace access. With the day pass system, users can purchase pack(s) of day passes to use at their convenience in the future. However, it's important to note that day passes cannot be set up as recurring bookings.
How clients book desks with the desk booking system?
For end users, a desk booking system offers a straightforward process. Users can review available desks, select the desired date and time for booking, and the system will mark the chosen desk as booked. This system is ideal for customers who prefer to reserve specific desks for designated time slots. Desks can be displayed in a list or a floor plan, based on your configuration
How to buy from your website
Add the workspace public link to your website, the public link can be found on "Settings/Integrations/Website" under the "workspace" section.
The link will load with the desks available on your site. Since this is a public link, only desks set with prices for the group "users" will be displayed here
Customers can then proceed to select the day and time desired, and confirm the booking.
How to buy from Archie
Once logged into Archie, click the "book a desk" section
Proceed to select the day and time desired, and confirm the booking
With the list option set, the customers will follow this process:
With the floor plan option set, the customers will follow this process:
Setting up a desk booking system is simple, and you can refer to this article for detailed instructions.
How clients book desks with the Day Pass System?
A day pass system allows users to purchase "day passes" that act as tickets for reserving the workspace. These day passes come with expiration dates (Based on your settings), providing users with flexibility to use them within a specified timeframe. This system is ideal for customers who may not have a specific date in mind but want to acquire passes for future use. Users can purchase day passes and redeem them in the system when ready.
How to buy from your website
Add the store public link to your website, the public link can be found on "Settings/Integrations/Website" under the "Store" section.
Once the Store loads, you can click the "day passes" section, copy the URL generated, and add it to your website
The link will load with the day passes available on your site. Since this is a public link, only day passes set with visibility for the group "users" will be displayed here
Customers can then proceed to buy the day pass desired.
Customers will receive an email with information about how to use the day passes, they can click the link to check in.
How to buy from Archie
Once logged into Archie, go to the Store and click Day passes
Proceed to select the day pass desired, and confirm the purchase
Then, when they are ready to check in, they need to follow up this process, this is the second step:
You can refer to this article to create a Day pass.
Considerations
While both systems offer distinct benefits, it's important to pick one that aligns with your vision of your workspace. We do not recommend using both systems simultaneously to avoid confusion among customers and administrators. Most of our clients opt for one system and stick with it to streamline operations.