Room-centric calendar integration: example scenarios

• Create reservation scenarios for Microsoft Exchange
  • Create reservation in Workplace - synced to Outlook
  • Create reservation in Outlook - synced to Workplace
• Create reservation scenarios for Google Calendar
  • Create reservation in Workplace - synced to Google Calendar
  • Create reservation in Google Calendar - synced to Workplace
• No show via automation
• End ongoing reservation early
• Cancel reservation
• Good to know
• More information

The integration between Workplace and external calendars (Outlook/Google Calendar) uses a room-centric approach. In this approach, the focus is on the room calendar (mailbox), which requires full access to reservation-room mailboxes. reservations created in Workplace are added to the room calendar, and users are invited as participants.

Below, several scenarios are described on how the room-centric approach works when creating/updating reservations from Workplace to Microsoft Exchange or Google Calendar and the other way around.

Create reservation scenarios for Microsoft Exchange

Create reservation in Workplace - synced to Outlook

A new reservation is created in any of the Workplace touchpoints.

The reservation is synced to Outlook. The room calendar becomes the organizer of the reservation and the requestor is added as an attendee:

Because the original requestor is added as an attendee/participant to the room calendar’s reservation, the requestor gets an email to accept, decline or tentatively accept the reservation:

The reservation can only be edited or cancelled from Workplace.

Create reservation in Outlook - synced to Workplace

A new reservation is created in Outlook. The room calendar is added to the reservation.

The reservation is synced to Workplace. The user who created the reservation in Outlook, will become the requestor in Workplace. The room is added to the reservation.

Info

If the user tries to Change the reservation in Asset, they will get an error message:

The user can Cancel the reservation, which will result in the reservation being cancelled in Workplace. In Outlook, the reservation is removed from the room calendar, making the room available again. The reservation will stay in the user calendar in Outlook until it is deleted in Outlook by the user.

Create reservation scenarios for Google Calendar

Create reservation in Workplace - synced to Google Calendar

The new reservation is created in any of the Workplace touchpoints:

The reservation is synced to Google Calendar. The room calendar becomes the organizer of the reservation and the requestor is added as a guest (participant):

Because the original requestor is added as a guest to the room reservation, the requestor gets an email to accept (Yes), decline (No) or tentatively accept (Maybe) the reservation:

The reservation can only be edited or cancelled from Workplace.

Create reservation in Google Calendar - synced to Workplace

The new reservation is created in Google Calendar. The room calendar is added to the reservation.

The reservation is synced to Workplace. The user who created the reservation in Google Calendar, will become the requestor in Workplace. The room is added to the reservation.

Info

If the user tries to Change the reservation in Asset, they will get an error message:

The user can Cancel the reservation, which will result in the reservation being cancelled in Workplace. In Outlook, the reservation is removed from the room calendar, making the room available again. The reservation will stay in the user calendar in Outlook until it is deleted in Outlook.

No show via automation

An active automation can automatically free up a room, if the user who reserved the room does not show up. This absence would be detected with an occupancy sensor. For more information, see Workplace Automation.

In this example, we will assume that “no occupancy is detected in the first 15 minutes after reservation start”. In that case, the automation will automatically change the reservation status to 'no show' in Asset:

• A 'no show' update on a reservation originating in Spacewell is considered a “regular“ update, because the update comes from the same source as where the reservation is created.
• A 'no show' update on a reservation originating in the 3rd party platform is considered as “special“ update, because the update (coming from Workplace) does not come from the same source as where the reservation is created (Outlook/Google Calendar).

For reservations created in Outlook/Google Calendar:

The sensor in the room does not detect occupancy within the first 15 minutes after reservation start, which triggers the automation to change the reservation status to ‘no show' in Asset. In the room-centric approach, Workplace does not have permission to edit the reservation in the user calendar, but the reservation in the room calendar can be updated/cancelled. In case of a no show, the reservation in the room calendar is completely removed (as if the room declines the reservation), resulting in the room becoming available again.

End result after Automation flow:

• in the User calendar: Reservation is still available, but there is no room linked to the reservation anymore
• in the Room calendar: as the room calendar declined the reservation, the room is available for other users to book during this time.

End ongoing reservation early

In Workplace it is possible to end an ongoing reservation early. This action is possible on reservations originating in Spacewell or in the 3rd party platform.

Reservation created in Spacewell (Outbound)

• Reservation created in: Workplace or Asset
• End ongoing reservation early from: Workplace App

Because the reservation is created in Workplace and the end ongoing reservation early is also done from Workplace (same as the source of the reservation), this will be considered as a “regular“ update.

The reservation is created in Workplace and is synced to Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar. In a room-centric approach the reservation is created in the calendar of the room in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar and the user is invited to the reservation as a participant. The “end early” action is executed on the ongoing reservation.

This will result in:

• The reservation in the room calendar is updated with the new end time and the room will become available for other reservations
• The reservation in the user calendar is also updated with the new end time

The reservation in the room and users' (participant) calendar is updated with the new end time. The original reservation was from 15:45-16:45 but now the room calendar is updated to 15:45-16:00; freeing up the room again from 16:00 to be reserved by someone else.

Reservation created in 3rd party platform (Inbound)

• Reservation created in: Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar
• “End ongoing reservation” from: Workplace App

Because the reservation is created in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar and the “end ongoing reservation” action is done in Workplace (different platform compared to the source of the reservation), this will be considered as a “special“ update in the room-centric approach.

The reservation is created in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar in the user calendar and is synced to Workplace. In a room-centric approach, Workplace does not have access to the user calendar and that's why the reservation in the user calendar cannot be changed when the reservation is ended early from the Workplace App. But in this case, the reservation in the room calendar can be changed.

This will result in:

• The reservation in the user calendar remains unchanged
• The reservation in the room calendar is updated with the new end time and the reservation room will become available for other reservations again

The reservation in the users calendar remains the same, the reservation in the room calendar is ended early. The original reservation was from 15:00-17:00 but now the room calendar is updated to 15:00-15:30 and the room is available again from 15:30 to be reserved by someone else.

Cancel reservation

Whether or not a reservation can be cancelled depends on a combination of things:

• does it concern an inbound (created in Microsoft or Google) or outbound (created on a Spacewell touchpoint) reservation
• which user persona is trying to cancel the reservation
• in which touchpoint is the user trying to cancel the reservation?

Reservation created in 3rd party platform (Outbound)

• Reservation created in: Workplace or Asset
• Cancelled: Workplace or Asset

Because the reservation is created in a Spacewell touchpoint and the cancel-action is also done from a Spacewell touchpoint (same as the source of the reservation), this will be considered a “regular“ update.

The reservation is created in a Spacewell touchpoint and is synced to Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar. In a room-centric approach the reservation is created in the calendar of the reservation room in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar and the user is invited to the reservation as a participant. The cancel is executed on the reservation.

This will result in:

• The reservation in the room calendar is canceled and removed from the room calendar
• The reservation in the user calendar is also removed

Reservation originating in 3rd party platform (Inbound)

• Reservation created in: Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar
• Cancelled: Asset
• User persona: Reservation Coordinator

Because the reservation is created in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar and cancel is done from Asset (different as the source of the reservation), this will be considered as a “special“ update in the room-centric approach.

The reservation is created in Microsoft Exchange/Google Calendar in the user calendar and is synced to Workplace. In a room-centric approach Workplace does not have access to the user calendar and therefore the reservation in the user calendar cannot be removed by Asset/Workplace. But in this case, the reservation in the rooms calendar can be removed by declining the reservation.

This will result in:

• in the User calendar: Reservation is still available, but there is no room linked to the reservation
• in the Room calendar: as room declined the reservation, the room is available for other users to book during this time.

Good to know

It’s possible that a user, which is not known in Spacewell platform, creates a reservation in Outlook to book a room (which is synched with Spacewell platform). Of course, this reservation needs to be synchronized with the Spacewell platform too. To cover this scenario, the reservation will indicate that the organizer is the user that is linked to the API Connector Trust relation (default: “Spacewell Integration”).

More information

Next to a room-centric approach, there is also a user-centric approach. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. More information about the room-centric approach, user-centric approach and any possible limitations can be found here: Debunking the myths of room centric limitations