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Getting startedSet up checklists, onboarding resources, templates, & more.
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Office settings & featuresSet up meeting services, surveys, announcements, activities & more.
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Apps & integrationsRobin works better when you connect other services you already use.
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TroubleshootingCommon troubleshooting topics & tips
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Intro to RobinLearn the Robin essentials to jump-start your Robin experience
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Room bookingsHow to book rooms, confirm meetings, edit reservations, request meeting services, & more.
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Desk bookingsHow to book desks, check-in, edit reservations, & more.
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Collaborate with my teamCoordinate schedules and stay up to speed with office activities & announcements
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My user profile + settingsUpdate your user profile and preferences
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Connect my everyday apps with RobinConnect Robin with the apps you use in your day-to-day.
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Upload & Configure floor plansHow to upload floor plans and configure bookable resources
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Integrate a calendar system for Room schedulingHow to integrate your organization's calendar system for meeting & room scheduling and sycning.
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DesksManage seating charts, desk policies, settings, amenities, & more.
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RoomsManage room scheduling settings & policies, add room displays, and more.
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Office visitors & deliveriesHow to invite guests to your office and what to expect as the host. Learn how to pick up a package.
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Visitor & delivery managementLearn how to set up and use our Visitor and delivery management system, including arrival displays, badges, visitor registration, tracking office deliveries, and more.
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User management & provisioningManaging user roles, single-sign-on, SCIM provisioning, & more.
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Global account & security resourcesCustomize brand colors and logos. Security resources. Billing & plan information.
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Analytics & ReportingUnderstand and manage workplace data with pre-built dashboards, customizable dashboards, and export data reports.
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Troubleshooting
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See our pricing page for the full list of available plans.
First time setting up an office with Robin? You're in exactly the right place. Follow this checklist and you'll be up and running in no time.
Build & customize your office building
Before jumping in, do you have multiple office locations to set up and manage? Appoint dedicated Office Admins in Robin to delegate office location-specific tasks.
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During the onboarding process, Robin will prompt you to add your building. Then, you can add more building details later (e.g., working hours, timezone, and address).
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During the onboarding process, Robin will prompt you to add floors to your building and submit floor plans to be converted to Robin maps for each floor.
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Keep the office running smoothly and gain a better perspective of how it is being used with our scheduling policies and desk policies.
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Pro tip: Turn on the abandoned meeting & desk protection policies. These allow desk & meeting space reservations to be automatically canceled if no one checks in by a certain time. This helps free up office resources for others to use and gives office managers a better understanding of office utilization.
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Customize your organization with branding.
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Add your own custom amenities options under Manage > Amenities so users can easily find exactly which rooms or desks are equipped with the tools they need.
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[Requires Advanced Authentication & User Management] Do you need to restrict who is allowed to sit where or have special roles for managers who can assign and reserve seats for others? Set up groups and permissions.
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[Requires Visitor Management] Need a way to manage office visitors? Use our Visitor management feature found under the Visits tab in the web dashboard to pre-register guests, notify the host of guest arrival, and monitor visitors with the visitor log.
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Set up a badge printer to provide your guests with a name tag.
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Add a guest pre-arrival health questionnaire and documentation agreements (NDAs) at check-in.
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Share office updates, policies, & events with employees in real-time with our Workplace Announcement feature,
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Bring people together, creating a social atmosphere and a sense of community by creating and joining office activities.
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Do you want to understand what drives employees to come into the office and how to make it a place folks go to do their best work? Or managing a new facility and curious how employees are liking it? Check out our Workplace Experience survey here.
Create interactive office maps
- From a floor map, add spaces, desks, soft furnishings, and points of interest for an interactive office experience.
- Assign seats to employees who need a permanent desk with our interactive seating chart.
Connect your calendar system
Robin supports Google and Outlook (Office 365/Exchange) calendars. Below are in-depth checklists for connecting each type of calendar system.Add your room calendars
Each space in Robin needs to be paired with a unique calendar resource in order for users to reserve the room and see its availability from the office map. You can add room calendars using the Layout tool or by following the guides below.Set up user authentication and provisioning
Robin supports several methods of user authentication. By default, password logins are enabled to start.- Invite all users at once with a csv file: Once you upload this, all users are sent an automatic invitation to join your Robin account.
- Enable SSO via Google or Office 365.
- [Advanced Authentication & User Management required] SCIM provisioning: Provisioning users via SCIM through either Okta, Azure, or OneLogin allows you to “silently” invite and remove users from Robin.
Choose how your users will interact with Robin
Room and desk booking
- Robin mobile app
- Robin web dashboard
- Status boards and interactive kiosks
- Deploy the Google (Rooms only) or Outlook (Rooms & Desks) calendar plugin for employees to easily find the best-fit resources for a productive day at the office from the comfort of their own Google or Outlook calendar!
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Scannable QR code or NFC tag: Local desk check-ins with stickers make it easy & convenient for employees to find a desk, book a desk, and check in to a desk at the office. QR code & NFC stickers are available for purchase in the web dashboard (Manage > Stickers).
- Automated desk check-ins: Employees will automatically be checked into their desk reservation when they walk into the office.
- Setting up QR codes/NFC tags and/or automated check-ins is key if your office is implementing Local check-ins only.
Room booking only
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Robin room display app
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Allow you to book a space on the spot for those impromptu events that pop up.
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Notifications and office search
- Slack and Teams integrations-- You can search for open workspaces, get reminders to check in for your desk and room bookings, and get updates on who plans to be in this week!
Launch!
- Use our email template to introduce your office to Robin.
Where to find help
We're here to help when you need it. Send us an email at support@robinpowered.com or click the chat button in the lower right corner of the web dashboard. Someone from our team will get back to you as soon as possible. -
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This guide assumes someone in your organization has already created an account on Robin. The next step is to connect with Microsoft 365 and pair calendars with your Robin spaces. Follow this master checklist, and you'll be up and running in no time.
Tag in the right folks for setup
IT = This person needs elevated privileges in Microsoft 365 for setup
Office Manager = This person needs standard user permissions in Microsoft 365 for setup + Robin admin access
Choose how to connect - service account or app
Connect via service account
The service account should have impersonation access or room delegation access for all of the room calendars you'd like Robin to manage. This enables creating and editing events through Robin.
- Configure room delegation - Use if Robin account was created after September 12, 2023 IT
- Configure room impersonation - Use if Robin account was created before September 12, 2023 IT
- Connect Microsoft 365 with Robin IT
Connect via app
Connect your Microsoft 365 calendars to Robin spaces
- Add spaces to your map & connect room calendars Office Manager
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Still need to set up a map? Follow these steps here.
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Need to create resource calendars? Follow Microsoft's step-by-step instructions here.
- Optional Download the Robin add-in for Microsoft 365 calendars
Common errors when you connect via service account
Seeing "calendar not found" error?
This often means that impersonation hasn't been set up yet. This guide will point you in the right direction.
More help with Microsoft 365
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Use the Workplace Announcement feature to share real-time office updates and policies with employees. Workplace Announcements can go live immediately, or you can schedule announcements.
You can post two types of announcements: a standard announcement that lands in the "announcement inbox" or a priority announcement, which requires an acknowledgment and is considered a "mandatory announcement."
How to create an announcement
- 1. Open the web dashboard, click the announcement icon at the top right corner of the Schedule homepage, and select "Create announcement."
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You can create a new announcement from the Office page or under Manage > Announcements. as well.
- 2. Name the announcement-- the name is visible to employees.
- 3. Enter the announcement details.
- Rich text is supported- meaning you can emphasize messages with bold, italics, underlined, & include URLs.
- 4. Select the office(s) you want to share the announcement with.
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Announcements are displayed on the Robin mobile app and web dashboard to those who have access to the selected building(s).
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Decide when the announcement should go live and for how long—publish it immediately or schedule a publish date.
Note, the same is true for the announcement end date: manually archive an announcement or schedule an automatic archive date and time.
6. Decide which type of announcement you want to post.
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A. Standard announcements don't require acknowledgment and don't pop up upon opening Robin. Instead, they live in the "announcement inbox" that everyone can access on both the web dashboard and mobile app at their leisure.
B. Priority announcements are mandatory and require acknowledgment before continuing to use the application. These announcements populate immediately upon opening Robin on the web dashboard and/or the mobile app when a new, unacknowledged announcement is posted (provided the user has been onboarded and is logged in). Use the toggle for priority messages (captured below).
Note, standard and (acknowledged) priority announcements will live in the announcement inbox for employees to reference at any time until an admin archives them. jj
- 7. You can cross-post the announcement via email. Use the toggle to enter individual or group email addresses.
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The email includes the option to view or acknowledge the announcement in Robin. It will look something like this:
- 8. Lastly, you can send a mobile push notification to employees who have push notifications turned on.
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9. Click Publish in the top right corner. Then review the announcement settings and select Publish to make it official.
Managing announcements
Announcement log
All announcements live in the announcement log (Manage > Announcements), where you can:
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Filter by location and announcement status.
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View the details; announcement name, status, when, and who created it.
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See the number of views and acknowledgments for each announcement.
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Edit announcements: click on the announcement name to open and edit it.
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Updating an announcement does not repost it, so anyone who has already seen it will not see the updated version.
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Archive announcements: when an announcement is no longer relevant, click on the announcement name to open it > Archive in the top right corner.
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After an announcement is archived you can't un-archive it or reinstate it.
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Announcement analytics
For a quick announcement analysis, anyone with the Announcement posting permission can see how many views and/or acknowledgments an announcement has by viewing the announcement in the web dashboard.
To learn more about viewing announcements, follow this guide.
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The "Who's in" email digest is a personalized email we send to all Robin users on Monday mornings that summarizes who plans to be in the office that week. Employees can use this to help them plan their in-office days and stay connected with their team.
FAQ
Q: Who can receive the weekly digest email?
All users who meet these requirements:
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Have a default location with 1 or more people with in-office plans for the week.
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Signed into Robin at least once.
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Have a default location selected.
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Have a valid & verified email address.
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Have not unsubscribed from the "Who's in" digest email.
Q: As an admin, can I preview the email digest before it starts sending it to all users?
No; reach out to your Customer Success Manager to see a demo.Q: What if I personally don't want to receive emails from Robin?
Today, employees can manage their email preferences directly from the weekly digest email by clicking “Unsubscribe.”
Q: What if I don't want users to receive the "Who's in" digest email?
Admins can disable the "Who's in" email notification on behalf of their employees on the organization level under Manage > Notifications.
Q: Why aren’t users seeing the option to manage their email preferences from their User Settings?
Today, employees can manage their email preferences directly from the weekly digest email by clicking “Unsubscribe.” We may add the weekly digest to the user’s notifications settings page in addition to the one-click link over time, based on feedback and need.Q: Can users customize when they receive the email digest?
Users will receive the email Monday morning. The time and date is based on the timezone settings for the user’s default location. Based on our data, Mondays continue to be the most likely day users are planning and booking for their week ahead.However, Slack users can set up a digest schedule to automatically receive the "who's in" digest each week in their channel of choice.
Q: Where else can users receive a weekly summary of who is going to the office?
Users can see who’s in and what’s happening in their office from a handful of places across the Robin app as well as outside of Robin. In addition to the "Who's in" email, users can add Robin to Slack or Teams to receive the "Who's in" summary there. -
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Meeting service assignees and approvers can manage service requests in the Tickets tab on the Services page in the web dashboard. Here, you can track, update, and communicate the status of service requests.
View the request details
Click on the blue ticket link to open the ticket and review the request details.
Update the ticket status
- Click the Status field and select a new status from the drop-down menu.
- The service assignee and requester are notified via email of the status update, as well as any changes made to the location or delivery time.
Note: If you change the status to Done or Cancelled for a past event, you cannot reactivate or update it back to To-do or In Progress.
Example of a status update email notification:
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Requires
Compatible Apps
- Outlook 2013 or later
- Outlook 2016 for Mac
- Outlook on the Web
- Outlook on Windows
Intro
The Microsoft Outlook Add-In provides easy access to Robin where people already get work done. The Add-In works alongside the Outlook calendar for convenient room and desk bookings.
Add rooms to meetings
The Add-In will suggest the best-suited spaces based on the location, meeting criteria, and the user’s recent and frequent room reservations.
Book desks for the same day as in-office meetings
The Add-In provides users with desk recommendations for quick and easy desk bookings right from the Add-In. Users can view, cancel, and end desk reservations directly from the Add-In.
Installing the Add-In
Robin's Outlook Add-In is available on Microsoft AppSource. Once installed by an administrator, it will appear as an option in both Outlook's desktop and web app Add-In menus for users to access.
For Exchange customers:
Exchange 2016 or higher allows admins to configure Office Add-Ins like Robin via a manual install. If you've never installed an Add-In for your on-premise environment before, you may need to adjust your configuration to allow store installs. Microsoft's "Install or remove Add-Ins for Outlook for your organization" guide shows you how to do this using the manifest file below.
Manual Install
Can't use the Office Store? To install the Add-In via a manifest instead, use https://extensions-v2.robinpowered.com/outlook/production/manifest.xml
Internet Explorer
The Outlook Add-In is not supported on Internet Explorer.
Managing user access to the Add-In
By default, all users on your Outlook account have access to Outlook Add-Ins. However, if administrators have enabled more specific permissions, Add-Ins may only be available to individual groups. It's important to note that apps like Robin cannot manage these permissions for you. If you want only certain users to access Robin's Add-In (or any other Add-Ins), an admin will need to adjust user permissions within Outlook accordingly.
Things to know about the Robin Add-In before introducing it to employees
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Make sure user consent is enabled on the organizational level.
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If employees are instructed to log in using SSO, make sure users have the "Enable pop-ups" setting ON for their web browser.
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The Robin Add-In requires a minimum of API version 1.1 (Exchange 2013+ On-premise)
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Outlook Add-Ins can support recurring events for customers running Outlook API 1.7+.
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Outlook Add-Ins support delegate booking for customers running Outlook API version 1.8 + and above. Check Microsoft's guide to see if your Outlook version qualifies.
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For the best user experience, set up amenities and capacity for each space.
Room booking tips
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Robin simply syncs events from your Outlook calendar to the Robin dashboard, room displays, & mobile app, relying on your native calendar rules to recognize conflict.
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When users book through the Robin dashboard or mobile app they're booking events on behalf of the booking user, unless personal booking settings are configured.
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When users book events in the Outlook calendar they're booking through their own account. Events booked through the Add-In have the same behavior as booking via Outlook Calendar. For users to book via the Add-In, they need to have the correct permissions to book events on the resource calendars.
Common Pitfall
If users hit this screen below when trying to open the Robin Add-In for the first time, you'll need to enable user consent at an organizational level in order for users to access the Add-In.
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With the Robin app for Teams, users can easily manage their schedule and complete actions in Teams without having to switch between apps. Follow this guide to learn how to integrate Robin with your organization's Microsoft Teams instance.
How to add Robin to Microsoft Teams
MS Teams allows you to highlight and install applications on the behalf of your users. Follow the steps below to manage the app's setup policies. For more context, please see Microsoft’s documentation: Manage app setup policies in Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams
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Add Robin from the Teams directory.
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Select Add to install the application.
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From the MS Teams admin console, navigate to Teams apps > Setup policies. Then edit the default "Global (Org-wide default)" policy or create a new one if you wish to restrict the installation to specific users/groups.
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To install the application on behalf of all users in the policy, click Add apps under installed apps and search for the Robin application.
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Compatible with
- Slack
- Slack Enterprise Grid
With the Robin app for Slack, employees can easily see who is in the office, update plans, book a desk, and receive timely reservation notifications without switching between apps. In order for employees to interact with Robin from Slack:
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An admin needs to connect Robin + Slack on the organizational level
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Employees need to connect their individual Slack accounts in their Robin user settings
Follow this guide to learn how to integrate Robin with your company's Slack account.
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Open Manage > Integrations > Add to Slack option.
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This will open a window where you can sign in to your Slack team.
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Select your Slack team, then authorize the app.
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Once you press "Authorize," Robin will connect to your Slack team automatically. Invite it to a common channel, or just leave it as a DM-only tool. Pro-tip: you can select a DM with yourself from the dropdown.
Learn more about the different ways employees can interact with Slack:
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Overview
Integrate Brivo with Robin to allow Brivo-controlled doors to automatically check users into Robin with a badge swipe. This guide will walk you through the steps to set up the integration and start using it.
Note
The Brivo integration requires obtaining an API key for your Brivo account and having Brivo Access (cloud). Please contact your Brivo representative to obtain your API key.
How it works
When users swipe their badges at the Brivo-controlled doors, they'll be automatically checked into the office via Robin, streamlining the check-in process and enriching attendance and usage analytics.
- If a user has a desk reservation or assignment, they’ll be checked into their desk.
- If a user does not have a desk reservation or assignment when they swipe their badge, a visit will be created, checked in, and reflected as being in the office for the day.
- Admins can view this data in the Analytics dashboard. Available for Basic & Advanced analytics.
How to set it up
- In the web dashboard, navigate to Manage > Integrations on the left.
- On the Integrations page, scroll down to the "Access Control" section.
- Locate Brivo and click Connect to begin the setup process.
- Under "Authentication," select your region.
- Enter your public Brivo API key. If you don't have a public API key, contact your Brivo representative.
- A Brivo login popup window will appear; enter your Brivo owner account credentials and click login. Ensure that the"allow pop-ups" setting is enabled for your web browser. If you get an error with your login credentials, check you're using a username to log in and not email.
- After successfully connecting your Brivo account, you'll see a table mapping Brivo Door IDs to the designated buildings and floors.
- Use the table to configure the relevant buildings, doors, and floors where you want to enable automatic check-ins via Brivo.
- Click Save.
- Review and confirm your changes and click Save.
FAQ
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Why should I integrate badge swipe data with Robin?
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Integrating badge swipe data increases the accuracy of check-in and attendance data. This is particularly helpful for organizations that user permanently reserved desks, have low check-in rates, or have users who come to the office without a desk reservation.
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This message is typically related to a syncing issue with your personal calendar integration. This is usually a quick fix by disconnecting and reconnecting your personal calendar integration. To do this, follow the steps outlined below.
First, disconnect your calendar integration:
- In the web dashboard, navigate to your user profile in the top right corner.
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Click User Settings.
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Click Integrations in the left panel.
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Depending on which calendar system you use, click Manage next to either Google or Microsoft 365.
- Click Remove at the bottom of the page.
- Robin will ask you if you're sure you want to remove your account, click Ok.
Now, connect your calendar integration again:
- From the integration page, click Connect next to your calendar system.
- Click Connect again.
- Follow the Oauth verification steps.
- Now, try booking a room again.
- If you're still having trouble, try:
- Logging out of Robin and back in.
- Clearing your web browser's cache.
- No luck? Use the chat bubble in the bottom right corner of the Robin screen to reach out to our customer support team. They are happy to help! Pro tip: Include a screenshot of the error message you're hitting.
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Looking to jump-start your Robin journey? You've come to the right place! This quick start guide will help you learn all the basics to get going.
1. Join your organization
You can join your company's Robin account in one of two ways:
By email invitation
If you've received an email invitation to join Robin, get started by clicking the link inside the email. Keep in mind that each invitation is unique, usable once, and can only be accepted by the email it was sent to. Invite link expires after 2 weeks.
1. Click the link in your email invitation. It will take you to a login screen.
2. Create your account using the same email address that received the email invitation. Then complete setting up your user account.
Hit an error message?
If you hit an error message, reach out to your internal office admin to request an invitation to join your organization's Robin account.
Single Sign-On (SSO) with your work email address
If your Robin administrator has enabled single sign-on, you may sign in using your existing credentials for either Google, Microsoft 365, or SAML.
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Open your web browser and go to https://dashboard.robinpowered.com/login
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Enter your work email, then select your desired single sign-on method and use those credentials to log in and complete the OAuth workflow.
2. Set your user preferences
Under your user settings in the top right corner, you can customize your Robin experience with workplace preferences, such as choosing your homepage and setting a preferred office location.
Start with the Personalization tab:
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This is where you can choose which homepage view works best for you. The default homepage is the Schedule page, but you can change it to the Office tab, which shows a map for quick bookings.
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Decide what day of the week your schedule page should start on and whether it should include weekends.
Next up, add a default location & schedule
This is where you can opt into Robin's AI desk booking feature!
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Select the office and floor you work on most often, and Robin will default to this when you book resources.
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If you have the same schedule each week, select "Remote" or "In office" for each day of the week. This is your default schedule that Robin will use to streamline your experience.
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If you set up a default schedule & preferred office location, the Automatic Desk booking feature is perfect for you. This feature allows Robin to book desks for you based on your past preferences, default schedule, and preferred office. You can turn this feature ON/OFF here.
3. Download the mobile app
Robin has a free mobile app for iOS and Android phones. Scan the QR code with your phone or follow the links below.
Then follow the steps to log in to the mobile app for the first time.
4. Book your first desk
Jump right in and try booking your first desk using the mobile app!
Mobile app:
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Open the mobile app and tap Book a desk at the top of the home screen. Or tap the + button at the bottom of the home screen, then tap Book a desk from the menu.
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Now you're on an interactive map where you can easily see what desks are available.
A. If you need to change floors, buildings, dates, and times use the drop-down options at the top.
B. To book a desk for multiple days tap the calendar icon & toggle on the "Book multiple days" option. Then tap the dates you need a desk for.
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Tap a green desk on the map to see more information and the option to reserve it.
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Tap Reserve to book the desk. You can invite co-workers to join you in the office by tapping Share, then select the app of your choice to send your reservation link to a teammate (e.g., Slack).
5. Book your first meeting room
On mobile
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Open the mobile app and tap the + button at the bottom of the home screen > tap Book a space. Or tap the Office tab.
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Now you're on the interactive map, set your room search criteria using the menus at the top.
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Use the filter icon in the top right corner to find the best-fit room for your meeting. For example, if your meeting requires any special equipment, like a whiteboard, you can add an amenities filter to focus on rooms that have a whiteboard.
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Tap a space on the map to book it.
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Tap Book or New event & fill out your event details. Then tap Create to complete your booking.
On web dashboard
From the office search page, click Find a space and select your meeting details and criteria. For a deeper dive into event bookings, head this way!
Now that you know how to book a desk and a space, let's take a quick look at how easy it is to plan your week.
6. Plan your workweek
Robin's Schedule tab in the web dashboard and mobile app are interactive schedules that make it easy to plan the optimal days for in-office work. This is where you can:
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Book a desk if you need one.
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Update your work status to let others know when you'll be in the office without having to book a desk.
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View a list of everyone who's planning to be in the office and where they'll be sitting, so you can book near your team. Click "View all" to expand the list.
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Join social events with office activities.
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Stay up to speed with office announcements.
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Update any changes to your plans.
If you have a hybrid work schedule, check out How to plan your work week & see who's in guide!
7. Learn how to view your desk reservations
On mobile
You can also look up your upcoming reservations by following the View all reservations link on the mobile home screen (Schedule tab).
On web dashboard
You can manage your desk reservations and/or seat assignments under your user profile.
8. Learn how to view your meeting schedule
On mobile
The mobile home screen highlights your upcoming meetings for that day, and for an expanded view of your schedule, tap the calendar icon in the top right corner. Tap the event to open the module where you can:
- See meeting details
- RSVP
- Edit the event if you're the organizer
On web dashboard
Office policies to have on the radar
Note, that not every office implements these office policies, so if this doesn't sound familiar skip this section.
- Is your office requiring desk and/or meeting room check-ins? Not to worry, it's super simple!
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Do you need to complete a health check survey before entering the office? Completing a health check survey is easy!
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You can do it right from your email, from your laptop (web dashboard), or on the go from the mobile app.
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Office search tips
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Desk status colors to help you find a desk quickly:
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Green = Available
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Dark grey = Occupied; click to see who is occupying it.
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Grey Slash (/) = An administrator made the desk unavailable for use. Reach out to your office admin to learn more.
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User permissions: You can see all spaces/desks from the map, but only the resources you have permission to book (and are available) will show as “green” and available to reserve.
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Office access: Robin will call out the days you do and don't have permission to use the office. You'll notice the "book desk" button is not emphasized, and the desks appear faded on days you don't have access.
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Office hours: Your office may restrict reservations to working hours only and we'll let you know when you're attempting to book outside of office hours.
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Robin has free mobile apps for iOS and Android phones. Scan the QR code with your phone or follow the links below.
They work best when connected to wifi or cellular data, and are running updated operating systems. This means iOS 12+ and Android 5+ on a supported device.
AppConfig
As of August 2018, the mobile app supports AppConfig. Admins can auto-fill the "org username" using the variable org_domain.
Visibility tip
Improving visibility around your office can also help in training your employees to use Robin for their trips into the office. Below, you'll find four PDF printables with QR codes that direct people to download the mobile app. You can display these in your office for easy access.
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Adding co-workers as favorites allows you to easily see when the co-workers you connect with the most are scheduled to be in the office and where they're seated on the office map. You can add and view favorites using the mobile app or web dashboard.
Add Favorites: mobile app
When you open the mobile app for the first time, you'll see a message to finish setting up your user account and add Favorites.
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Follow that prompt or tap the People tab to start adding Favorites.
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Tap the star next to a co-worker to add them to your Favorites. You can manage your favorites from the People tab at any time.
Add Favorites: web dashboard
1. From the web dashboard, click the People tab.
2. Click Favorites in the left sidebar.
3. Click Search people.
4. Click the star next to a co-worker's name to add them as a Favorite.
After you've added Favorites, compare your schedule with your Favorites to see which(s) are the best days to join the office and book a desk nearby them.
FAQ
1. Do folks receive a notification when they're added as a favorite?
No.
2. Is there a limit on how many favorites you can add?
No, you can add as many favorites as you'd like.
3. Can I segment my favorites into different groups?
No, today you can only create one favorite group.
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The Schedule tab in Robin helps eliminate scheduling and coordinating headaches with direct visibility into where your teammates are working and what's happening in your (preferred) office for the week. The interactive schedule is a powerful planning tool where you can:
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Easily book a desk
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View your upcoming meetings & add a space if you need to
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See a summary of who's going to the office, with your Favorites highlighted
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Discover activities happening in the office to connect with co-workers
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Stay up to speed on the latest office announcements
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See your company's in-office expectations or guidelines for hybrid work and track your progress (All offices are set up differently and may not apply to you)
The Workweek uses your preferred office location. To change or add more locations to your Workweek view, click the pencil icon next to the building name at the top left of your schedule.
Let's take a closer look at how to update your plans and see what's going on at the office so you can plan a productive week!
Updating your plans and setting your schedule
In Robin, you're reflected as “Not in office" or "Remote" by default until you update your plans by:
1. Booking a desk
After you book a desk, Robin automatically updates your status to "in office."
2. Updating your work status
Use the work status drop-down to update your status and to let others know when you plan to be in the office (without having to book a desk).
Hot tip! If you have a consistent schedule, you can set a default schedule, by selecting Edit default status from the drop-down.
3. Confirming your assigned seat (if you have one)
In Robin, you're reflected as “Not in office" or "Remote" by default until you update your plans. Updating your status to "In office" lets others know what days you're actually using your assigned seat. If your office requires desk check-ins, you'll still need to check in when it's time.
See when teammates are in the office & find a desk next to them
Under the work status menu, you can see at a glance who is going to the office that day. Robin will highlight your Favorites first. Click on the summary to see the full list of who's going in and find a desk near your teammate.
See your upcoming meetings
The next section highlights any upcoming meetings you have scheduled. On days you're scheduled to come to the office, you'll notice a space suggestion and a one-click booking button next to meetings without a space.
Hot tip: Connect your calendar to see who is attending the meeting in the office.
Discover office activities
The last section features any activities your office might have planned for that day. Click on the activity to learn more and coordinate with your co-workers in the activity comments chatbox!
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Head to the Office page to find and book the best-fit space for your meetings or events using the web dashboard. The office page is an interactive map that reflects what's available in your office in real-time.
Robin uses the following space status colors to help you find a space quickly:
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Green = Available
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Red = In use
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Yellow = Reserved, but not yet checked into
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Grey = On demand; can't book in advance from the map
Note status colors are customizable and may vary, and on-demand spaces are greyed out & cannot be booked from the map.
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Navigate to the Office tab and click a space from the map or click Find a space for additional space search criteria to find the optimal space for your needs.
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Set your search criteria using the drop-down fields at the top. The start and end times respect your office's work hours.
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When you see something you like, click the Book Meeting button or one of the green time pills to open the event composer.
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Use the event composer to fill in the event details and complete your booking. For more information on organizing events for others, check out this article.
Learn more about the power of the event composer:
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Learn more about the power of the event composer here.
How to book a space from the Schedule page
Robin highlights any upcoming meetings you have scheduled on your Workweek view. On days you're scheduled to come to the office, you'll notice a space suggestion and a one-click booking button next to meetings without a space. Hot tip: Connect your calendar to see who is attending the meeting in the office.
1. Open the Workweek tab on the Schedule page.
2. Click the upcoming meeting you'd like to add a room to.
3. In the right sidebar, click Add to Event to book the suggested space, or click Find Another to search for a different space to book using the office map instead. hh
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Even though a meeting is on the schedule it would help everyone in your office to understand if a meeting is likely to still happen. With Robin, you have an opportunity to confirm, check in, or delete the meeting shortly before it starts, thanks to in-app reminders and room display cues.
In this guide, you'll learn how to check in to meeting rooms by tapping "Check-in or Start meeting" on the display app, or by confirming the space ahead of time from the mobile app, Slack integration, or the web dashboard.
Checking in via room display
Checking in using the web dashboard
Checking in on mobile app
1. Open the mobile app > tap the calendar icon in the top right corner > locate your upcoming event.
2. If you're within the event confirmation window, then you can check-in/confirm the event is still happening.
Checking in via email
If you've enabled the "unconfirmed event" email notification setting under your user settings, you'll receive an email reminder for any upcoming unconfirmed events. It'll look something like this:
Checking in via Slack
When you enable the "unconfirmed event" Slack notification setting under your user settings AND you're the organizer of the meeting, then you'll receive a reminder to confirm your event for that meeting space.
Checking in via Teams
You’ll receive a notification for every upcoming event, and if you’re the organizer and the event is attached to a space, you’ll see an option to confirm.
Check in's + abandoned meeting protection
If your office implements the abandoned meeting protection it's important to note that there are two kinds of meetings that don't require confirmations, and will not automatically remove events from the room's schedule:
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Meetings that are 8 hours or more (i.e. all-day events), because showing up at midnight to confirm your all-day seminar is probably not a great experience.
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Meetings booked (from Robin only!) within your set confirmation window (the default setting is less than two hours in advance), including impromptu meetings on the room display, will automatically confirm since they fall inside the confirmation window. The average organization on Robin will see about 15% of their total meetings fall into this category. You can customize this confirmation period via scheduling settings.
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Overview
If you have the same schedule each week, then the Automatic Desk booking feature is perfect for you. This feature allows Robin to book desks for you based on your past preferences, default schedule, and preferred office.
How it works
After you opt-in, desks will be booked out for you based on the Advanced Booking Threshold for your preferred location or up to a max of 31 days from today's date.
- Example: If your building's Advanced Booking Threshold is 14 days, desks will be booked for you up to 14 days out. If the Threshold is 3 months, desks will be booked for you up to 31 days out from today.
For Robin to smartly book desks for you, the following must be true:
✅ Automatic Desk Booking feature is enabled for your preferred office location (by an admin).
✅ Automatic Desk Booking feature is turned on under your user preferences.
✅ You have a default work schedule set (remote/in-office status).
How to turn the feature on
You can turn the feature ON/OFF from your user profile settings or settings preferences on the Workweek view.
User profile settings:
- In the web dashboard, click the profile icon in the top right corner > User settings.
- Select the Default Location & schedule tab on the left.
- Toggle on/off the Automatic desk booking setting.
- If you haven't already, remember to set up your default work schedule.
Workweek preference settings:
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Open the web dashboard and navigate to the Schedule page if it's not your default homepage.
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Select your preferred office located in the top left corner.
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Click the Work status drop-down.
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Click Edit default schedule.
- In the pop-out module, toggle on the Automatic desk booking setting.
- If you haven't already, set up your default work schedule.
- Click Save.
Cancelling automatically booked desks
If you cancel a desk reservation made for you automatically, Robin will not rebook this desk. You can always manually book a desk for yourself for that day. Auto-booked desks are canceled the same way you cancel manually booked desks. One way to do this is from your user profile:
1. Navigate to your User profile in the top right corner.
2. Click Cancel (all) automatic bookings button or click the action button next to the reservation you want to cancel.
3. Click Cancel reservation(s). When you cancel your desk reservation(s), Robin will update your status to "Remote" unless you uncheck the box.
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Introduction
You can check in to your desk with a tap of a button using any Robin platform and/or everyday tools, like email and Slack. Follow this guide to learn the various ways you can check in (or cancel) your desk and how to stay on top of your desk reservations with reminder notifications.
Does your office allow automated desk check-ins?
If this sounds familiar, check out this guide to learn how it works!
How it works
When can I check in to my desk?
- Flex desks: You can check in to a flex desk any time from the start of the confirmation window to the end of the reservation. (Your office admin sets the confirmation window.)
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Assigned seats: Check-ins for assigned desks are tied to the building work hours and the advance check-in window.
- For example, if the advance check-in window is set to 4 hours and the office opens at 8 am, you can check in to your assigned desk starting at 4 am.
What if I no longer need my desk?
If you decide you no longer need your desk, change your status to "Remote" or click Cancel reservation and then:
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For a hot desk reservation (single day), the reservation is canceled, and the desk becomes available for others to use.
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For hotel desks (multi-day), we'll release your desk for that day only, and it becomes available for others to use for that day.
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For assigned seats, we'll mark that you're working remotely, and your desk will be greyed out (marked as unavailable) on the map. You will not lose your seat assignment.
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Now that you're working remotely, you'll no longer see your desk/seat assignment on your schedule for that day.
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⏰ You need to check in every day for assigned seats or change your status to "Remote."
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Checking in on the web dashboard:
Automatically: If your office uses the auto desk check-in feature, then you'll be automatically checked in when you open Robin as long as you're on the office wifi network. Learn more here.
Manually: You can check in directly from the Schedule (Workweek) page or Office page. Don't need a desk anymore? Simply update your status to "Remote," and Robin will cancel the reservation for that day.
Another option is to follow the View Upcoming Desks link on the Office page (captured in the image above), which takes you to your user profile page, where you can check in & manage your desk reservations/assignments.
Checking in on the mobile app
Automatically: If your office uses the auto desk check-in feature, then you'll be automatically checked in when you walk into your office with your phone as long as you're on the office wifi network and your work status is set to "In office." Learn more here.
Manually: When you open the mobile app, you should see the option to check in on the home screen (Schedule tab). Tap Check in.
Checking in: automatically upon arrival
If your office supports auto desk check-ins, then you can be automatically checked into your desk reservation when you walk into the office (with your phone) or when you open Robin on your laptop/desktop if:
- You have your work status set to "In office."
- The device you're using is connected to the office wifi.
Robin uses your phone and/or computer network connection to recognize that you're in the office. You can learn more about how it works and FAQ here.
Checking in with QR codes on desks
We also have a guide that walks through how to use the QR codes & NFC stickers on your desks!
Checking in: Slack & Teams notification (hot & hotel desks only)
With the Robin app for Slack & Teams, you can receive timely desk notifications without having to switch between apps. You can check in or release your desk reservation right from Slack or Teams. It will look something like this:
Checking in via email notifcation
You can open the email from any device, then simply tap Check in or tap Release desk if you no longer need it. Logging into Robin is not required.
And then, you'll see a confirmation message that will look something like this:
Managing check-in reminder notifications
Manage your reminder notifications to help you stay on top of your desk reservations and seat assignments. We offer a few options. Choose which one works best for you.
Mobile push notifications
Android users:
Desk check-in push notifications are enabled by default; no action is required. To opt-out, adjust the notifications on your device.
iOS users:
New users logging into the mobile app for the first time will be prompted to opt-in to push notifications. Current Robin users can opt-in from in-app prompts or from their user settings.
Email & Slack notification reminders
Manage email and Slack desk reservation reminders under your user settings. Navigate to your user profile in top right corner of the web dashboard > user settings > notifications.
Slack notifications
In order for you to receive Slack notifications, a Robin admin must first add Robin to your organization's Slack workspace. Then, you need to connect your individual Slack account under your user settings > integrations.
Is your office implementing the abandoned desk protection policy? (Applies to hot/hotel desks only)
- When you book something in advance, there’s always a chance that plans will change and you may not end up needing what you booked.
- If your office policies include desk check-ins and abandoned desk protection, then you'll need to check in to your desk sometime between the start of the confirmation window and the end of the abandoned desk threshold or else it will be canceled.
- Example A: A desk has check-ins and abandoned desk protection enabled, with a one-hour advance confirmation window and a two-hour abandoned desk threshold.
- If you book a reservation for tomorrow starting at 9:00 am, you'll need to check in between 8:00 am (one hour before start) and 11:00 am (two hours after start) to keep your desk.
- We'll send you an email notification if your desk reservation is automatically canceled that will look something like this:
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There are various ways you can confirm your desk and local desk check-ins is one of them. Depending on how your office is set up, local desk check-ins may be optional or mandatory. Scan the QR code or NFC tag on a desk to confirm, reserve, find, or swap a desk. Watch the tutorial or follow the guide to learn more.
How do we order stickers? Robin admins can purchase stickers from the web dashboard (Manage > Stickers).
Getting started
1. Download the Robin mobile app from the Apple App store or the Google Play store. If you haven’t downloaded the app you'll be prompted to do so the 1st time you scan a sticker.
2. Sign in to the app and follow the onboarding prompts.
3. Reminder: If your office requires you to complete the health checkpoint then you'll be prompted to complete it if you haven't already. Follow the guide for more details.
4. Next up, find a desk in your office with a sticker to get started.
Checking in
You can check in to a desk reservation any time from the start of the confirmation window to the end of the reservation by scanning the QR code or NFC tag found on desks in the office.
Note, you'll be prompted to complete the health checkpoint if you haven't already (if your office requires it).
Using a QR code
Using a NFC tag
Supported on iPhone models XS and higher & most Android devices released after 2017.
Booking a desk
Find an available desk and scan the QR code/NFC tag, then tap Reserve this desk to make it yours for the day.
Note, you'll be automatically checked in and you'll be prompted to complete the health checkpoint if you haven't already (if it's required).
Finding a desk
A. If you scanned a desk that is already reserved, then we'll give you the option to find another desk using your office map.
B. If you scan a reserved desk + forgot you already have a reservation, then you'll see a prompt with your active desk reservation and the option to view it on a map to help you find it.
Swapping desks
If you scan an available/unoccupied desk + you have a reservation already, then you'll see a prompt with the option to reserve that desk instead (swap desks), view your current reservation, or cancel the action.
Check-in reminders
Use check-in reminders to stay on top of your upcoming desk reservations and office policies. Below are examples of what you can expect to see across the Robin platforms depending on your office's policies.
Mobile:
The Robin mobile app will prompt you to scan the sticker to confirm your desk if your office enforces local desk check-ins only.
If you open the Robin mobile app during the check-in window > tap the blue Check-in button on the Pass tab > This will launch your camera and guide you through scanning the QR code/NFC tag to complete your desk check-in.
Web dashboard:
Email:
Slack or Teams:
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You can make changes to your desk reservations using the web dashboard and mobile app. There are different edit options for hot and hotel desk reservations, which are outlined below.
Single-day (hot desk) reservations
- You can edit the date, time, duration, and location.
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You can make edits from:
- Schedule page: Web dashboard & mobile app
- Office page: Web dashboard & mobile app
- User profile page: Web dashboard & mobile app
- If your office uses QR codes for desks, you can scan a QR code on a desk to swap your desk, too. Follow this guide to learn more about changing desks using QR codes.
Multiple-day reservations (hotel desk)
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You can only edit the dates of the hotel reservation.
- If you need to change the time & location, cancel the entire reservation and rebook it.
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You can make edits from:
- Office page: web dashboard
- User profile page: Web dashboard & mobile app
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On the mobile app, you can only cancel the selected day from the hotel reservation.
Note
Today, you can only edit your own desk reservation. The edit desk reservation functionally does not support desk delegation. Users with desk delegation permission are limited to ending or canceling a reservation on a user's behalf.
Web dashboard
Schedule page: how to edit a single-day reservation
You cannot edit a multiple-day reservation using the Schedule page.
- Open the web dashboard (click the Schedule tab if it's not your home screen)
- Locate the reservation on your Schedule.
- Click the reservation to open it.
- Next to the reservation details, click the 3 dots to open the action menu.
- Click Edit reservation. This opens the office map.
3. Use the fields at the top to change the time, date, or duration.
4. Click Update reservation.
Office page: how to edit single-day & multiple-day reservations
- Navigate to the Office tab and locate your desk on the map. Look for a red "Your desk" marker.
- Click on your desk to open the reservation.
- Click More...
- Depending on the type of reservation, click Edit or Change dates from the menu. (The image below is for a single-day reservation)
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To edit a single-day reservation, use the fields at the top to change the date, time, or floor. Click Update reservation to save changes.
- To change the dates of a multiple-day reservation, use the calendar popup to add or remove dates. (To cancel the reservation, remove all the dates.) Click Save.
User profile: edit single & multiple-day reservations
- Open the web dashboard.
- Click your profile in the top right corner.
- Locate the reservation under Desks.
- Click the 3-action dot menu next to the reservation.
- Click Edit reservation or change dates (for multiple-day reservations).
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Editing a single-day reservation:
- Use the fields at the top of the office map to make changes to your reservation. Click Update reservation.
- Then, let Robin know if you're still coming into the office or if you need to cancel all of your in-office plans.
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Changing the dates of a multiple-day reservation:
- Use the calendar popup to select different dates. Click Save.
- If you need to cancel a reservation that's for multiple days, go to your user profile and cancel the entire reservation.
Mobile app
- Locate your reservation on your schedule or under your user profile.
- Tap the three dots next to it to open the action menu.
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Now, there are different modification options based on the type of reservation you have:
- Single-day (hot desk) reservation: You can edit or cancel the reservation. To edit, use the fields at the top of the map to change the date/time. Or cancel the reservation.
- Multiple-day reservation (hotel desk): If the reservation is part of a multiple-day reservation, you can only cancel (remove) that reservation date from the hotel reservation; you cannot change the time.
FAQ
Q: Can users with desk delegation permission edit someone's reservation on their behalf?
A: Not today.
Q: Can I edit my own desk reservation if an office admin (or a user with desk delegation) made the original desk reservation for me?
A: Yes.
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Overview
With Robin, booking a desk at the office is easy, with access to real-time schedules and availability. You can book a desk when planning your hybrid workweek on the Schedule page, or you can jump to the Office page for more advanced booking features (i.e., booking a desk with a monitor).
Booking a desk from the Schedule page
1. Click Book a desk on the Schedule page under the Workweek tab.
Robin might ask you to select the office location you want to join if you haven't set your office building preference yet.
2. Use the interactive map to find a desk to book. Adjust the reservation time using the time pickers at the top of the map.
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The start/end times respect your office's work hours.
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If your office supports hotel desks, then you can select more than one day at a time in the weekly calendar modal.
3. Click on a desk for more information.
4. Click Book.
Need to reserve desks for others?
User roles with desk delegation and/or desk assignment permission can reserve or assign desks for others the same way you reserve a desk for yourself. However, the desk delegation permission does not support editing the date, time, or floor of another user's reservations, only the end or cancel functionality.
Booking a desk from the Office page
1. Navigate to the Office tab, select a desk on the map to book "right now," or click Book a desk for additional search criteria.
2. You can set your search criteria using the drop-down fields at the top, including any amenities (e.g., a monitor) you may need at your desk. A few things to note:
- The start/end times respect your office's work hours. Assigned seats automatically default to office hours & can't be adjusted.
If your office supports hotel desks, you can select more than one day at a time in the calendar modal.
3. Click on a desk for more details & click Reserve.
4. Enter name (or email if you're booking a desk for someone and they're not a Robin member yet).
5. If you checked the email notification box, then you or the person you reserved/assigned the desk for will receive an email confirmation that will look something like this:
Viewing & modifying reservations
You can view and modify your own reservations from your workweek schedule, the office map, or your user profile. Note that delegation permission does not support desk reservation edits at this time.
From the Workweek schedule
Select a day of the week, and you'll see your reservation details in the right sidebar, including the option to edit or cancel the reservation.
From the office map
Use the module on the left or look for a "Your desk" marker on the map to find your desk > click on the desk to open the reservation module > Edit Reservation. Then, you'll see the option to edit, cancel, or end your reservation.
For multiple-day reservations, use the calendar module to deselect/select new dates to modify your reservation.
Limitations
You can only change the dates for a multiple-day reservation, not the time or floor.
From the user profile
Or follow the View upcoming desks link to be redirected to your user profile for a full list of your reservations & assignments and the option to make changes.
User roles with delegation permission have limitations
Limited to ending or canceling a desk reservation on a user's behalf. This permission does not apply to desk reservation edits, which include changing the date, time, or floor.
Find the desk reservation directly on the map or click Book a desk to enter the user names in the search bar > click on the desk and click Cancel reservation.
Or you can use the People tab to search for the user and edit their desk reservation/assignment from their profile page.
Office search tips to keep in mind:
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Desk status colors:
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Green = Available
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Dark grey = Occupied; click to see who is occupying it.
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Grey Slash (/) = An administrator made the desk unavailable for use.
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User permissions: You can see all spaces/desks from the map, but only the resources you have permission to book (and are available) will show as “green” and available to reserve.
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Office access: We'll call out the days you do and don't have permission to use the office. You'll notice the "book desk" button is not emphasized and the desks appear faded on days you don't have access.
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Office capacity: We call out the total number of desks available to book and when the office is at capacity and no longer accepting desk reservations for that day. Note, this does not include assigned desks.
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Office hours: Robin warns and may block you, depending on how your office is set up, if you're trying to reserve a desk or room outside of the set office hours.
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Assigned desks: Assigned seats automatically default to the office building hours, which are set by your Robin admin. Meaning you can't adjust the "reservation" time, like flex desk reservations. For example, if your office building hours are 8 am-5 pm then your assigned seat starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm.
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Office activities help bring people together, creating a social atmosphere and a sense of community. With Robin's Activities feature, you can easily plan, share, and join social, cultural, and community events at the workplace using the web dashboard and mobile app.
Activities in Robin make it easier for everyone to:
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Discover communities and events at the workplace.
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Create and join workplace events.
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Know what’s happening in the office.
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Decide which days they’d like to go into the office.
Creating a new activity
By default, everyone (all user roles) can create activities from the web dashboard and mobile app. Admins can manage these permissions under Manage > Roles.
Web dashboard
- On the web dashboard, click Create activity in the top right corner of the Schedule page.
- Fill in the activity details. Some notes:
- Your audience is based on the Robin office buildings you have access to. Anyone part of that building can see and join the activity from their Work Week view.
- The location can be anywhere. You can add a video conferencing link to include offsite folks too.
- Click Post activity to share it.
- Activities are shared with everyone on the WorkWeek Schedule tab in the web dashboard and mobile app. You can learn more about attending activities here.
On the mobile app
- Open the mobile app to the Schedule tab and tap Create activity.
- Fill in the activity details and add a cover image to jazz it up. Some notes:
- Your audience is based on the Robin office office buildings you have access to. Anyone part of that building can see & join the activity from their Workweek Schedule.
- The location can be anywhere. You can add a video conferencing link to include offsite folks too.
- Tap Post activity to share it.
- Activities are shared with everyone on the mobile app & web dashboard home screens (schedule view). Learn more about joining activities here.
Editing and deleting activities
The activity creator or user roles with the Activity Management permission can edit or cancel activities.
- To make changes, click or tap the activity to open it.
- Click the actions menu or tap Options in the top right corner of the activity module in the web dashboard or mobile app.
- Select Edit Activity.
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Connect your individual work calendar with Robin to access enhanced scheduling features. If you logged in using single sign-on, then your calendar is already connected, and you're all set.
If you didn't log in to Robin using single sign-on, then follow the steps below to connect your calendar under your user settings in the web dashboard.
Exchange users
This isn't supported with Exchange. To access more advanced scheduling features, we recommend transitioning to Microsoft 365.
How to connect your calendar
1. Open the web dashboard and click your Avatar in the top right corner.
2. Click User Settings.
3. Click Integrations in the left panel.
4. Depending on which calendar system you use, click Connect next to either Google or Microsoft 365. 5. Click Connect again.
6. Follow the Oauth verification steps.
Benefits
Book events as yourself-- this unlocks a few scheduling perks (Requires admin configuration first though)
When the "Allow personal booking" setting is enabled for your organization by an admin (+ your work calendar is connected), you're the owner of your events, unlocking a few extra scheduling perks.
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This means you're managing your schedule as yourself, and all events scheduled through Robin are created and owned by you instead of the account your organization has integrated with Robin.
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Therefore, you can:
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Manage your events from anywhere, such as canceling your event or changing the event time, date, location, attendees, etc.
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Book events on behalf of others if you have delegate calendar access.
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You can view ALL of your events in Robin:
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You'll be able to see all of your events on the Schedule page in the web dashboard and mobile app, including events without a space attached, such as a coffee date with a co-worker.
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Note: Users will only see the events they’re invited to or have organized on their schedule. Robin will not share or sync any event data for events outside of Robin-powered spaces.
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Avoid scheduling conflicts:
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When you(and your co-worker's work calendars are connected to Robin, you can see who's free or busy before creating the event. Resolving conflict before it happens!
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Robin will always respect user privacy. When Robin checks invitee availability, we only check against the calendar’s free-busy API. Meaning we can only see if the user (invitee) has an event or not – we can't see any details from that event.
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Invitees will auto-populate from your contact list:
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When you search for by colleagues' names in the invitee field, your contacts' email addresses auto-complete.
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New to Microsoft 365? Microsoft has a great guide to administering apps like Robin
Here's how to install Robin's syncing app onto your Microsoft 365 account, which will allow you to connect room calendars to spaces in Robin. This will install a domain-level "Enterprise App" which has permission to manage room resources within your account. You can see a list of other apps you've installed this way here.
You must be a global administrator to complete this step
This app will be installed for your entire organization, so you will need a global administrator to complete this step. If you'd like to understand more about why a Global Admin is needed, Microsoft has an explanation for this requirement. We've also prepared a primer for Enterprise Apps in Azure.
1. Navigate to the Manage tab within Robin's web dashboard.
2. Select the Integrations tab, and click "Connect" Microsoft 365.
3. Choose how to connect > Connect via App.
4. This will start the OAuth flow to connect to your account and install the app. The window will prompt you to enter account credentials or show you a list of your Microsoft Accounts. Since this will be an app for your entire domain, you will need to use a global administrator account to complete this step.
Common pitfall
If you see the screen below after pressing "Accept," it means your account is not a Global Admin. You will need to log in using a different account or have your IT department temporarily change your user permissions until you've completed the installation.
5. Robin will ask for permission to access calendar information in order to sync events. Accept permissions to proceed.
"Why does it ask for full access to all mailboxes?"
Robin uses an authentication method called OAuth to securely install the app onto your Microsoft 365 account. OAuth is a way for apps to request very specific rights for your account. For Microsoft 365/EWS, Microsoft requires that all OAuth apps request mailbox permission for EWS API's. Once installed, the Robin app only interacts with your calendars.
You can read more about app privileges in Microsoft 365 here.
6. You're all set! You can now pair calendars managed by this account to your spaces. You can confirm by seeing if Robin is visible from your domain's app overview: http://myapps.microsoft.com
Common Pitfall
If you see the screen below when trying to login to Robin via Single Sign-on, you will need to enable user consent at an organizational level in order for users to log in via Microsoft 365.Currently, our app is not in the Microsoft Store, which means it requires user consent to be granted when using Single Sign-on for Microsoft 365. We understand this is cumbersome and we are working towards getting our app into the Microsoft store so folks can bypass the user consent setting.
Now that you've connected the app, let's connect a room calendar to a space in Robin.
For more about enabling single sign on in Robin via Microsoft 365 check out this article.
Additional Reading
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Introduction
The Automatic Desk Booking feature minimizes the time spent planning to come into the office for employees with a regular schedule. Robin will smartly book desks for employees with a default schedule set (and have opted into the feature).
How it works
After employees opt-in, desks will be booked out for you based on the Advanced Booking Threshold for your preferred location or up to a max of 31 days from today's date. Desks will only be booked for you if the Advanced Booking Threshold for the office is longer than the Advanced Booking Threshold for the desks in the office.
Example: If your building's Advanced Booking Threshold is 14 days, desks will be booked for you up to 14 days out. If the Threshold is 3 months, desks will be booked for you up to 31 days out from today.
Admin experience
The Automatic desk booking feature is turned ON by default, but Robin owners/admins can disable it at the organization and/or office building levels.
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Navigate to Manage
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Click Organization in the left panel.
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Scroll to the "Features" section and toggle off the Automatic Desk Booking setting for the entire organization or specify which buildings can access the feature.
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Click "Manage buildings"
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Select the box next to each office location to turn ON/OFF the feature for that location.
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Employee experience
Employees will see the Automatic Desk Booking setting under their "Default location and schedule" settings.
Employees can choose whether to use Automatic Desk Booking. They can toggle it ON/OFF from their user profile settings or settings preferences on the Workweek view.
User profile settings:
Workweek preference settings:
Keep in mind
For Robin to smartly book desks for an employee, the following must be true:
✅ Admins enable the Automatic Desk Booking feature for their preferred office location
✅ The Automatic Desk Booking feature is turned on under their user preferences
✅ They have a default schedule set (remote/in-office status)
Automatic Desk Booking reporting
Basic and Advanced Analytics both have visibility into which desks and how many desks were booked using the Automatic Desk Booking feature. Automatically booked desks now appear in reporting as "Automatically booked desks," even if no one shows up.
Basic and Advanced Analytics:
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- In the desk export, there is a column titled "Automatically booked" that indicates if the desk was booked automatically.
For Advanced Analytics:
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- The Desk and Reservations datasets include an "Automatically booked" column.
- The Desk Bookings dashboard displays the number of desks booked automatically.
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Instead of clicking a button or scanning a sticker, users can be checked in to their desks automatically by just walking into their office. This means that, in addition to mobile, users can be checked in automatically via a network connection on the web, tablet, or our Outlook add-in. Let's walk through how this works:
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An admin associates one or many public IP addresses with a building in Robin. This is the address that the outside internet sees when you’re connected to the building’s wifi.
- A user’s device connects to wifi.
- The Robin app pings our servers over the internet.
- The user has their work status set to "In office."
- We check if that incoming IP address matches one of the buildings the admins told us about. If it does:
- Look for unconfirmed desk reservations in that building that are within the check-in window and start no more than 4 hours from now.
- Confirm any of those we can find.
- Send a push notification to the user, letting them know what happened.
Best practice tip
Because it can take up to an hour for the servers to communicate to confirm desk reservations, it's best practice to implement multiple desk check-in methods, especially if the Abandoned Desk Protection setting is enabled.
FAQ
1. How long does it take for automatic check-in to happen?
You might be checked in within a few minutes, or it may take up to an hour. Your presence is regularly checked on a timer, and the frequency of the timer can be unpredictable.
2. Should I still scan my sticker?
Go for it! If you remember to scan your sticker, fantastic! The automated check-in is great for those who have a hard time remembering to check-in.
3. It seems like I only get checked in when I wake up my phone or open the app. I thought this was supposed to be automatic.
Phones will often defer background work until an opportune time to conserve battery. Interacting with the phone, especially with our app, provides a strong incentive to do that background work and ping our servers. If you hadn’t touched your phone, you probably would have been checked in slightly later.
4. I didn't get automatically checked in. Why?
Make sure you're giving it enough time (at least an hour) for the servers to communicate. However, if you're waiting patiently for hours and maybe you lost your desk to Abandoned desk protection, then that's not the experience we are going for. Check these things in order of most likely to least likely:
- Confirm your work location status is set to "In-office."
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Connect your phone to office wifi
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Make sure you don’t have low battery or are in any sort of battery-saver mode
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Make sure you’re logged in to the correct organization on the Robin app.
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Make sure the Robin app is up-to-date, both in the App Store and under Settings > Check for updates within the app
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iOS: Make sure Background App Refresh is enabled for the Robin app (on by default)
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Android: Check out Don’t kill my app! to see if your manufacturer is being mean
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Stuff generally works better if you avoid swiping the app away and killing it, though we should still be resilient against that
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Make sure push notifications are enabled for Robin app (on by default for Android)
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Make sure you’ve opted into desk check-in reminders within the Robin app (on by default)
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Check if you’re receiving the push notifications that remind you to check in to your desk. You should definitely get one ~30 minutes before Abadonded Desk Protection happens. If you aren’t getting them, something’s wrong. Uninstall and reinstall the app.
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Make sure you aren’t using a VPN or proxy server on your phone
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While connected to office wifi, make sure that your IP address matches the one configured by the admin. You can see your phone’s IP at https://ipecho.net/plain . IP addresses can change, but US business class internet service usually provides a static IP.
5. What are the requirements for the building's IP address?
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It should be the IP address you get when using wifi at that location. A simple way to find that is to connect to wifi at the building and go to https://ipecho.net/plain, but admins should check with their IT people to make sure they aren’t missing additional possible IPs (backup connections, ranges, …).
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The IP address should be publicly routable. Private addresses like 192.168.1.100 or 127.0.0.1 are a no-no.
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The IP address should be static - this seems typical for business internet connections. Dynamic IPs are liable to change and might be feasible to use, but the admin will need to keep up with changes and reflect them in Robin.
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The IP address should be one that employees cannot use from home, e.g. via VPNs on employee phones. Otherwise, we’ll get false-positive automatic check-ins.
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CIDR ranges are acceptable, limited to
/16
for IPv4 and/48
for IPv6. The limit is just because larger ranges are probably user error but can easily be changed -
Limit of 20 distinct ranges/IPs per building, same reason
6. What if multiple buildings share the same IP?
No problem - we’ll check all matching buildings for desk reservations to check-in. However, you sacrifice some precision because you might be physically located in Building A and get checked into your reservation at Building B.
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If you want people together in person, your workplace has to work for your people. We see it in our own offices and hear it from customers. People are back in offices – now it's about ensuring their experiences in your spaces feel effortless.
Our team continues to eliminate effort from daily workplace tasks with another way to automatically check into the office. Now, employees on office Wi-Fi who open the Robin platform from any device will be automatically checked into their reservation or have a visit created for them.
This means that, in addition to mobile, employees can be checked in automatically via a network connection on the web, tablet, or our Outlook add-in. We recommend using automated check-ins if you plan to make local check-ins mandatory.
More information on how it works and FAQ here.
How to configure automated check-ins
Robin uses your office building IP address(es) to detect and communicate when an employee has arrived. Admins, follow the steps below to turn this feature on and add your office IP address(es).
1. From the web dashboard, navigate to Manage > select an office to open the settings page.
2. Under the "Automatic check-in" section, click the toggle to ON.
3. Add your office's public IP address(es). You can add up to 20 IP addresses separated by commas.
We've outlined some helpful requirements for the building's IP addresses in the next section.
4. Click Save IP address.
What are the requirements for the building's IP address?
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It should be the IP address you get when using wifi at that location. A simple way to find that is to connect to wifi at the building and go to https://ipecho.net/plain, but admins should check with their IT people to make sure they aren’t missing additional possible IPs (backup connections, ranges, …).
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The IP address should be publicly routable. Private addresses like 192.168.1.100 or 127.0.0.1 are a no-no.
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The IP address should be static - this seems typical for business internet connections. Dynamic IPs are liable to change and might be feasible to use, but the admin will need to keep up with changes and reflect them in Robin.
-
The IP address should be one that employees cannot use from home, e.g., via VPNs on employee phones. Otherwise, we’ll get false-positive automatic check-ins.
-
CIDR ranges are acceptable, limited to
/16
for IPv4 and/48
for IPv6. The limit is just because larger ranges are probably user error but can easily be changed -
Limit of 20 distinct ranges/IPs per building, same reason
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Admins can set up QR codes & NFC tags on desks for desk check-ins and bookings. This is one of the ways employees can check in locally if on-site check-ins are mandatory. You can also set up automated desk check-ins as another local check-in option.
This guide assumes that you've already:
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Purchased desk stickers. Robin admins can order stickers right from the web dashboard (Manage > Stickers).
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Set the advance check-in window
Watch the tutorial below or follow the steps outlined in this guide to learn how to set up QR codes/NFC tags for desks.
Setting up check-in stickers
[The “Manage Office and Maps” user permission is required for sticker to set up]
Use the mobile app to set up and manage the QR/NFC tags for desks.
Associating a sticker to a desk
Navigate to the Office tab on mobile > tap a desk > tap Add sticker > camera will open, scan QR code > tap done. Then, the sticker is automatically associated with the desk & will show the sticker # in the desk details.
Replacing a sticker on a desk
Navigate to the Office tab on mobile > tap a desk > tap Manage > tap Replace camera will open > scan new QR code > tap done. Then the new sticker # will show in the desk details.
Removing a sticker from a desk
Navigate to the Office tab on mobile > tap a desk > tap Manage > tap Remove. The sticker/QR code is removed and no longer visible.
Sticker summary
Use the sticker summary (Manage tab > Stickers) to understand how many stickers you've purchased, how many desks have stickers associated, and the location of those desks.
To see more granular details about which desks have stickers, navigate to the Layout tool using the floor link under the building drop-down (captured below).
Layout tool summary
In the Layout tool, you'll notice that desks with stickers have an icon on the right lower corner of the desk and the floor overview notes the number of desks with stickers.
You can see the sticker number associated with each desk in the right-side panel when a desk group is selected.
Abandoned desk protection tip
Admins can enable abandoned desk protection when configuring the stickers. With that said, if "Local check-in only" is enabled, we recommend configuring or adjusting the abandoned desk protection threshold to include a buffer to give folks enough time to get to their physical desk to complete the check-in before the reservation is canceled.
Enable for desk group
From the Office search page > navigate to the Edit floor drop-down menu on the map > Layout Desks. Use your cursor to select a group of desks > in the right menu panel click the Policies tab, then toggle Local check-in only policy.
Additional information
Health checkpoints
If you're implementing the health checkpoint for your office, then the survey will pop up when folks scan a sticker if they haven't already completed it.
- Folks who book a desk in advance will have an opportunity to complete the survey before coming in advance via email and will not be prompted to complete it again when they scan the sticker to check in to their desk.
- If you book a desk on the fly via a desk sticker, then you'll be prompted to complete the checkpoint survey.
Viewing check-in status
Admins can review the checked-in state on the Daily Roster page (Manage > Access) for visibility into who's accessing the office on a given day.
Hover over the check-in mark to see exactly when someone confirmed their desk reservation and how; locally via sticker scanning or "remotely" from the web dashboard or mobile app.
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Introduction
Use desk check-ins to help employees stay informed about their upcoming reservations and assignments while ensuring they confirm their in-office plans. By requiring check-ins, you gain more accurate, actionable data within your Robin analytics, allowing for a clearer picture of desk demand, availability, and actual occupancy.
For instance, if you notice that the desk check-in rate is much lower than the actual usage rate on a particular floor, you can use this insight to gather employee feedback and explore ways to optimize that area or consider reallocating resources.
Follow this guide to learn how to configure the desk check-in feature and the different check-in methods and policies you can set up.
To learn how to check into your desk, head this way!
Step 1: Set the advance check-in window
The desk check-in window works similarly to the event confirmation window for meeting spaces. It is a building-level setting that determines how far in advance someone can check into a desk. Admins can set the check-in window from a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of 12 hours.
- Flex desk tips: To tie check-ins closer to actual presence set a shorter window. If advance booking (e.g. booking more than a week in advance) is more common, consider setting a longer window.
- Assigned desk tips: Assigned desks are for a full-day based on the set office hours (open-close). For example, if the advance check-in window is set to 4 hours and the office opens at 8am you can check in to your assigned desk starting at 4am.
Navigate to Manage > Offices > select a building > scroll down to "Resource policies" > Advance check-in window menu.
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If a user books a desk within that window, they’ll automatically be confirmed.
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If a user books a desk outside that window, they’ll be able to confirm the reservation as soon as the check-in window opens.
Here’s a peek at how the check-in window logic works:
Step 2. Turn on the desk check-in setting
Admins can enable desk check-ins for hot/hotel desks only or for all desk types, which includes assigned desks too. This setting can be enabled for an entire building or desk groups. Both configuration methods are outlined below.
Configure for the entire office building:
1. Navigate to Manage > Offices > select a building.
2. Scroll down to the "Resource policies" section and confirm you're on the Desks tab.
3. Click the drop-down menu for the Desk check-ins setting and select hot/hotel only or All desk types (includes assigned seats) setting.
Configure for specific desk groups:
1. From the Office search page > navigate to the Edit floor drop-down menu on the map.
2. Select Layout from the menu.
3. Use your cursor to select a group of desks.
4. In the right menu panel, click the Policies tab.
5. Select Add Policy. To apply the setting to assigned desks, choose All desk types.
Heads up!
After enabling assigned desk check-ins, it may take up to 48 hours for Robin to start sending the check-in reminder.
(Optional) Step 3. Set up local check-in methods
There are various ways employees can confirm their desks, and local check-ins are one of them. Local check-ins are done at the office vs. online methods can be done from anywhere. Robin supports three types of local check-in methods:
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Automated check-ins using office wifi - automatically by just walking into the office or opening Robin on a laptop/desktop using the office wifi.
- Badge swipe check-ins with Access Control integrations- users swipe their badges at the access-controlled doors, and they'll be automatically checked into their desks.
- QR codes/NFC tags on desks- scan stickers on desks with a mobile app to complete check-in.
(Optional) Step 4: Set up check-in requirements
Local check-ins only policy
You can make Local desk check-in methods optional for convenience or mandatory. If you want to make local check-ins mandatory for employees, enable the Local desk check-ins-only setting and set up one of the on-site check-in methods mentioned above.
Abandoned desk protection
This feature automatically cancels "no show" (flex) desk bookings when employees don't confirm their desk within a certain window, allowing someone else to use it instead. Learn how to set it up here.
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When someone books something in advance, there’s always a chance that plans will change and they may not end up needing what they’ve booked. Use desk check-ins and abandoned desk protection to get a clearer picture of who’s using which desks and when.
Watch the tutorial or follow the guide below
Enable abandoned desk protection
Abandoned desk protection can be enabled for an entire building or for specific desk groups for flexible desks only. To enable abandoned desk protection, you must first enable desk check-ins.
Enable for an entire building
Navigate to Manage > Offices > select a building > scroll down to "Desk policies" section> toggle on the Desk check-ins + Abandoned desk protection.
After you've enabled abandoned desk protection, you can adjust the abandoned desk threshold. This is the time to wait before an unconfirmed desk reservation is canceled:
Enable for flex desk groups
From the Office search page > navigate to the Manage drop-down menu on the map > Layout Desks.
Use your cursor to select a group of desks > in the right menu panel click the Policies tab > select + to add a policy > select Desk check-ins > toggle Abandoned desk protection > adjust the threshold (the time to wait before an unconfirmed desk reservation is canceled).
?To give employees a reasonable grace period for checking in, we recommend setting the abandoned desk threshold to four hours.
How it works
When employees reserve a hot/hotel desk that has desk check-ins and abandoned desk protection enabled, they’ll need to check in sometime between the start of the confirmation window and the end of the abandoned desk threshold.
Example: A desk has check-ins and abandoned desk protection enabled, with a one-hour advance confirmation window and a two-hour abandoned desk threshold. If a user books a reservation for tomorrow starting at 9:00 am, they’ll need to check in between 8:00 am (one hour before start) and 11:00 am (two hours after start) in order to keep their seat.
We'll send an email notification if your desk reservation is automatically canceled that will look something like this:
To learn more about the different ways employees can check in to a desk, head this way!
What happens when a desk is released
When a desk reservation is released through abandoned desk protection, the reservation is canceled rather than deleted. The user’s reservation will still appear on the desk export, with the "Canceled at" field indicating when the reservation was released and with the "Cancellation type" field indicating how it was canceled (automatically or manually).
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Introduction
Office admins can try out new seating arrangements, save & share them as drafts, and publish the plans when ready using the Assignment tool.
1. From the Office page, select a floor > Edit floor dropdown on the map > Assignments.
2. To start a new draft in the Assignment tool, click New Draft in the top right corner or click an existing draft from the list.3. Give the draft a name.
4. Choose the type of draft you want to create:
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Quick draft: Create a draft with minor edits that stay in sync with the live floor. Clear All Assignments: This starts with a blank slate, clearing all live desk assignments.
- Syncing on- When changes are made to the published floor plan, your draft will automatically be updated.
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New Scenario: Explore entirely new seating assignments and publish sweeping changes to a floor.
- Syncing off- when changes are made to the published floor plan, it won’t affect your draft.
5. Click Create.
6. Now you're in draft mode, where you can assign desks one of two ways:
A: Drag and drop method using the list on the left. Select or search by name/email and drag & drop it to a desk on the map.
B: Select a desk and click + assign to search and add users.7. Use the module to assign a desk to one person for the entire week OR assign multiple people to the same desk for different days of the week.
- To remove a user and/or assign a different user, hover over the person and click the X. Then click + assign to search and add another user.
8. Select “Bookable on unassigned days” if you want to allow others to be able to book this desk on days it’s not assigned. The desk will act as a flex desk and can be reserved using the office map.
9. If you need to change the desk configurations as you plan out scenarios, use the drop-down menus at the top (captured above) to change the availability status and/or the desk type.10. Happy with your changes, but not ready to make it official yet? Click Close and your changes will be saved.
11. You can share your seating arrangement ideas with colleagues to collaborate before publishing them. Click Share in the top right corner to invite them to your draft.
The view & edit permissions are linked to user role permissions. Learn more about draft sharing and permissions here.
12. If the proposed draft impacts current desks on the live map, Robin will warn you before publishing the draft. Conflicts can be informative or actionable:
- Informative conflicts- simply acknowledge and accept the conflict warning.
- Actionable conflicts- action is required before moving forward, and then click Save.
13. When satisfied with the new seating chart, click Review and Publish.
14. Review the summary of changes. We’ll warn you if the changes to the new floor plan cancel any existing bookings and which ones. In the example below, the new draft did not cancel any bookings.
- Check the box if you'd like to notify people of their new seat assignment or of any changes made to their reservations.
15. Click Publish. Changes go live immediately.
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Quick draft: Create a draft with minor edits that stay in sync with the live floor. Clear All Assignments: This starts with a blank slate, clearing all live desk assignments.
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How to assign seats as an admin
You can assign seats in two ways:
1. a) From the Office page, select a floor > Edit floor dropdown on the map > Assignments.
b) From the Office page, select a floor > select a desk > select ...More > Select Edit Assignment.
This method works only for assigned desks.For this guide, we will walk through how to assign and manage assigned seats using the Assignment tool (Option A).
2. To start a new draft in the Assignment tool, click New Draft in the top right corner or click an existing draft from the list.3. Give the draft a name.
4. Choose the type of draft you want to create:
-
Quick draft: Create a draft with minor edits that stay in sync with the live floor. Clear All Assignments: This starts with a blank slate, clearing all live desk assignments.
- Syncing on- When changes are made to the published floor plan, your draft will automatically be updated.
-
New Scenario: Explore entirely new seating assignments and publish sweeping changes to a floor.
- Syncing off- when changes are made to the published floor plan, it won’t affect your draft.
5. Click Create.
6. Now you're in draft mode, where you can assign desks one of two ways:
A: Drag and drop method using the list on the left. Select or search by name/email and drag & drop it to a desk on the map.
B: Select a desk and click + assign to search and add users.7. Use the module to assign a desk to one person for the entire week OR assign multiple people to the same desk for different days of the week.
- To remove a user and/or assign a different user, hover over the person and click the X. Then click + assign to search and add another user.
8. Select “Bookable on unassigned days” if you want to allow others to be able to book this desk on days it’s not assigned. The desk will act as a flex desk and can be reserved using the office map.
9. If you need to change the desk configurations as you plan out scenarios, use the drop-down menus at the top (captured above) to change the availability status and/or the desk type.10. Happy with your changes, but not ready to make it official yet? Click Close and your changes will be saved.
11. You can share your seating arrangement ideas with colleagues to collaborate before publishing them. Click Share in the top right corner to invite them to your draft.
The view & edit permissions are linked to user role permissions. Learn more about draft sharing and permissions here.
12. If the proposed draft impacts current desks on the live map, Robin will warn you before publishing the draft. Conflicts can be informative or actionable:
- Informative conflicts- simply acknowledge and accept the conflict warning.
- Actionable conflicts- action is required before moving forward, and then click Save.
13. When satisfied with the new seating chart, click Review and Publish.
14. Review the summary of changes. We’ll warn you if the changes to the new floor plan cancel any existing bookings and which ones. In the example below, the new draft did not cancel any bookings.
- Check the box if you'd like to notify people of their new seat assignment or of any changes made to their reservations.
15. Click Publish. Changes go live immediately.
-
Quick draft: Create a draft with minor edits that stay in sync with the live floor. Clear All Assignments: This starts with a blank slate, clearing all live desk assignments.
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What is visitor management?
Your office is not only a space for employees. Organizations across all kinds of industries regularly welcome different types of visitors to the office, including:
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Customers or clients
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Vendors and suppliers
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Contractors and consultants
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Interns
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Freelancers and temporary employees
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Job applicants
Visitor management is simply the set of policies, practices, and tools you use to monitor everyone who uses your office space but isn’t an employee.
About Robin's Visitor Management
Robin's Visitor Management system empowers employees to easily book guests for office visits, gives admins the tools they need to track visitors, and ensures visitors have the information they need to confidently check-in.
Benefits
Walk-in guest registration
Upon arriving, visitors can quickly sign in without the help of front desk staff. Robin provides the option to set up an arrival display on an iPad or something similar that allows walk-in guests to sign in and scheduled guests to check-in.
Invite guests to visit
Schedule guests in advance, and Robin will automatically send an email invitation with customizable visit instructions.
Create custom visitor registration forms
Create unlimited custom visitor registration forms for pre-registered visitors, including any details required for guests (e.g., food preferences or allergies). Add relevant information from the custom fields to display on badges and view custom field information in the visit log. Learn more here.
Arrival notifications for the host
Robin automatically notifies the host when guests arrive, providing an efficient and pleasant experience for everyone.
Cover compliance requirements with document prompts
Robin makes it easy for visitors to review and acknowledge any legal documents (such as an NDA or waiver) that offices may require. Visitors can acknowledge documents digitally either on the arrival display (such as an iPad) or before they arrive via email. Learn more about adding compliance requirements here.
Visitor data records for security
View a comprehensive visit log to track and access information about who has been at your office and when. To learn more about what the guest experience looks like, check out this guide.
Badge printing
Badge printing enables offices to print badges seamlessly as part of visitor check-in workflows, keeping your employees and intellectual property safe. To learn more about badge printing check out this article here.
Roles + Permission
Admins can allocate different types of permissions to users and roles, ensuring precise control over the organization’s visitor management process. Find out more about Visitor Management roles and permissions in this article here.
How to get started
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Create a list of different types of visits that best fits your office. This helps hosts prepare for upcoming visitors and provides office admins with accurate records.
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Set up an arrival display at the front entrance for check-ins. Does your office allow drop-in visits? Enable the guest self-registration feature on the arrival display.
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Decide who can invite guests to the office- everyone or only specific users, such as office admins and managers?
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Does your office require visitors to agree to any legal documents before their visit? Learn how to upload and manage legal documents as part of the visitor check-in experience.
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Become familiar with the Visitor Log to keep track of who has been at your office and when. This is also where you can "Check guests out," or guests can check themselves out from the arrival display.
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Robin is made for teams. Once you've created your organization, add your team! Robin supports several ways to add your team. This guide focuses on how to add folks manually.
Before jumping in, there are a few things to think about first:
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[Enterprise customers]Do you need to configure user groups and permissions? Silently add folks to your Robin account and onboard later.
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How should users log in? User name and password (enabled by default) or single-sign-on, or both?
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Have you introduced Robin to your team yet? We have an email template that makes explaining easy.
Adding users
You must be an account owner or admin to add or invite folks to your Robin account. You can read more about member roles here.
- 1
- Log into the web dashboard and visit Manage > People.
- 2
- Click Add people.
- 3
- Add users individually or in bulk using the csv import option.
- 4
- If your team will be logging in via a username & password method only, then leave the Send invites via email toggle on. This automatically sends an email with a link to set up a Robin user account.
- If you prefer users to log in via single sign-on but need to configure user groups before your launch, toggle OFF the "Send invites via email" setting. This will add folks to Robin, but it will not send the automated email invitation.
Is there a way to send invitations later down the road if I disable the "Send invites via email" option?
Yes, you can either reupload the same CSV and then select the Send Invitations via email option this time or you can manually send an invite to individual people using the "Resend" link next to each person's name under the Manage > People tab.
The invite email
When you click Send Invitation, an email invite goes out to everyone on your list. Co-workers should keep an eye out for an invite email from <mailer@robinpowered.com> with a subject line like this:
Subject: You are invited to join {your team} on Robin
* Warning: we've seen the email invite get stuck in folk's spam/junk folder from time to time.
When they click on the link, Robin will walk them through account creation and automatically add them to your organization.
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Once you've created custom roles, add permissions. Permissions define the level of access a user has to specific features in Robin. Access and management permissions can be scoped to include certain locations or spaces within a location. Roles and their corresponding permissions are additive and can be applied to an individual user or to a group.
Watch our quick overview video to see how it works!
Heads up!
By default, the member role allows every member to book all spaces and desks, create office activities, and manage activities they've created. When using custom roles, we recommend removing these permissions from the default member role and specifying them per role.
How it works
Inclusions
If users shouldn’t have access to a feature, removing all locations from the “Include” list will remove the permission. For example, this role cannot reserve desks because all locations have been removed and no locations are specified.
Exclusions
Exclusions allow admins to remove specific entities from locations on the include list. For example, as an admin you want to allow users to have access to all desk spaces in Boston except for the 2nd floor, it would look like this:
Admins, navigate to Manage > Roles and select the role you'd like to edit. Then scroll down to view the Permissions settings.
Users with multiple roles
How it works-- the actions that a user is allowed to do is the sum of all the things their roles and groups allow them to do. If the user belongs to any groups with a role that allows for something (e.g. booking a room) then the user will be able to do it — even if another role doesn't grant this permission.
For example: if Role A has access to edit billing and Role B does not, but a user is tied to both roles, they will have access to edit billing.
Admin management
Billing
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can see the Billing page (Manage > Billing) and whether they can edit any of the information found there.
Note: If you give the role edit access, that means they can edit all fields in Billing. There are not granular permissions for each field. For example, you can’t grant access to edit the credit card number but not the subscription plan.
Access
The Access page is where you can create Office Passes and review the Daily Roster. Indicate whether users and groups with this role can view only or can edit & manage the Access page. The view-only permission is a read-only view of your organization's Office Passes and Daily Roster, with the exception of accessibility to the Daily Roster CSV export functionality. The edit permission allows users to manage, create, and modify your organization's Office Passes and grants all access to Daily Roster.
Note: Users with view and/or edit permissions for Access will see the "Manage" tab, but they will only have the option to manage features they've been granted access to on the "Manage" page.
People
Indicate whether users can view and/or edit all members of the organization. This permission is required in order to use the "Favorites" feature.
Note, the People permission is permanently granted to global admins and owners and cannot be edited.
Workweek
Indicate whether users can access the interactive Workweek page on the Schedule tab. When this permission is revoked, users can't access activities or see people's office plans. The Schedule tab is visible but defaults to the "My meetings" page.
Note, the Workweek permission is permanently granted to global admins and owners and cannot be edited.
Groups
Users with this permission can create, edit, and delete members on the Groups page, including private groups.
Amenities
Indicate whether users can edit room and/or desk amenity configurations for the office.
Hybrid Work Policy
Indicate whether users can create and edit hybrid work policies for the company.
Manage Offices & Maps
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can create, update, and delete buildings, spaces, desks, amenities, etc. Use “Include” and “Exclude” to call out specific office locations the user/group permissions apply to.
For example, Tom is an admin for the Boston office. Tom can add, edit, & remove spaces and seats, amenities, settings, etc in the Boston office, but NOT in the London office.
Note: Users with this custom permission but without the Admin role have limited access. They will not see the primary
Manage
tab at the top of the dashboard. Users with this custom permission will only be able to access space-level management.View health checkpoints
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can view the health checkpoint survey and for what office buildings.
Manage health checkpoints
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can create, update, export & delete health checkpoint surveys and for which office buildings.
Announcements
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can create, update, and archive announcements and specify and for which office buildings.
Office Activities
Activity creation
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can create activities and edit or cancel activities they've created and for which office buildings. By default, all user roles have this permission. Note, when the Activity Creation permission is changed, it will take ~5-10 minutes for the "Create Activity" button to be removed or added.
Activity management
Indicate whether users and groups with this role can edit or cancel activities created by anyone and for which office. Global admins and owners have this permission by default.
View devices
Indicate whether users & groups with this role can view the devices page and for which office buildings.
Manage devices
Indicate whether users & groups with this role can add new devices, edit devices & their settings, and delete devices and for which office buildings.
Scheduling management
Common Pitfalls
The default permission must be revoked for default roles (admin, members, owner), and then enabled for a custom role if only certain people should be allowed to perform an action.
Booking
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to schedule in. Use “Include” and “Exclude” to call out specific locations or spaces a role can book.
Bypass space booking policies
Select what buildings a role can bypass space booking policies and what buildings they may not ( e.g., meeting duration limitations). This setting would be most useful for office managers, executive assistants, or other folks who manage scheduling for other people.
Heads up!
The "Bypass space booking policies" permission does not include the ability to bypass room scheduling check-ins for meetings. Notice the "Skip check-in" permission is a separate permission.
Skip Check-In
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to skip checking into a meeting to confirm it's actually taking place. This permission is applicable to offices that enforce the abandoned meeting protection feature. People with this permission will not have room reservations automatically unbooked if they forget to check-in within the specified time. This setting is most useful for executives and other team members whose meetings should remain on the calendar.
How this works:
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By default, all unconfirmed meetings will be automatically unbooked when the Abandoned Meeting Protection setting is enabled
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All non-recurring meetings organized by members with this permission will be confirmed automatically, and will not be canceled.
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Note: The Skip Check-in functionality does not apply to recurring meetings.
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View Event Details
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to see the event title, organizer, and attendees for all events except those marked “private”. This permission excludes access to meeting notes.
How this works:
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When this permission is disabled for users then they're only able to view meeting details for events they're explicitly invited to. Meaning users can only see that the space is reserved for the meeting duration for events they're not invited to.
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Users with this permission enabled can see the event title, organizer & attendees for all events, including ones they're not invited to, except those marked “private”. This permission excludes meeting notes.
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By default, admins are able to view all details, including meeting notes, for all events.
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Members are only able to view meeting notes for events they’re explicitly invited to.
Manage Events
Indicate what areas in the office a role has permission to edit or delete events they wouldn't normally be able to. Like bypassing policies, this setting is handy for people who manage scheduling for others. People with permission may edit details or cancel events within the designated space(s) or location(s). Note that some event changes may require the user to have additional permissions within Google, Office 365, or Exchange.
How this works:
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Members without this permission are able to manage only the events they have created
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Members with this permission will be able to manage all events
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Admins are able to manage all events by default
Note: These booking permissions are only enforced when a user tries to reserve a space through Robin (web, mobile, plugin).
Approve or deny space requests
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to approve or deny meeting requests for "request only" spaces.
Desk management
Reserve
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to reserve hot or hotel desks. Use “Include” and “Exclude” to call out specific locations or areas within the office a role can reserve a desk in.
Assign
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to reserve an assigned desk. Use “Include” and “Exclude” to call out specific locations or spaces a role can reserve assigned seating.
(This permission is necessary for any custom "admin" roles that need the ability to manage seat assignments in particular offices. You must specify the building locations.)
Bypass desk booking policies
Indicate what areas of the office a role has permission to bypass existing booking policies. Use “Include” and “Exclude” to call out specific locations or spaces.
Delegation
Select the check box to allow users to assign & reserve desks for others.
(This permission is necessary for any custom "admin" roles that need the ability to manage seat assignments in particular offices.)
Feature management
Note: The permission must be revoked for default roles (admin, members, owner), and then enabled for a custom role if only certain people should be able to see this information: Read event details, Peoples, and Analytics tabs.People
Select the checkbox to allow members to view all members of your organization from the People tab in the top ribbon of the web dashboard. This permission is required to use the "Tag your favorites/people finding" feature on the mobile app.
Analytics
By default, only admins and owners can view the analytics page. Deselect the checkbox to hide the page from particular admins or select the checkbox to grant access to particular members or roles. Note: The default member role does not have permission to view the analytics page.
Guests
By default, all global admins/owners have access to the Visit tab. Deselect the checkbox to hide the Visitors page from particular admins or select the checkbox to grant access to specific custom roles. This gives access to view the entire visit log for any building and register guests for any building.
Meeting services
Select the check box to allow users to add meeting services to events. By default, all users have permission to add workplace services to events. If unchecked or disabled, the workplace service field will no longer populate in the event composer.
The Reset role
If you've manipulated the permissions for the global roles (member, admin & owner) and need to restore their "out of the box" basic permissions, use the Reset role option. This will only reset the default global roles, not custom roles.
Roles & permission examples
You’ll find a few common scenarios below. Remember that by default the Member role grants permission to book everything.
“Everyone can book everything in our organization”
Change nothing. The Member role allows this by default.
“Alice shouldn't be able to book anything except for on the 6th floor of Building A.”
- Modify the default Member role, removing the ability to book all spaces.
- Create a new role that's allowed to book anything on the 6th floor.
- Assign the role to a group, and add Alice to the group.
“People in the Marketing group can book anything on the 6th floor except for two rooms, Council Chamber and the Knight Conference.”
- Modify the default Member role, removing the ability to book all spaces.
- Create a role that's allowed to book anything on the 6th floor.
- For that same role, add two exclusions for the Council chamber & the Knight Conference room.
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Supported Plans - All plans
Users can select the language of their choice from our supported languages when using the mobile app or the web dashboard.
Admins can also select a language for each building they manage for their office displays (welcome displays, iOS room displays (Android support coming soon), status boards, & kiosks).
Supported languages
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English
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French
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Canadian French
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German
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Spanish
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Japanese
How to set your language preference
You can set your preferred language under your user settings in the web dashboard and/or mobile app. Settings sync across applications.
Web dashboard
1. Open your user profile (avatar) in the top right corner > select User settings.
2. Scroll to the Localization section.
3. Select the language of your choice from the dropdown menu.
4. Select Save & reload.
Mobile app
1. From the Pass tab, tap the settings icon in the top right corner.
2. Tap Language.
3. Tap the language of your choice from the menu.
4. Tap Save.
How to set the language preference for your office
Global & local admins can set the language of choice for their office displays (e.g., welcome displays, kiosks, & status boards) under the building details.
1. Navigate to Manage > select an office building.
2. In the building details section at the top > select the Edit details button.
3. Scroll to the Language section under Localization.
4. Select the language of your choice from the dropdown menu.
5. Select Save changes.
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Robin's Advanced Analytics is an add-on feature with pre-built dashboards you can view and modify in addition to the basic analytics. Follow the links to learn more about each advanced dashboard:
- Executive Insights
- Desk check-ins
- Desk Bookings
- Space Bookings
- Space check-ins
- Space Cancellations
- Department usage
- People Roster
- Workplace Presence
To learn more about building custom dashboards from these pre-built dashboards, head this way.
More Resources
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Robin tip!
Set your in-office schedule in Robin or sync it through our Google Calendar integration. -
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