How to book rooms & desks using the Outlook add-in

Updated

Compatible Apps

  • Outlook 2013 or later
  • Outlook 2016 for Mac
  • Outlook on the Web

 

How to access the add-in

Once an administrator has installed the Robin add-in for your organization, it will appear in your Outlook desktop and/or web app toolbar.

  1. Open your Outlook calendar > click New Event. 

  2. This opens the Outlook event composer. Expand the event composer to full screen if it isn’t already. 

  3. In the event composer toolbar click the overflow menu > Robin Room & Desk Scheduling app from your list of available add-ins.

  4. Sign in to your work email account if you haven't already and accept the privacy terms.

    • If you use Single Sign-On, make sure to enable pop-ups in your browser.

2023-09-21_14-04-54.png

5. Click Get Started. 

2023-09-21_11-59-08.png

How to book a room for your meeting

The add-in will suggest the best-suited spaces based on your preferred office and the number of people attending the meeting. The space selections are determined based on permissions, preferred office location, availability, and fit. 

1. Open your Outlook calendar > New event or New appointment, depending on your Outlook version. 

2. Click the date you need a room using the calendar module and fill out the event details. 

3. Robin will suggest rooms based on your meeting criteria, your recent and frequent bookings, and your location. Click "more" to see a room's full list of amenities and an expanded picture of the space's layout. 

4. Click Add to Event to complete your room booking.

2023-09-25_13-48-43.png

  • If your Robin office supports adding meeting services, click Add a service request and complete your booking in the Robin web dashboard.

  • If your Robin office requires booking approval for special rooms then you'll see "Request room".  Click Request Room to submit your booking request via the web dashboard. 

  • You can add a second room to your event with the  “Add another space” option. 

2023-09-25_13-49-24.png

5. After you've added a room to your event and completed the meeting details, click Send in the event composer. 

Making edits

  • You have the option to Change or Remove a room from your event directly from the add-in. 
  • Clicking Edit brings you to the web dashboard for more edit options. 

How to book a desk  

Here are a few things to know before getting started: 

  • You must have a preferred office location set in order to see the desk booking option. Click theSettings icon at the bottom of the add-in > select your preferred office location from the drop-down menu.

  • You must be within your organization's desk booking window policy in order to see the option to book a desk. 

  • You've previously booked a desk in your preferred office location from either the web dashboard or the mobile app. 

1. From your Outlook calendar, click New Event. This opens the Robin add-in. 

2. If you just booked a meeting, Robin will suggest a desk for that same day. Or you can select a different date using the calendar module.

3. Click Book a desk at the top of the add-in.  If you happen to have a desk reservation already for that day, you'll see a "view my desk." 

2023-09-28_12-06-17.png

4. You have two options:

    A: Book: Select this option to confirm and reserve the suggested desk. 

    B: Find Another: This will open your office map in the Robin web dashboard for more desk booking options. 

2023-09-28_11-58-12 (2).gif

For more advanced booking options, like hourly bookings or bookings spanning multiple days, you'll need to use the Robin web dashboard. The add-in is optimized for simple and quick desk bookings. 

Making edits

1. Click Cancel to immediately cancel the reservation directly from the add-in.

2. Click Edit to be redirected to the Robin dashboard to make changes to your booking.

2023-09-28_12-00-57.png

FAQ & tips about add-in room bookings

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. Meetings 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.

  4. When you book events in your Outlook calendar you're booking through your own Outlook user account.

  5. When you book through the Robin dashboard or mobile app the reservations are made by the booking user on your behalf, unless your office has configured the personal booking settings. 

 

Did this article help?