Use this checklist to set up your workplace in Robin for the first time.
Use the "Getting started" dashboard
When you create your Robin organization account, you see the Getting started dashboard first. It shows the essential tasks to get your organization running in one place. Each task is a card:
- Edit organization
- Invite admins
- Connect to Google/Microsoft
- Upload logo
- Add users
- Add building
- Upload floor map. This card unlocks after you add floors to a building.
- Add resources. This card unlocks after you upload a floor map.
Use the dashboard like this:
- When you finish a task, select the Done box on its card. The progress bar updates.
- Your organization shares the progress, so all admins see the same Done states. Your team can split the checklist between them.
- Until every task is done, Getting started shows at the bottom of the main navigation sidebar with a count of finished tasks. After that, find it under Manage > Getting started.
Robin marks Edit organization done when you create your organization, and Add building done when you add a building from the dashboard. Other cards do not mark themselves done after you finish a task (such as uploading a logo). Select the Done box yourself to show your progress.
Build and customize your office building
If you have multiple office locations to set up and manage, appoint dedicated Office Admins in Robin. They take on the tasks for their office location.
- During onboarding, Robin prompts you to add your building. You can add more building details later (for example, working hours, timezone and address).
- During onboarding, Robin prompts you to add floors to your building and to submit floor plans to be converted to Robin maps for each floor.
- Set up scheduling policies and desk policies to keep the office running well and see how people use it.
- Turn on the abandoned meeting and desk protection policies. They cancel desk and meeting space reservations when no one checks in by a set time. This frees office resources for others and gives office managers a better view of office utilization.
- Give priority desk booking access to specific users to allocate desks well and get the most from your office space.
- Customize your organization with branding.
- Add your own amenity options under Manage > Amenities, so users can find which rooms or desks have the tools they need.
- [Requires Advanced Authentication & User Management] To restrict who can sit where, or to give managers special roles to assign and reserve seats for others, set up groups and permissions.
Visitors, deliveries and workplace experience
Set up these features to support visitors and employees:
- Use the Visitor management feature under the Visits tab in the web dashboard to manage office visitors. You can pre-register guests, notify the host when a guest arrives and monitor visitors in the visitor log.
- Set up a badge printer to give your guests a name tag.
- Add guest documentation agreements (NDAs) at check-in.
- Track incoming office deliveries and notify the recipient with the Delivery management system.
- Share office updates, policies and events with employees in real time with the Workplace Announcement feature.
- Bring people together and build a sense of community with office activities.
- Learn what brings employees into the office, or how employees like a new facility, with the Workplace Experience survey. See the Experience Survey report.
Create interactive office maps
From a floor map, add these items for an interactive office experience: spaces, desks, parking, lockers, soft furnishings, neighborhoods and points of interest.
To assign seats to employees who need a permanent desk, use the desk assignment planning tools: Large-scale planning and Quick seat assignments.
Connect your calendar system
Robin supports Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Exchange calendars. Each calendar system has a detailed checklist:
Add your room calendars
Pair each space in Robin with a unique calendar resource. Then users can reserve the room and see its availability on the office map. Add room calendars with the Layout tool, or follow the guide for your calendar system:
Set up user authentication and provisioning
Robin supports several methods of user authentication. Password logins are on by default. You can use these methods:
- Invite all users at once with a CSV file. When you upload it, Robin sends each user an invitation to join your Robin account.
- Turn on SSO through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
- [Advanced Authentication & User Management required] SCIM provisioning: provision users through Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) or OneLogin to invite and remove users from Robin "silently".
Choose how your users interact with Robin
Pick the tools your users need for booking, check-in and notifications.
Room and desk booking
Users can book rooms and desks with these tools:
- The Robin mobile app
- The Robin web dashboard
- Status boards and interactive kiosks
- The Outlook add-in, which you deploy so employees can find the best-fit resources for their office day from their own Outlook calendar
Desks only
These tools help employees find, book and check in to desks:
- Scannable QR code or NFC tag: with local desk check-in stickers, employees find a desk, book a desk and check in to a desk at the office. You can buy QR code and NFC stickers in the web dashboard (Manage > Stickers).
- Automated desk check-ins: Robin checks employees in to their desk reservation when they arrive at the office, through a WIFI connection or a badge swipe.
- If your office uses Local check-ins only, set up QR codes or NFC tags, automated check-ins, or both.
Room booking only
With the Robin room display app, people book a space on the spot for unplanned meetings.
Notifications and office search
With the Slack and Teams integrations, users search for open workspaces, get reminders to check in for their desk and room bookings, and see who plans to be in the office this week.
Launch Robin
Use the email template to introduce Robin to your office.
Where to find help
Email the Robin support team at support@robinpowered.com, or select the support button in the lower left corner of the web dashboard. Someone from the team replies as soon as possible.