Overview

In the modern corporate landscape, space is more than just square footage—it is a finite resource that dictates productivity. For one of our large corporate clients, the walls were closing in. Despite having dozens of conference rooms, employees were stuck in a constant “space race,” unable to find a single place to collaborate.

Here is how we utilized ecobook, a robust meeting room booking system, paired with advanced occupancy sensors to solve their space crisis.

 

The Challenge

The organization faced a classic supply-and-demand paradox. On paper, every room was booked solid; in reality, hallways were filled with empty, silent meeting rooms. This friction was caused by three primary issues:

• No-Shows: Rooms were reserved in the calendar, and some were even “checked-in”, but the organizers never showed up.
• Early Departures: Meetings often ended early, yet the room remained “occupied” in the system until the original booking time expired.
• Manual Friction: Expecting busy employees to manually check in or out of a room proved to be an unrealistic expectation, leading to a breakdown in “office civility.”

The Facilities Management team bore the brunt of this frustration, facing a constant stream of complaints regarding the perceived lack of space.

Having previously implemented ecobook to manage the meeting rooms through business rules and access policies, utilization did improve significantly. However, given human nature, it was hard to enforce habits such as ending the meeting early or checking out of their bookings when the meeting was done.

 

The Solution

To bridge the gap between the digital calendar and physical reality, the facilities team reached out to us to have a more proactive method of managing the meeting rooms and improving its utilization. This was where occupancy sensors came into the picture. Occupancy sensors provide real-time data on usage. This was a game-changer in terms of how the meeting spaces were managed without any active user participation. ecobook meeting room booking system was augmented with IoT-driven occupancy sensors.

The strategy was built on two automated pillars:

1. Auto Check-In: The sensors were programmed to detect human presence the moment a group entered the room. This automatically checked the user into the meeting, validating the booking without a single touchpoint.
2. Auto Release: If the sensors detected a lack of activity for a predetermined period, the meeting was ended early by the system. The “dead time” was immediately reclaimed and pushed back into the pool of available inventory.

“By removing the human element from the check-in process, we eliminated the ‘forgetfulness factor’ that usually leads to wasted space.”

The particular sensor chosen was from STIENEL – A highly accurate sensor from Germany, using ultrasound to detect presence. With its high-precision and reliable data feed to ecobook, we were able to implement the two primary objectives mandated by the facilities team. But the benefits went beyond that.

 

The Results

The impact of the integration was immediate and measurable. By shifting from a manual system to a sensor-based ecosystem, the corporation saw a transformation in its workplace dynamics:

• 30% Increase in Utilization: Rooms were used productively more often, as “ghost meetings” were purged from the schedule in real-time and clawbacks from ending meetings early allowed staff to book more meetings and re-use those otherwise “blocked” time slots.
• Operational Relief: Pressure was relieved from the facilities team. Because the software handled the enforcement of booking etiquette, complaints about “poor civic sense” plummeted.
• Smoother Operation: By relieving the staff from having to participate in checking in and out of their bookings, employees were happier with the “smart” check-in feature, as it did not require them to remember to check in or check out. The facilities team did not need to send gentle reminders to end the meeting at the annoyance of everyone.
• Real-Time Visibility: Facilities managers were provided with a live dashboard showing the exact occupancy status of every room, allowing for better long-term real estate planning.
• Energy Efficiency: An added side-bonus of implementing the sensors was their ability to control the lighting and air-conditioning of the meeting rooms. This added benefit results in a more efficient management of electricity in the office. The facilities team was delighted with the ability to report energy consumption improvements to management.

In Summary

When demand exceeds supply, the answer isn’t always to build more rooms—it’s to manage existing ones more intelligently. By combining the ecobook meeting room booking system with occupancy sensors, this corporation turned slices of wasted minutes into hours of reclaimed productivity and increased utilization.

This shift reflects a massive global trend. The market for occupancy sensors is projected to more than double, growing from USD 3.85 billion in 2025 to USD 9.03 billion by 2034 (Source).

As organizations race to meet ambitious sustainability goals and energy demands, these smart office initiatives are becoming the standard rather than the exception.

The good news for facilities managers is that modern technology has lowered the barrier to entry. Today’s organizations can leverage a variety of affordable, cloud-based sensors that require minimal installation or infrastructure overhaul. By adopting these tools now, businesses can solve today’s space frustrations while building the foundation for a more sustainable, data-driven workplace of the future.

ecobook has out-of-the-box integrations with several world-leading occupancy sensors. Pre-developed, tested and ready to be rolled out at scale from small offices to large scale corporations. Get in touch with us for more information.