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Legacy Desk Booking Algorithm

Some offices operate using Calven's legacy desk booking algorithm. Keep reading to learn more:

What is Calven's legacy booking algorithm?

The manual favorite desks algorithm, or previously referred to as the "frequent flyer algorithm" was the original booking algorithm used for offices created in Calven up until 2022, when our current algorithm took it's place.

The legacy booking algorithm uses 2 main factors to auto-book desks:

  • Manually favoriting desks: users can manually choose favorite desks via the floor plan
  • Planned attendance: users with more office days planned during a given week will be more likely to be booked at their favorite desks. Calven will also try to book users consistently at the same desk over the course of the week

Neither of these factors have an influence on Calven's current booking algorithm.

 

What are the differences between this and the current booking algorithm?

  1. Auto-booking horizon & cadence. On the legacy algorithm, auto-bookings are created in 1-week batches instead of daily. When choosing the horizon for an office using the legacy algorithm, the options are: 

    • 1 week: Calven will create 1 week worth of auto-bookings every Sunday

    • 2 weeks: Calven will create 2 weeks worth of auto-bookings every second Sunday

    • 3 weeks: Calven will create 3 weeks worth of auto-bookings every third Sunday

  2. Favorite desks are handled differently between the two algorithms:
    • The legacy booking algorithm allows users to manually choose any desks as favorites, even if their team has not been allocated to the neighborhood containing that desk - potentially resulting in users never being booked at desks they've favorited
    • The current booking algorithm offers a choice between team togetherness (booking users closest to related group members) or booking individuals at implied favorite desks - desks they've frequently booked for themselves (within their group's allocated neighborhoods)
  3. Space planning and group block configuration is not available on the legacy booking algorithm. Learn more about space planning
  4. Waitlist is not available on the legacy booking algorithm, and users who did not receive a desk after initial auto-bookings are made will not be re-booked by Calven if more desks become available. Learn more about the desk booking waitlist
  5. Booking priority settings are not available on the legacy booking algorithm. 

 

How do I know which booking algorithm my office is using?

The quickest way to tell which algorithm your office is using is by navigating to the booking settings for the office. If your office's booking settings has a booking priority settings section, it's using the current desk booking algorithm.

Key considerations

Drawbacks - legacy algorithm:

  • No access to advanced space planning - group blocks and stack plan will not work properly
  • No automated desk waitlist
  • Desks booked in 1 week batches means less flexibility for workspace utilization resulting in a space that isn't optimized. 
  • Less flexibility in configuration. 

Benefits - legacy algorithm:

  • Change the booking level for each neighborhood from individual desk to neighborhood, allowing users to book space in the neighborhood without designating which desk specifically (not available in the current algorithm)

 

How to change an office's booking algorithm

For questions about the legacy booking algorithm, how to switch to the current algorithm, or what's best for your office, reach out to support@calven.com