Check-in and auto-cancellation settings

Check-in confirms that a booked desk, parking spot or meeting room is actually being used. If nobody checks in, deskbird can cancel the booking automatically, so the space becomes available to others and your occupancy data stays accurate. This article explains the check-in methods, how the grace period and the earliest auto-cancellation time work together, and what users are notified about. All settings apply per office.

1. How check-in and auto-cancellation fit together
2. Choose a check-in method
3. Set the grace period and earliest auto-cancellation time
4. Auto-cancellation for meeting rooms
5. Check-in reminders and release notifications
6. Automatic check-in using geolocation
7. FAQs

1. How check-in and auto-cancellation fit together

Desks and parking spots share one set of check-in settings. Meeting rooms have their own. Both are configured per office: select the office in the dropdown next to the page title.

💡 Good to know: Bookings are only canceled automatically when a check-in method is active. With No check-in, unused bookings stay in place.

2. Choose a check-in method

Go to Admin > Desks, parking & others: Booking settings (desks and parking spots) or Admin > Meeting rooms: General settings (meeting rooms), select the office and choose one of the three options in the Check-in section. Then click Save.

No check-in

Users don't need to confirm their presence. Bookings stay valid without any further action and are never canceled automatically. Users can still scan QR codes to book a space quickly.

• Automatic check-in via geolocation does not work with this option.

Check-in with click and/or QR Codes

Users check in by clicking Check in in the deskbird web app, the mobile app or the Microsoft Teams app, or by scanning the QR code at the space with the deskbird mobile app.

• The web app, mobile app and Microsoft Teams work as one option. You can't turn off one of them while keeping the others.
• If a user scans a QR code, they are taken to the check-in page to confirm the booking.

Check-in with QR Codes only

Users can only check in by scanning the QR code assigned to the booked space in the deskbird mobile app. This confirms that they are physically present.

• Users open their booking in the deskbird mobile app and tap Check in. The QR code scanner opens and they scan the code at the desk, parking spot or meeting room.
• Users need the deskbird mobile app.
• Admins can't check in colleagues with this option. See Check-In: Checking in for colleagues.

⚠️ Important: Before you choose a QR code option, generate and place the QR codes. See QR codes.

3. Set the grace period and earliest auto-cancellation time

For desks and parking spots, two settings in Admin > Desks, parking & others: Booking settings decide when an unconfirmed booking is canceled:

• Grace period: If not checked in, cancel the booking automatically: how many minutes after the booking starts users have to check in.
• Earliest auto-cancellation time: the earliest time of day a booking can be canceled. It protects early-morning bookings, for example when someone books from 07:00 but arrives at 08:45.

A booking without check-in is canceled at whichever of these two times is later:

1. Booking start time plus grace period
2. Earliest auto-cancellation time

The same rule applies to every booking, in the morning and in the afternoon.

Auto-cancellation scenarios for desks and parking

Summary:

• If the booking start time plus the grace period is after the earliest auto-cancellation time, the booking is canceled at the end of the grace period.
• If the booking start time plus the grace period is before the earliest auto-cancellation time, the booking is canceled at the earliest auto-cancellation time.
• A booking is never canceled before the earliest auto-cancellation time.

💡 Tip: Use the calculator below to check when a booking will be canceled with your settings.

4. Auto-cancellation for meeting rooms

For meeting rooms, go to Admin > Meeting rooms: General settings and choose a check-in method. Then set Automatically cancel bookings if user do not check in up to a number of minutes past the scheduled meeting time.

Meeting rooms don't use a grace period or an earliest auto-cancellation time. The booking is canceled at the meeting start time plus the minutes you set.

💡 Example: The setting is 10 minutes and a meeting starts at 10:00. If nobody checks in, the booking is canceled at 10:10.

5. Check-in reminders and release notifications

• Check-in reminders for desks and parking spots: sent at booking start. For bookings that start before the earliest auto-cancellation time, the reminder is sent later, at the earliest auto-cancellation time minus the grace period.
• Check-in reminders for meeting rooms: sent to the meeting organizer 2 hours before the booking starts, or immediately if the booking is made less than 2 hours before. No reminder is sent if the office uses Check-in with QR Codes only, if the booking is already checked in or if it is still waiting for approval.
• Release notifications: When a booking is canceled because nobody checked in, the user receives a push and in-app notification and a cancellation email.

Users choose the channels (email, push, Microsoft Teams) themselves in Profile > Notifications. Admins can't change the reminder time. For details and a reminder calculator, see Notifications: Check-in reminder timing.

For the user view, see Check in to your desk or parking booking.

6. Automatic check-in using geolocation

With automatic check-in, users are checked in to their desk and parking bookings when they arrive at the office, using the deskbird mobile app. Turn it on per office with the Auto check-in via geolocation with the deskbird mobile app toggle in Admin > Desks, parking & others: Booking settings. It requires one of the two check-in methods and is available on Desks Professional and above.

For requirements, user setup and troubleshooting, see Automatic Check-In for Desk and Parking Bookings.

7. FAQs