Cloud Booking Systems - recommendations

[timbo343]

We are looking to move from our OnPrem booking system and Facilities booking system which are hosted internally as we have out grown them.

 

We will be looking at Room Booking by School Cloud as we use their platform for Parents Evening too.

 

We'd want it to sync with our MIS Bromcom and have granular permissions for staff.

 

Can anyone recommend any other Room Booking Systems please.

[noelmm]

As you already have Bromcom have you looked at their room booking in the Diary module, we don't use it so I cannot say how good it is but it might be an option.

[timbo343]

As you already have Bromcom have you looked at their room booking in the Diary module, we don't use it so I cannot say how good it is but it might be an option.

 

Thanks, it's not great! We looked at it but like with everything with Bromcom, they give you the basics to "do the job" but really schools require so much more than what is being offered.

[nwkeene]

We moved to Room Booking by School Cloud from our old MRBS system. It doesn't have Bromcom intergration (yet), but seems to have every other MIS system.

We use Bromcom and to get data into the room booking system, i do an export from Bromcom of IT rooms, and then use macro's in a spreadsheet to 'mangle' the data into a form that can be imported into the room booking system. For staff that need to 'manage' items, i use groups in room booking and assign permissions to the groups and put the relevant (office) staff in there. We use SAML/ ADFS SSO for staff to get onto the system. Our staff seem to love it. From announcing it to staff the first booking arrived in under 5 minutes!

[timbo343]

We moved to Room Booking by School Cloud from our old MRBS system. It doesn't have Bromcom intergration (yet), but seems to have every other MIS system.

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We use Bromcom and to get data into the room booking system, i do an export from Bromcom of IT rooms, and then use macro's in a spreadsheet to 'mangle' the data into a form that can be imported into the room booking system. For staff that need to 'manage' items, i use groups in room booking and assign permissions to the groups and put the relevant (office) staff in there. We use SAML/ ADFS SSO for staff to get onto the system. Our staff seem to love it. From announcing it to staff the first booking arrived in under 5 minutes!

 

Hmmm, did they give a date on when integration with Bromcom would be a thing?

 

It seems and sounds like it's a right faff exporting the data from Bromcom into TES Room Booking System.

 

We too run MRBS and Classroom Bookings but as i say, we have out grown them and want something that integrates with the MIS.

 

I have seen there is a competitor to TES Room Booking System - http://www.schoolbooking.com which does integrate with Bromcom so booked a demo of that.

 

It's a shame that TES Room Booking System doesn't integrate with Bromcom as we use their Parents Evening System which works very well.

[nwkeene]

I think they said it was in the pipeline... my boss did the enquiry... We too use the Parents evening system, which is why we went with them in the first place.

The mangling isn't too bad once you worked out the 'extras' that bromcom have exported. Its more remembering how i wrote the macros in order to edit them from last year.

[HPlum78]

If you are an MS cloudy school would you not consider MS Bookings? You can write the Integration you want...

[timbo343]

If you are an MS cloudy school would you not consider MS Bookings? You can write the Integration you want...

We're mainly a google school with an azure tennant.

[Danp]

I've happy with roombookingsystem.co.uk it's not cheap, but it works, no hassle. Links to our Google accounts so staff don't need to muck around with another login.

[timbo343]

I've happy with roombookingsystem.co.uk it's not cheap, but it works, no hassle. Links to our Google accounts so staff don't need to muck around with another login.

 

I had a demo of www.schoolbooking.com on Friday and it ticks all the boxes and more that we need, certainly a massive improvement on what we have at the moment, even if it's just for lettings.

 

Shame TES School Cloud Systems (aka roombookingsystem.co.uk) doesn't automatically integrate with Bromcom though as their parents evening system has done so for all the time we've had bromcom.

Edited March 12, 2023 by timbo343

[supportman]

Just asked TES again if they are going to support Bromcom as we are also waiting, but got the standard no ETA and they will forward to their development team.

 

I wonder if the takeover by TES has reduced their development speed... They always used to be so good.

[timbo343]

Just asked TES again if they are going to support Bromcom as we are also waiting, but got the standard no ETA and they will forward to their development team.

 

I wonder if the takeover by TES has reduced their development speed... They always used to be so good.

 

Thanks, I'm thinking schoolbooking.com might be the way forward with this one.

[ITGuyNW]

Do both school booking and the TES solution do two week timetables?

[nwkeene]

Do both school booking and the TES solution do two week timetables?

 

we use the TES School Cloud Systems (aka roombookingsystem.co.uk) and it does 2 week timetables. Our system was set to bi-weekly by them... there is a note on our system to say that if you want to change the timetable type, you need to get in touch with them, so its not a setting that my admin user can tweak, TES / School Cloud need to change it for you.

[timbo343]

Do both school booking and the TES solution do two week timetables?

 

From what i understand SchoolBooking does 2 week timetables and works across MATs too. We are looking at having a demo from them and how it can bring together 11 schools.

[slugshead]

I set this up a few weeks back - works a treat

 

https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/office-365-room-booking-system-using-power-apps/

[RobFuller]

I set this up a few weeks back - works a treat

 

https://www.slashadmin.co.uk/office-365-room-booking-system-using-power-apps/

 

Looking at doing the same, out of interest did you make any o gui changes to the power app template?

Wondering about changing the date picker so it's just an option to select which time period 1-6 for example as this will be simpler and quicker for staff.

[slugshead]

Looking at doing the same, out of interest did you make any o gui changes to the power app template?

Wondering about changing the date picker so it's just an option to select which time period 1-6 for example as this will be simpler and quicker for staff.

 

 

I did customise it to fit our branding etc, I also removed the button to book a room for an existing meeting.

 

Only complaints I've had are that you can only book one day at a time. We're using it for minibus booking so naturally the French teacher who wanted the bus for a week wasn't happy about having to put 7 bookings in, but that's not a problem imo.

[Sonic007]

We use Skedda.

 

We only have 5 things bookable so it is free.

[DrCheese]

3 years later and schoolcloud still doesn't support Bromcom, bit of a headache!

[supportman]

19 hours ago, DrCheese said:

3 years later and schoolcloud still doesn't support Bromcom, bit of a headache!

 

Really annoying, but to be fair... Bromcoms room booking is much better now it supports periods and notifications.

Edited March 5 by supportman

[DrCheese]

Ah, we gave notice on schoolcloud and went to school booking, which syncs to bromcom via group call. Needed a bit more than what bromcom had built in. 

 

https://www.schoolbooking.com/