Effective office management can only be achieved with a well-oiled technology system. If you’re considering office management software for your hybrid workplace, the good news is that there are so many great options to choose from.

However, some leading players, tailoring for big enterprises, often come with hefty price tags. Then there are those catering to specific functionalities with advanced features but might not be the best fit for the practical demands of managing a hybrid office.

I recently came across Archie, a newcomer in the modern office management space. What caught my attention is its simplicity in user experience and a sweet balance between cost and functionality. 

That’s why I decided to take a closer look and carefully review Archie's solutions so you can consider whether it’s the right fit for your office.

In this review, I’ll walk you through what Archie offers, its pros and cons, how much it costs, and how it stacks up against other alternatives.

Archie Product Overview

Archie is a Canadian-based software founded in 2016, initially making its mark in the coworking space management scene. 

Recognizing the growing demand for more versatile office management tools, Archie has since expanded its focus to include modern office management. 

Today, the platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help hybrid teams schedule rooms, book desks, and manage visitors—covering all the essential aspects of running a dynamic, hybrid workspace.

At its core, Archie aims to simplify essential processes in modern offices while allowing workplace managers to continuously monitor and optimize physical resources.

If you’re managing a small or medium-sized office with up to a couple of hundred employees, Archie stands out as one of the best-priced options on the market. 

It offers a competitive pricing plan that includes all necessary features for each module without the need for upgrades or add-ons. 

Users appreciate Archie’s intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface, which works well even if you’re not particularly tech-savvy. Plus, the responsive and helpful customer support from Archie’s team is a major bonus that many users value.

Archie is also flexible, delivering tailored solutions based on the unique needs of individual clients and actively listening to user feedback to continually enhance the product.

Archie Limitations:

• Less recognized brand name: For larger enterprises, Archie’s lesser-known status might be a consideration. While it’s gaining traction, it’s not yet as widely recognized as some of its competitors.
• Archie offers user manuals, but the platform currently lacks some of the more engaging training tools, including tutorials and interactive demos, that can make onboarding even smoother for users. The good news is that the team has this on their roadmap and will soon roll out a richer resource library.
• A more limited library of third-party integrations compared to other leading solutions. Archie has focused on high-quality integrations developed by their team, which, on the one hand, ensures the integrations work flawlessly, but on the other hand, it results in fewer integrations being available.

Modern Office Management Features of Archie

Archie has honed in on three core areas to meet the demands of modern office management: room scheduling, desk booking, and visitor management. Each feature is built to streamline daily operations and improve the overall efficiency of hybrid workplaces. 

Let's take a closer look at each of them:

Archie Room Scheduling Platform

Archie’s room scheduling platform is robust and user-friendly, designed to bring convenience to end-users (your employees) while also preventing resource wastage. 

It’s clear that Archie has put a lot of thought into making this feature as intuitive and efficient as possible, ensuring that booking a meeting room is a hassle-free experience for everyone involved.

Through the platform, you can see which rooms are available, check the room’s equipment and capacities, and book them in real-time. 

Archie also allows calendar sync with Google and Office 365 to ensure room reservations are automatically updated across systems, avoiding double bookings and automatically freeing up room reservations if no one checks in during a set timeframe.

Here’s the list of Archie’s standout room scheduling capabilities:

• Filtered search to quickly locate an ideal meeting space based on type, capacity, amenities, and availability.
• Your team can book rooms directly from customizable interactive maps of your office.
• No matter where your team is (on the go, at their desk, or using a tablet), Archie's room scheduling software is compatible across platforms.
• Reserving rooms for regular meetings with daily, weekly, and monthly options.
• Native integration to Google Calendar and Outlook calendars to ensure all bookings are synchronized.
• Possibility to book a room from Microsoft Teams or get booking confirmations in Slack.
• Allow your team to check in to their meeting rooms and automatically cancel ghost reservations so spaces aren’t left unused due to no-shows.
• Making bookings on behalf of other team members, marking bookings as private, or setting custom restrictions.
• Detailed insights into room usage to identify underused areas and optimize space utilization
• Included white-labeled app to display room schedules, adjust current bookings, or book the room instantly.

Archie Desk Booking Tools

I can see how Archie’s hot-desking features embrace the dynamic nature of hybrid work! 

Depending on your hybrid work schedule, your team might be in the office most weekdays, only occasionally, or just when needed. And Archie makes it easy to find and book the right workspace for those in-person collaboration times.

One of the things I find particularly useful is that Archie supports various types of desk management. You can allocate fixed spaces for particular teams, such as developers with their multi-monitor setups or finance teams with their secure cabinets.

For the remaining hot desks, your team can book a desk right when they decide to come into the office or plan their office days in advance with their favorite spots. The employee lookup (see which days your teammates are coming to the office) and floor plan way-finding (locate where your team and work buddies are) features further facilitate better coordination of when and where to work together in the office.

Key hot-desking features of Archie include:

• Interactive Floor Plans: Quickly locate available desks and book them directly from a visual office map, making the process intuitive and user-friendly.
• Employee Lookup: Find out not just where your colleagues are sitting but also when they’ll be in the office, allowing for better coordination and in-person collaboration.
• Check-In & Ghost Booking Protection: Implement QR code scanning or virtual check-ins to confirm the presence and automatically free up desks if no one checks in, ensuring efficient use of space.
• Customizable Zones & Neighborhoods: Define specific areas in the office for different teams or purposes, with controlled access to enhance productivity and reduce workplace friction.
• Recurring Desk Bookings: For those who need consistent desk space, Archie’s recurring booking feature lets them automate daily, weekly, or monthly reservations, streamlining their in-office routine.
• Booking Policy: Set up custom rules and permissions for who can book which desks and when.
• Mobile App Access: Allow team members to book desks from anywhere, anytime with their mobile devices.
• Real-Time Desk Usage Analytics: Gain insights into desk usage trends, identify over or underutilized spaces, and optimize your office layout to improve efficiency.
• Smart Integrations: Seamlessly integrate with tools like Google and Office 365 calendars, SSO authentication, and more to enhance the overall desk booking experience.

💡 Space utilization is a vital metric for a successful hybrid office in 2024. Check out all Expert-Recommended Hybrid Office Metrics here.

Archie Visitor Management System

Archie offers a strong feature set for managing visitors to the office and promoting an efficient, secure, and smooth experience for both your guests and employees.

You can tailor the visitor management process to suit your organization’s requirements and needs, which might involve collecting additional details, screening visitors, requiring them to sign an NDA, and controlling door access to registered areas.

Customization is key to ensuring that you process visitors promptly, adhering to the required protocols while avoiding lengthy, unnecessary steps for other guests. Being able to set up workflows in advance and automate the check-in process means reduced workload and less overwhelm for your front desk.

Hosts will automatically receive instant notifications when a visitor checks in, meaning there is less chance that people will be left waiting in the lobby.

Its real-time visitor log is helpful to maintain an up-to-date record of everyone who has entered your facility, which is crucial for both security and compliance.

Key features of Archie visitor management system are:

• QR Code Check-In: Self-service, touchless check-in experience for visitors using QR codes that makes the process quick and easy for both guests and hosts.
• Automated Notifications: Instantly notify hosts when their guests arrive, with the flexibility to set who receives the notifications, ensuring that the right people are informed and visitors are promptly greeted.
• Real-Time Visitor Logs: Include in and out times, visitor information, visiting details, and attached documents like signed NDAs for emergency and compliance purposes. 
• Customized Visitor Workflows: Tailor the check-in process with specific directions, health screening criteria, and other requirements to meet your office's unique needs.
• Legal Document Signing: Facilitate the signing of NDAs and other legal documents during check-in, ensuring all necessary paperwork is completed before visitors enter your workspace.
• Access Control Integration: Grant visitors access to only specific areas and manage the duration of their access. 
• Branded Visitor Experience: Customize the visitor app with your company’s branding, ensuring a seamless and professional first impression that aligns with your organization’s identity.

>> Check out our guide on Visitor Management and top picks for Best Visitor Management Systems in 2024.

Ease and Convenience of Use

Ease of use is a big deal for workplace tech stack. You need a platform that helps you streamline operations, not something that adds more hassle to your day. 

Archie seems to hit the mark. Most users mention how simple and user-friendly it is, with interfaces that are intuitive enough that you don’t need a ton of training to get started. The interface is straightforward from both sides, so you can easily deploy the software for your office and encourage employees to use it.

Users also appreciate the self-service and automation features that help them save time on administration tasks and empower end-users (employees and visitors) to handle their own scheduling, check-in, and use.

Customer Support

Archie provides customer support via email and chat during business hours, ensuring you can reach out whenever you need help.

Everyone will get the same level of support so you can expect helpful support no matter your plan. Users generally find Archie’s support team friendly and knowledgeable, though some have noted that resolutions can take a bit of time.

They publicly inform that depending on the issue's severity, response times range from 16 to 48 business hours, with resolutions typically handled within 14 business days for less critical matters.

While there aren’t public tutorials available yet, a resource library is on the way to help you navigate the platform more easily. 

Archie Integrations

Archie gives you the option to upload your team directory to your office management platform. This means the system can automatically recognize your team members and route them to the appropriate processes and resources. 

Regarding integrations with third-party apps, Archie has fewer native integrations compared to others on the market. It integrates seamlessly with Google and Office 365 calendars, as well as Slack and Teams app, for smooth scheduling and communication. Other relevant categories include door access (Kisi, Salto, Brivo, DoorFlow, and a few more), WiFi networks (Aruba, Cisco, and others), and printers.

Besides, Archie also provides Zapier connection and open API access for teams to create further custom integrations and automation to your specific needs.

Security and Compliance

Archie places a strong emphasis on security and compliance, making it a reliable choice for handling the sensitive data of your company, employees, and visitors.

The platform uses SSL/TLS encryption to keep your data safe while it’s being transmitted, and it also employs strong encryption for data stored on the Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Archie also adheres to high standards of data protection, being both ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certified, which demonstrates its commitment to maintaining rigorous security practices.

On the platform, you can manage who has access to what with control permission settings based on roles. Plus, its partnership with Okta for SSO solution adds another layer of security and makes it more convenient for users.

Archie’s Coworking Space Management Features

While Archie is recently expanding into modern office management, its foundation in coworking space management remains a significant aspect of its identity. 

Well-received in the coworking space community, Archie offers a robust set of features that streamline everything from booking management to member engagement. 

Archie’s users consistently praise its user-friendly interface, which ensures that both managers and members can navigate and utilize the platform with ease.

A key differentiator for Archie is its strong focus on community engagement. The platform includes features like online member directories and event management tools, which are highly valued by their clients for fostering a collaborative and engaging environment within coworking spaces. 

These tools facilitate member connections and enhance the overall community experience by making it easy to organize and participate in events, stay updated on workspace news, and communicate in real time.

Archie’s flexibility allows for easy customization, making it adaptable to various coworking models. This solid foundation in coworking management speaks to Archie’s versatility and ability to scale as it expands into broader office management solutions.

Archie’s standout co-working space management features:

• Automated Billing & Payments: Simplify financial management with automated invoicing, payment processing, and seamless integration with accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero.
• Room, Desk, and Office Management: Provide a seamless booking experience with integrated e-commerce flows, customizable pricing, and automated access control.
• Branded Experience: Keep your brand identity consistent with fully branded apps, invoices, and user interfaces, offering a personalized experience for your clients.
• Visitor Management: Deliver a premium visitor experience with streamlined check-ins, automated member notifications, and secure workspace access tracking.
• Community Engagement Tools: Enhance member interaction with an online directory, daily updates, event management, and in-app messaging, fostering a connected and engaged community.

How Much Does Archie Cost?

Archie is among the few providers offering every feature and integration in a single, all-inclusive plan. 

Archie's hybrid office management software is priced at $159 per month for offices with up to 25 resources (meeting rooms and desks). This includes everything from integrations with access control and WiFi to customizable forms and workflows for all modules of room scheduling, desk booking, and visitor management.

Their pricing model is based on the number of resources, allowing you to easily add more as you scale at $2.20 per additional resource per month. 

This structure is more cost-effective than per-user models, especially in hybrid settings where there are often more employees than desks, and you aim to ensure smooth resource allocation among teams.

Archie also offers a custom-branded mobile app starting at $90 per month, providing a fully customizable, white-label interface with your company logo, branding, and branded shareable URLs.

In short, Archie is more affordable than many competitors while still providing a streamlined experience for managing every aspect of a modern office. That’s why it appears as a compelling choice for SMEs, startups, and scaleups looking for a unified solution.

>> Check out the detailed breakdown of pricing and feature plans between Archie and Envoy.

Final Verdict and Recommendations

If you're looking for a solution that offers great value for managing hybrid offices, Archie is a strong contender. 

Its all-in-one approach simplifies deployment and daily use, making it an appealing option for companies that want to streamline their office operations and create a smooth, cohesive experience for their teams in a hybrid workplace.

For startups and small teams who are just beginning to implement workspace management solutions or even big enterprises looking for a lean yet robust platform, check out Archie.

However, I wouldn’t recommend Archie if you’re expecting a space and resource management system for non-office environments. For example, if you’re managing facilities like event venues, medical or wellness centers, hotels, or other non-office spaces, Archie and their ecosystem might not be the best fit.

>> In such cases, find your better fit among our curated options of Best Visitor Management Systems in 2024.