Smartsheet Platinum Solutions Partner 4EF helps organizations meet physical distancing needs

Editor’s note: Here at Smartsheet, our customers inspire us daily. We’re their biggest cheerleaders; their partners in achievement. In this article, Channel Marketing Manager Hayley Halstead shares details about a newly-released Add-on created by a Smartsheet Aligned partner to help organizations comply with physical distancing requirements due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the way organizations around the world work. From new physical distancing protocols to an increase in the remote workforce, the impact from this pandemic will continue to be realized for years to come. While this workforce transformation is creating new challenges, we are fortunate to have a global channel partner community helping us support new customer requirements that did not previously exist.

4EF, one of our Platinum Solutions Partners based out of the Netherlands, experienced the effects of COVID-19 firsthand. To comply with physical distancing requirements, 4EF had to begin managing how many people to allow within its office at any given time.

To meet the physical distancing guidelines imposed by local governments and health officials, 4EF built a time slot booking Smartsheet Add-on. This Add-on can be acquired through the partner and used immediately by other organizations that may need to satisfy similar requirements for returning to work. While the Add-on is available for free, it is recommended that users upgrade to the premium version of Smartsheet to get access to the full functionality and customization elements.

Fully customizable Smartsheet solution

4EF’s time slot booking Add-on is configurable to give organizations flexibility into multiple factors, including: time slots for employees, workplace visitors, and customers to book, and the maximum number of reservations per time slot. Users can easily make a reservation for their desired time using the Smartsheet form capability, and an email confirmation is sent once the form is filled out to prevent fake submissions. The solution also uses formulas to calculate and reflect the maximum amount of time slots available each day.

Another key component of 4EF’s time slot booking Add-on is a backend Smartsheet dashboard for administrators which displays relevant information about who is using the Add-on and times being selected.

4EF’s custom development team created a .NET web application to serve as a front-end user interface and leveraged Smartsheet to build the Add-on, resulting in a user-friendly solution. No data is stored within 4EF’s web app, as all of the data is sourced from Smartsheet.

This .NET web application integrates seamlessly with the Smartsheet API and is hosted on Microsoft Azure. 4EF offers private and on-premise hosting by request.

Use cases for COVID-19 and beyond

Any organization, regardless of size or industry, needing to limit the number of people in its workplace can benefit from this time slot booking Add-on, and many future use cases are applicable even after physical distancing protocols decline. For example, restaurants can use the Add-on to manage reservations and dietary preferences, and manufacturing firms can use it to reserve capacity for production or development hours.

If you are interested in learning more about 4EF’s Smartsheet solutions, consulting, or implementation services, fill out the form here.

4EF is a Platinum Solution Smartsheet Partner that offers custom Smartsheet consulting and solution implementations in addition to building Smartsheet Add-ons. To learn more about the Smartsheet Aligned channel partner program and services opportunities, visit our Smartsheet Aligned webpage.