Guides
Seatline vs. an Excel seating plan
Most companies start with a spreadsheet: one row per person, a column for the desk. It’s free and everyone knows Excel. It stops working once the office grows, teams move or more than one person keeps the list.
- See free desks
- Excel listCount rows by hand
- SeatlineFloor map: free desks in green
- Find a colleague
- Excel listSearch the file, then find the desk
- SeatlineSearch a name, the map shows the desk
- Who sat where before
- Excel listLost when the cell is overwritten
- SeatlineEvery move kept, with date and who made it
- Several people editing
- Excel listCopies and versions drift apart
- SeatlineOne plan, always current
- New and leaving people
- Excel listSomeone has to remember
- SeatlineFrom Microsoft 365 or an Excel import; leavers free their desk
- Planning a team move
- Excel listA second sheet and a long evening
- SeatlinePlan the move, it happens overnight on the day
- Telling IT
- Excel listAn e-mail someone forgets
- SeatlineIT gets an e-mail for every change
| Topic | Excel list | Seatline |
|---|---|---|
| See free desks | Count rows by hand | Floor map: free desks in green |
| Find a colleague | Search the file, then find the desk | Search a name, the map shows the desk |
| Who sat where before | Lost when the cell is overwritten | Every move kept, with date and who made it |
| Several people editing | Copies and versions drift apart | One plan, always current |
| New and leaving people | Someone has to remember | From Microsoft 365 or an Excel import; leavers free their desk |
| Planning a team move | A second sheet and a long evening | Plan the move, it happens overnight on the day |
| Telling IT | An e-mail someone forgets | IT gets an e-mail for every change |
When Excel is enough
For a dozen people on one floor who rarely move, a list works. Keep it in one shared place and note the date of each change.
Signs you’ve outgrown the spreadsheet
If two or more of these sound familiar, a seating plan tool saves time:
- You’re not sure which version of the file is the right one.
- New people arrive and nobody knows which desk is free.
- HR, IT and facility each keep their own list.
- You can’t say who sat at a desk three months ago.
- A team move takes days of planning.
Moving from Excel to Seatline
Import your list as it is: Seatline reads Excel and CSV files with column titles in English, German or French. Then draw your floors (or start from an example office) and drag people onto their desks. Most offices are ready in an afternoon.
Seatline costs CHF 2 per desk per month, the first 30 days are free, and your data stays in Switzerland.
Try it with your own floors
No credit card. Sign in with Microsoft 365 or by e-mail.