Smart office technology transforms the workplace into a rapidly-responsive, operationally efficient, interconnected office. Smart offices are no longer the exception. With demand spreading like a wildfire, this is the new standard of the office of today.
In 2016, a study funded by Dell and Intel found that 80% of millennials cited technology in the workplace as a deciding factor for taking a job. In addition, 42% of the sample was willing to leave their company if the technology wasn’t sufficient.
As an operator making smart office technology decisions can lead to higher member satisfaction and retention, significant cost savings, as well as an innovative user experience that stands out amongst the rest.
This guide will explain some of the most effective decisions you can make in terms of transforming your office technology.
Working Remotely
In a survey done nearly 4 years ago at the Global Leadership Summit in London, 34% of respondents said more than half their company would be working remotely by 2020. Those 34% were onto something.
Transforming office technology will do one of two things; either help your members stay in your space because of the benefits it provides, or provide the ability for more members who are working remotely to join your space over any other.
The more working remotely increases, the more Coworking options and competitors will flood the market.
Working remotely requires fast reliable internet, space to feel comfortable, and options to replace in-person interaction. Which leads to my next point…
Increasing Your Interconnectivity
Members want technology to be more intuitive toward their needs. In the aforementioned 2016 survey, 60% of the sample believes that face-to-face conversations will soon become obsolete. Advancements in communication technology alongside the growth of a remote workforce will drive in-person meetings into the past.
Email and conference calling revolutionized the way we communicate in business. Video chat, live sharing documents, and screen sharing are replacing those previous forms of communication now. Slowly, yes. But if your Coworking space is not effectively equipped to handle this new wave of technology it will surely affect growth potential and retention.
Even if members prefer meetings in person, providing the option and technology for remote meetings is critical. Regarding the survey, Allison Dew, Vice President of Global Client Solutions Marketing at Dell, said, “Today’s workers have a growing expectation that their employers integrate the latest technologies seamlessly and securely into their working lives.”
The key is to provide for flexibility. One of the biggest tech-related headaches is not being able to seamlessly work between platforms such as mobile devices, tablets, desktop computers, and land-line phones.
The user experience can get slow, glitchy, or broken. This can prove to be a huge cost for companies and a headache for members. The best action for this is finding the best Coworking software to best manage your office technology.
Embracing the Internet of Things
Studies show that today’s millennial workforce prefers the high-tech perks such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence assistance, and the Internet of Things rather than ping-pong tables, office pets, and even free snacks. A survey by Gartner found that 43% of enterprises and organizations are planning on using the IoT in 2016.
The IoT enhances amenities by providing new options to boost efficiency, provide remote controls, and optimize various digital services within the workspace.
Operators can benefit from the IoT by streamlining their services and solutions for efficiency, using their technology to best predict consumer behavior and needs, and automating their resources for best performance and cost efficiency.
Imagine being able to have coffee brewed automatically because your schedule says you’re hosting a meeting at 9am. Or getting into your car for lunch with a friend at noon, and GPS automatically gives you driving directions since it was synced with your calendar.
The IoT is making all these tasks real and its a part of everyday life now moving forward.
Overcoming New Challenges
Despite coming a long way, the implementation of smart office technology still has work to do. The first challenge is providing for accessibility. If your system has many pitfalls and obstacles, your members will not trust it to serve their needs.
It’s one thing to meet demands for new technology, but having things go bad on the end-user adoption level can significantly affect your member retention.
You have to find a way to seamlessly bridge the gaps between data collection and the business systems in use. While smart office technologies are collecting and automating data in real time, most of these businesses have yet to use this data for the benefit of their business. Finding an accessible means to analyze data will become more critical as these technologies continue to come available.
The final challenge is ensuring privacy, which is a growing concern within the industry of shared workspaces. When interconnecting your system, it’s important to take every measure to prevent malicious attacks and tampering.
This is especially true for businesses that rely on collecting sensitive personal data. Devising strong and creative countermeasures can ensure the trust among your members.
As an operator, its also important to note that there are countless energy saving products on the market now. High efficiency air conditioning units, smart thermostats, and advanced window controls are all things to take into consideration when trying to improve your bottom line. Believe it or not, these are impressive details when a member compares your space to a competitor.
These smart office technology decisions will transform your workspace for greater member satisfaction, profitability, efficiency, and security.
A smart workspace enhances the experience for both members and operators through interconnectivity and overall, ease-of-use. For more questions on how WUN can transform your office technology, please click the button below.