Time to move on with your technology?
Technology continues to evolve to meet the requirements of the modern workplace - it can be used to inspire staff interactions
and connections at work and foster team building and collaboration. This is becoming increasingly important in the workspace
and for Facilities Managers, as attested to by the rise in the interest in making buildings smart and agile.
Connection and collaboration
Investing in a connected workspace for the buildings that you manage will provide the management team with data which solves
real human problems that would normally create additional organisational costs i.e. money just being thrown down the
drain because nobody necessarily has the time to think about it. Technology that’s given consideration to your organisational
aims does the thinking for you and provides valuable insight.
An example of this can be found within CAFM technologies where analysis of room booking space can quickly tell you which
rooms are under-utilised, or not used at all. Systems such as
OneSpace Link and
EVOKO Liso can work in unison with
each other to bring increased efficiencies in the use of your available resources.
OneSpace Link is a software as a service (SaaS) solution that has been designed to work seamlessly with the
EVOKO Liso panel. This
allows the end user to book multiple spaces across multiple locations with a simple click, all without having to leave
their Outlook calendar, kitting out rooms with all of the services and supplies (such as catering, AV equipment…) needed
to make meetings run smoothly, every time.
The real advancement the software delivers is through the deployment of the very latest in analytic reporting, unearthing
detailed insights into an organisation’s meeting patterns and behaviours, enabling the optimisation of resources and
the improvement of general meeting room culture. The software also lays out floor plans within the Outlook screen in
intricate detail, highlighting both availability and unavailability (depicted in green and red) in real time, allowing
the end user to identify rooms that meet their specific requirements at a glance. All actions made in Outlook are mirrored
instantly to the corresponding panel outside the room and vice versa.
Investment into technologies for the meeting room or conference space itself can also be advantageous when streamlining resources.
If, for example, you work for a nationwide or global organisation with numerous offices, a dynamic conference telephone
system is key. It’s always worth considering a product that can be easily moved across spaces and offers good sound
quality. The
EVOKO Minto offers
this and has many other attractive features over its cumbersome rivals, such as the ability to operate smoothly with
mobile phone, tablet or laptop, connect through Bluetooth.
Motivational spaces

Driving motivation for staff within workspaces is also a talking point and huddle spaces are officially ‘in’. This
motivation can indeed be sparked by the technology that contributes to collaboration, such as the aptly named
i3HUDDLE display board and the
i3SYNC, which is a compact and lightweight presenting tool for sharing your screen wirelessly.
i3SYNC is also
OS independent meaning you can share from multiple devices such as Windows, OSX or android. These technologies encourage
diverse workstyles – those that work from home or from another country are able to join in with meetings in real
time and their appearance is seamless and as if they are sitting in the meeting alongside you.
What about finding the best space itself?
Wayfinding technology will allow you to essentially map out buildings and introduce carefully selected information to
current and potential end users within your organisation, as well as reducing the need for other methods of signposting.
There are a myriad of options now available, from the detail tailored option
PADS4 to the
simple templates of
PLAYipp,
which can also be updated on the move with Mobile View. Digital Signage can also benefit an organisation’s intellectual
capital by harnessing the data and representing it in a way to engage and empower staff with the right information,
at the right time. From weather, to live travel updates, to staff availability or sales forecasts, the list of possibilities
of what you can display really is endless.
Workplace technology is inevitably an investment but with the right tools in place, you and your team will stay ahead.