Businesses all over the world are looking ahead to establishing new ways of working post-pandemic. A key part of doing so successfully is to work out how these new ways of working fit in with the technology the organization uses day-to-day.
Throughout the pandemic, parts of this will have already been dealt with: cloud computing, collaboration tools and other technologies have made it easy for employees working from home to connect with co-workers and access all the information they need. However, as businesses return to the office in some form, how new working models work with Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) needs careful consideration.
One global company has already tackled this challenge head-on, below details how the integration of a workspace scheduling solution with the IWMS has helped them adapt.
A need to do more
The company’s existing IWMS allowed its facilities teams to oversee spaces and equipment, manage facilities proactively, and respond to any issues that were logged. However, the system had limited functionality around the booking and management of workstations and meeting rooms by the employees intending to use them.
Making this even more complex was the international nature of the business. People and buildings were spread across many different countries and time zones, meaning that there was a vast number of different rules and permissions in place, catering for a diverse array of workstations, meeting rooms, employees and departments. The existing IWMS wasn’t able to support all these different permissions.
Finally, the legacy solution didn’t offer strong integration with vital Microsoft applications like 365 and Teams, solutions that are especially important within remote or hybrid working models. All these issues meant a change was needed.
Bringing in a game-changer
In order to meet the needs of the workforce efficiently, the company adopted Condeco’s workplace management software. This allowed individual employees to book workstations and meeting rooms on a platform that is accessible from a variety of different touchpoints: web, digital room signage, mobile apps, Microsoft Outlook (via an add-in), and through integrations with Microsoft Exchange and Teams.
Every workstation and meeting space within all of the organization’s buildings could be given their own schedule within Condeco, within which employees could search and book a workspace for the specific times they needed it. But just as importantly, each workstation could be set up with an unlimited number of rules and permissions, meaning that certain spaces could be limited to specific users or departments and that some users could be given priority status where necessary.
Flexible, friendly, forward-thinking
At an individual employee level, the implementation of the Condeco technology solution has made their day-to-day work far more efficient to manage. At any time and in any place, any employee can find and book a workstation or meeting room that is available at the time they need it and fits within the permissions defined by the business.
That they can do this through the Microsoft solutions that they use every day only serves to improve their ease of use even further. Employees now find themselves in a position that when they are working at home, and a need to attend the office arises, they can secure the workspace they need in nothing more than a few clicks. This plays a major part in supporting moves towards more remote and hybrid working.
There are also positives to be found from a facilities management perspective. All data and functionality between Condeco and the IWMS are synchronized in real-time. This ensures that all the facilities information relevant to workspaces – for example, catering orders, audio-visual equipment status, and maintenance needs – is always coordinated and up to date across both platforms.
As a result, facilities teams always have a comprehensive view of how office environments are managed and used.
