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How Integrated Smart Tech Can Ensure You Make The Best Use Of The Space Available To You And Reduce Office Space Wastage

The pandemic has seen companies in every industry rapidly adopt smart tech in order to reassure their staff that safety measures are in place, whilst fostering productivity and collaboration. Steven Dullaert, Sales Director at Technological Innovations Group (TIG), explains how the future lies in technology integration, and how selecting technologies that seamlessly work together can provide Facilities Managers with sustainable solutions that help make the best use of their office space post pandemic.

TIG offers an ecosystem of class-leading audio-visual, enterprise collaboration and unified communications technologies that can be bundled together to form tailor-made solutions to today’s challenges, whilst preparing your business for the future. TIG’s aim is to push the boundaries of technological integration to assist companies in implementing smarter, more agile workspaces that enhance productivity and deliver ROI, whilst increasing staff satisfaction.

With the pandemic accelerating the shift to a ‘work from anywhere’ norm, unused office space is becoming an expensive challenge for businesses. “Office space doesn’t have to just comprise of desks and private meeting rooms. TIG has the solutions to create advanced, welcoming collaboration spaces, which drive efficiency and increase staff motivation, whilst supporting social distancing. With the right integrated tech, businesses can impress clients, as well as staff, by providing an utterly seamless user experience,” comments Steven Dullaert.

For instance, Facilities Managers may consider implementing more open ‘huddle’ spaces, which provide a dedicated space for hosting private, small-scale meetings whilst adhering to social distancing regulations. With the right audio-visual equipment, these spaces can feel inviting and stimulating to both internal staff and external clients. A touchless control system in place such as AirMedia by Crestron enables secure, wireless content sharing from the comfort of a personal device, reducing the risk of contamination and reassuring users.

Or, Facilities Managers may want to adopt ‘videoconferencing rooms’ instead of meeting rooms. With good sound proofing, powerful videoconferencing tools such as the Crestron Mercury, and adaptable furniture that integrates with the technology in the room to conceal cables and bring a neat and tidy finish, such as from Salamander Designs, Facilities Managers can provide next-level, highly professional spaces for flawless videoconferencing. In order to be fully inclusive and easy for remote employees to connect to and have total visibility of a project, from anywhere on any device, reliable collaboration software such as the Hoylu platform offers an infinite canvas for digital teamwork, which goes beyond simple screensharing.

Another option is to implement a successful ‘office hoteling’ or hot desking strategy. A key priority for businesses will be to get staff back to work safely with robust desk-cleaning policies, strict social distancing and capturing data that supports a track and trace programme. The Desk Sign by Embrava enables a frictionless flexible working culture, whilst helping companies assess and rationalise their real estate costs. Through a contactless, one-step check-in/out process, the device displays desk availability and other critical information such as cleanliness status, so employees know which desk they can work at safely. Embrava connects with workspace booking software from NFS, which empowers employees by giving them control of their working day with a zero-touch approach, enabling them to easily and simply book a space using their own mobile device. Through analytics, this initiative can maximise the benefits of an existing space and reduce real estate costs by indicating which facilities need to be taken out of service and which are needed to support the way staff are choosing when and how they use a workspace.

Rooms may also be configured to serve as the backdrop for virtual events, with stunning audio-visual solutions like SiliconCore’s class-leading LED displays, smart furniture from Salamander Designs, and solutions which drive energy efficiency like the new CEN-ODT-C-POE occupancy sensor from Crestron. This sensor brings all tech to life the moment someone walks in the room, and orders it to automatically shut down when the room is no longer in use. Power Distribution Units from GUDE monitor power consumption and offer remote control of connected devices, making maintenance more convenient and increasing the operational safety of appliances.

Furthermore, existing spaces can be transformed into private rooms, which can be booked out by colleagues who simply need a quiet place to escape the monotony of working from home, or the distractions of an open plan office. Spaces could even serve as chill out rooms or wellness areas, with Do Not Disturb signs creating a zero-distraction zone. During their exclusive access, staff members can own the room with the Crestron One app for Apple iPhone & iPad devices, which gives complete control by connecting to a TSW‑60 series touchscreen securely via Bluetooth, authenticating against it via a QR code and providing mobile‑optimised room controls to their own personal device.

TIG believes that Facilities Managers can transform their existing space into smart spaces and provide a multi-faceted offering. Dullaert adds: “Who says offices can’t be as beautiful as they are functional? Businesses have a real opportunity here to build desirable spaces that inspire creativity, nurture hard work and attract the best talent, whilst also keeping employees safe.

“The key to developing this kind of offering lies in technology: what users need first and foremost is to be able to rely on easy-to-use, hassle-free unified communications systems, audio-visual solutions that add the wow factor and remote collaboration tools that work with any device, so they can simply connect and hit go from their own laptop, tablet or smartphone.

“However, simply injecting tech without purpose is not the most user-friendly approach. TIG understands the need for a human touch, to ensure it is truly beneficial to the user. There’s a fine line between something working well, and something that is so seamless and intuitive that it transforms the entire work experience! That’s why our solutions integrate to form bespoke bundles that help fulfil your business objectives, match your staff’s needs, help shape your office culture and help you to remain futureproof and resilient.”

In order to determine how much office space is needed, how the office space should be arranged, how many desks are actually required and what type of meeting rooms are needed, accurate data is needed to help Facilities Managers make informed decisions. NFS provides analytics on space utilisation, the flow of people and visitor count, and room capacity, and it works with Embrava to determine desk usage, giving real-time visibility on how spaces are being used. This supports decisions on space management, cleaning practices and helps to drive effective compliance.

TIG’s portfolio of technologies, known as its ecosystem because they integrate with one another seamlessly, includes:

• Touchless collaborative spaces thanks to pioneering technology from Crestron
• Employee and workspace availability signs from Embrava – to help manage social distancing and desk-cleaning policies, whilst increasing productivity
• Engaging, remote collaboration software from Hoylu, which enables teams to work closely on plans and shared documents, even if they’re oceans apart
• Clever meeting and hot desk booking software that supports agile working, from NFS
• Made-to-order furniture from Salamander Designs that is designed to fit with fully integrated technologies, concealing electronic equipment and cables to bring a sleek finish to your meeting space
• Energy efficient power distribution and remote monitoring systems to help you save on costs, from GUDE
• Show-stopping energy efficient LED displays from SiliconCore

Dullaert concludes: “The future is in technology integration. Covid is forcing companies in all industries to innovate and, by marrying together the right smart tech solutions, Facilities Managers are given more opportunities to be creative in the way they encourage staff to use their existing assets. When used wisely and incorporated at an early stage of an office re-design, technology can completely transform the traditional office space to create functional, agile and resilient smart spaces endorsed by staff. This has the power to put businesses ahead of the curve when it comes to employee satisfaction and smart collaboration!”

TIG can help your business thrive in this fast-changing world. Book a private, socially-distanced visit to its London Experience Space and embark on your digital transformation journey: https://tig.eu/booking-form