Improving workspace experience with IoT sensors

The challenge

Business Need

The Client needed to increase their competitiveness by creating a cutting-edge digital solution. Such a system should allow the Client to simplify and automate workspace experience in facilities they manage. The solution needed to be versatile and flexible, so that it could be customised to reflect the specific needs of each of their customers.

One of the ways of achieving this goal was positioning multiple IoT devices as components of the future ecosystem.

The solution

Project Details

Together with the Client and different prop-techs, Objectivity designed and implemented a new ecosystem that would address the business needs.

In the new solution, office assets are identified via QR codes and occupancy sensors (preselected IoT partners). The users can book available desks, conference rooms, napping suites and lockers based on the real-time sensors’ data. All of these actions are performed via a native mobile application, regardless of the user’s location. This saves time, simplifies the booking process and improves user experience.

The mobile application also allows its users to access smart locks. They can conveniently open and close the locks remotely via a Bluetooth protocol and grant access to a trusted co-worker or courier to store parcels. The users don’t have to manage keys and access codes — the mobile app coupled with sensors is enough.

Another user-related task that is now simplified by the mobile application is incident reporting (e.g., reporting a broken elevator, a jammed lock or a lack of kitchen supplies). The application automatically detects the user’s location thanks to location beacons placed around the office. Thanks to IoT, the users are localised and identified, and all they need to do is simply take a photo of the incident or describe it. This way, an incident can be reported without delay, which helps the service provider to act immediately.

The system also improves workspace experience for the facility guests who can access the ecosystem through interactive kiosks. They can conveniently check in, obtain information about a conference room they should go to or book a desired workstation. When a guest checks in, the receptionist immediately receives information about the event, so they can assist the visitor.

The office space is fitted with sensors that measure the air humidity, temperature and CO2 concentration. This helps to optimise the working conditions, the comfort of using the office and by extension — improve productivity.

The Client also came up with an idea of improving workspace experience by introducing napping suites. These are small rooms with couches and napping capsules that can be booked in a similar way as the other assets. To prevent mistakes and unnecessary disturbances, the suites have been fitted with IoT occupancy sensors that detect when someone is using a couch. The system then marks such an asset as “occupied”. When the user leaves the room, it becomes available for booking again.

The native mobile application also offers a variety of mediation and relaxation-related recordings. Users can pick their favourite one, set the desired time and wake-up jingle, and relax.

To make the napping suite experience even more pleasant, the system automatically notifies the facility manager when a couch has been occupied 15 times. Then, the maintenance and cleaning crew can refresh the suite.

As a result, the facility managers gain a full and real-time overview of the workspace and current issues. They can thus act quickly as every crucial piece of information is available inside the ecosystem.

The result

Business Benefits

The IoT sensors and devices provide users and facility managers with a comprehensive and real-time picture of the working conditions and the state of the facility assets. The system simplifies the work of an office employee through automatic localisation, identification, allocation and notifications. Facility managers gain a valuable tool for ensuring work efficiency, predictability and continuity.

The system acts as one place for all crucial information (tickets, asset availability, issues), which improves the workspace experience, productivity and communication between the facility managers and users.

The key accomplishments of this project include:

• Designing and building a facility management ecosystem that leverages a variety of IoT devices to improve workspace experience on multiple levels.
• Ensuring user-friendly access to a complex ecosystem for office workers and facility managers.
• Simplifying and speeding up the daily work.
• Handelsblatt Diamond Star Award.