Reservation systems have become a hot topic over the last year and a half, as businesses have sought out new ways to keep things running during a global pandemic. Essentially, a reservation system is a solution that allows employees to book desks, conference rooms, offices, and other parts of the workspace as needed. They're ideal for navigating the return to the office and can help with everything from scheduling to sanitization.
Over the last year, we’ve listened as our customers have shared their experiences with us around trying to understand the future of the office and learning how it’s used by their workforce. Many confirmed that to make decisions in either of these areas, they needed a technology solution that would afford them flexibility in the amount of office space they currently maintain and assist with looking ahead at the length of their future real estate commitments.
4SITE’s sensor-based workplace occupancy and utilization platform helps to guide the discussion around all these topics and more. We also deliver insights that allow our customers to continuously optimize and evolve their workplace while providing the confidence necessary to know that the decisions being made are the right ones for the future.
Whether you’re looking for ways to enhance your experience with your existing reservation system or to better understand the value that 4SITE can provide within your office, keep reading and learn a little more about how occupancy sensors and data with 4SITE by CORT are the innovative solutions for your workplace.
You already know what a reservation system can do for you and your workforce in general but what is the purpose of this solution in 2022 and beyond in a post-COVID world? More importantly, what are some of the ways that a booking system can be used to its fullest extent?
4SITE’s APIs and occupancy data layer are app agnostic, which allows customers to integrate our utilization data into any reservation system and provides a more valuable experience for a corporate occupier. In addition, there are also several other applications for our sensor technology that can support your reservation system while you continue to adapt to any new workplace changes that may come your way.
We often hear from organizations that make a large financial commitment to reservation booking systems only to have employees book a desk or conference room then either not show up or forget to check in – this is commonly referred to as "ghost bookings." Occupancy sensors from 4SITE help to reduce this issue by automatically checking employees in when they’re using assets – without infringing on their privacy.
When looking at more commonly shared spaces like conference rooms or collaboration areas, utilization data with 4SITE helps to create more transparency around their use by comparing the “dwell time” of a space vs. the information that was included for its booking.
Let’s look at a conference room for example. If one were booked for 8 hours, the data in our web-based dashboards will confirm if it was used and the amount of time it was in use. Additionally, if an employee were to only use this conference room for 2 out of the 8 hours that they have booked, our data can optimize this reservation and release the unused space back into “bookable.”
Data around office cleanliness and sanitization are still important and will remain that way going into the future. Our sensors collect information that can let your janitorial services team know which part of your workplace was in use and when, so they can disinfect those areas before someone else utilizes them. And if someone in your office tests positive for COVID-19 or any other illness, motion events can inform proximity and contact tracing efforts to reduce the viral spread in the workplace.
Smart companies monitor the performance of new configurations and continuously optimize based on user analytics. 4SITE provides this type of objective data that can help to gain stakeholder approval for future real estate planning and then some. For instance, if you’ve gone with a more agile workplace model and have decided to offer desk sharing/hoteling to your employees, the management of this type of office model requires the kind of help that only sensor-level data can provide.
Our customized reports analyze 4SITE data against specific company attributes and space utilization to inform you if these desks are being under or overutilized so you’re better prepared to adjust down the road based on what's going on in your workplace instead of relying on an estimated guess. This is the type of long-term information that can allow you to save money by reducing your real estate footprint, redesigning floorplans, and/or rightsizing your office space.
Whether your workspace is 100% in-person, or you've switched to a hybrid model — a combination of employees working remotely and in-person — you can benefit from 4SITE. Many use our solution to find patterns and predict potential occupancy trends in the workplace before deciding to relocate, sublease, or expand. But there are so many other opportunities available when using 4SITE sensor technology and space utilization data. Some of the reported benefits that our insights have provided to our customers are:
There is enough uncertainty in the world right now. Let us remove some of that doubt from your workspace, while helping your organization with financially sustainable decision making around your real estate footprint, empowering your employees, and so much more.
Give us a call or schedule a demo today!