Why mobile technology is something your agile workers can rely on

There’s never been a time when workers had so much choice about where to do their work – but this new super-mobile era brings its own operational challenges.

With hybrid working on the rise, workers now interact with their HQ differently; it’s a place to gather and collaborate rather than sit every day. But that means every trip into the office needs to count – no wandering around looking for a spare desk or trying to find a colleague who might not even be there that day.

Fortunately, mobile technology has risen to the challenge of organizing agile working to make it the productive and healthy work mode everyone dreams about.

A rapidly evolving landscape

Agile working, partly by necessity, has become the predominant working style in the ever-changing workspace environment.

Companies have had to pivot fast. A report from McKinsey suggests that over 80% of workers enjoy working from home and that a significant 41% report being more productive.

This operational success is largely driven by mobile technology as manufacturers produce ever more efficient and powerful mobile devices such as the new Apple MacBook and iPad Pro. The need to be chained to an office PC now looks pretty quaint.

With the adoption of 5G networks, mobile computing is set to explode. 5G will make for faster access as well as meaning that more devices can be connected to the mobile network at once.

Increasingly, the vision for the future is a predominantly distributed workforce working from home or from collaborative hubs within easy commuting distance. The role of the traditional office will be to provide a central resource for mentorship and deeper collaboration.

A personal booking experience

While mobile computing is pivotal to this largely working from home experience, it is also important to how staff interact with the office space.

The emphasis for workers is going to be on 3 elements:

1. Safety
2. Efficiency
3. Collaboration

Safety

Previously acceptable behaviours such as strolling around looking for a spare meeting room or desk won’t work in a post-pandemic workplace where one-way traffic and social distancing are the norm.

Touchless reservations are the way forward. Staff will use their mobile device to make room and desk bookings. This saves time, increases efficiency and ensures optimum space utilization.

As always, there’s an app for that. Mobile booking apps make it simple to book rooms and desks ahead of time.

When it is time for the meeting or to use the desk, the mobile device can read a QR code to check in or simply check in through the device itself by pushing a button on the screen – it could not be simpler or safer.

Integration with visitor management software makes sure any required health questionnaires are triggered automatically at the time of booking for both your staff and their guests.

Efficiency

Time is gold. Processes need to be fast and efficient – time wasted by overly complex desk and meeting booking processes or, worse, turning up for ghost meetings, can addup. In an increasingly agile world the ability to lean on personal assistants may not be possible – software needs to fulfil their role.

The latest generations of desk booking software and meeting room booking software is designed with efficiency in mind. Desk booking can be done on a mobile device in as little as three taps and innovations such as floorplan booking and graphical colleague search simplify the process even further.

In fact, you can book a meeting room and all the attendant catering/services in less than a minute.

Integration with Outlook is key – meetings and desk bookings are immediately sent to all concerned parties as a calendar invite and if a meeting is cancelled they are emailed automatically. No more frustrating trips to an empty meeting room.

Collaboration

Using Teams and Zoom has become commonplace, but face to face meetings are still needed. Decision-making can be achieved faster, and people in the same room come up with more ideas. Mentorship is also most effective when face to face.

Mobile booking apps are designed with flexibility in mind. Busy executives can easily book effective meetings in minutes. Catering can be easily added, integration with Teams and Zoom simplifies the booking of VC and integration with visitor management software ensures guests are treated like VIPs.

Our handy mobile checklist

Creating a great experience? It’s complicated, with many elements. So, look for an easy to use solution which covers:

• Desk bookings
• Meeting room bookings
• Floorplan booking of desks
• Find a colleague features
• Catering, resource and audio visual provision
• Integration with visitor management solutions
• Provision for extended cleaning, set-up and breakdown times
• QR code check in/out of desks and rooms
• Integration with digital signage platforms
• RFID check in/out
• Check in/out of desks via the app
• Integration with Teams and Zoom
• Video conference end and start point integration
• Multi-location search
• Outlook/Exchange calendar integration
• Bookings in 3 clicks

Conclusion

Adaptability is your key to success. As we’ve seen in retail, companies that stand still are actually moving backwards.

It looks like workers are going to keep on having more say about where they work, and companies that refuse to adapt will find themselves losing talent.

Mobile booking offers the most convenient way for workers, especially Gen Z digital natives, to organize their days more easily and effectively. And in these uncertain times, isn’t it good to have something you know you can rely on?

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