How workplace technology can improve your team's productivity
By Matthew Rogers – technology practice leader and senior advisor at independent property advisors TwentyTwo.
Choosing the right technology for your workplace can be daunting. Today more than ever the emphasis on technology in the workplace is enormous. So how do you choose a solution that really does improve team productivity?
Technology is now synonymous with our daily lives. In 2018 when eating out, we check Zomato for good reviews or grab a voucher off GrabOne before we make a booking online or by app. During the meal, we take a snapchat of our food to share with our friends. When we’re done we book a ride home using Uber and jump onto our heat-pump app to turn the heating on at home. Once home we will rate the Uber drive and then browse Netflix to find a movie recommendation which we cast wirelessly to the tv.
It’s easy to see how much easier technology has made our personal lives and now we need to translate that into the workplace.
The amount of workplace tech available is vast – room booking software, wireless presentation solutions, on demand video conferencing, occupancy management, cloud fault monitors, high-speed wireless networking – the list is endless, daunting and always promises to be the best.
Using technology to drive collaboration and communication
Collaboration and communication are two key areas workplace technology can help improve your teams productivity. With the boom of the agile work philosophy and increased demand for flexible working options, the need for technology that supports this is more important than ever.
There are three key areas to consider here (which I’ve outlined below)– but the key is getting the right suite of application software, artificial intelligence, and plugins that your team needs.
1. Bring teammates near and far closer together with communication software
Join the revolution and connect your teams so they can collaborate and share ideas easily with the latest video conferencing and chat software. Remember one size doesn’t always fit all and select hardware that compliments how your team works.
2. Stay organised across workflows with cloud-based project/task management software
Search for a cloud-based software with great integrations so that individuals can work the way that best works for them, while remaining on track with their team.
3. Keep the workplace productive by understanding your utilisation and connecting spaces
Make sure that you’re using the spaces you’ve got efficiently. Give your teams the tools they need to easily find a space which best suits their needs.
The cost of ineffective technology
One of my recent experiences highlighted just how mysterious technology is for workplace leaders. Senior leaders of a large New Zealand organisation, who were relocating their team to a new building, wanted a video wall for their reception that would “cover the space”. An engineer was tasked with the job and made a design which was technically correct and at first glance appeared the obvious choice to fill the “space”. Subsequently it was approved, and the design and a procurement process ensued.
The TwentyTwo team was engaged on a variety of levels throughout the clients relocation, premises planning and design. Part of our engagement was to undertake a workplace technology audit to oversee the technology specified and provide feedback.
The video wall is an excellent example of how something can be correct technically, but often simple common sense isn’t applied. In this case, we were able to make a cost saving for the client of over $150K – two thirds of the original price by simply modifying the videowall screen ratio (albeit reducing the size by about 1%, so it technically it didn’t “cover the space” completely).
Time for a technology audit?
Take the time to talk with your teams, understand their work-style or the working environment you’re trying to create. Look at your wider business strategy and how technology can reinforce that too. Think forward into the future, where you want your organisation to be in five too 10 years and seek independence, expert advice – it will be a game changer if you get it right.
Story by: Matthew Rogers
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