Solving advanced workplace problems often requires going deeper into the tech stack.
By JLL Technologies

Digital and hybrid transformation depend on IWMS

The prominence of hybrid workplaces puts significant pressure on organizations to better optimize how space is used, to enhance employee experience, and to maximize the value of real estate. As a result, investment in workplace systems technology surged throughout and after the pandemic.

Why the sudden embrace of IWMS, including among organizations that already had such a tool in place? More decision-makers need to manage the significant amounts of data being produced by increasingly digitized work environments. Other companies have begun turning to their IWMS to replace manual processes that no longer complement modern ways of working.

It’s also become increasingly necessary to model out potential changes needed to right size a corporate real estate (CRE) portfolio. CRE teams are rapidly expanding the number of tools and applications needed to manage buildings, leases, seating, and workspaces. They are likewise turning to IWMS as the rallying point where these expanding lists of cloud-based processes and data streams converge.

At the recent TRIRIGA World 2022 conference, panelists echoed many of these themes during their presentations. They shared insightful experiences about how unlocking the full value of their IWMS platforms was a key step in making their digital transformations a reality.

IWMS facilitates complex goals like advanced space planning

A Fortune 500 mutual insurance company described an instructive digital transformation story during their presentation at TRIRIGA World in August. Before the pandemic, the insurance company had already begun experimenting with alternative space allocation strategies like open seating. Following the industrywide transition to hybrid work, the company decided to embrace an even more ambitious approach to space design: neighborhoods.

Multiple gaps would make this vision difficult to realize:
  • Lack of a centralized hub for managing and verifying location data
  • Limited capabilities around creating and comparing multiple scenarios
  • Need for an advanced space planning application (ASPA) to test neighborhood designs

Leveraging an existing partnership with JLL Technologies (JLLT), the insurance company opted to fill these gaps by expanding the capabilities of their existing IWMS implementation. Working within the company’s existing IWMS build, JLLT was able to greatly expand the IWMS tool’s capabilities in two key areas: space planning visualization and process automation. Both improvements acted as vital pillars supporting the company’s hybrid transformation.

The integration of the ASPA tool into the IWMS platform made it possible for the organization to rapidly generate “what-if” space allocations in search of the perfect neighborhood configuration. In addition to eliminating a paper-based data collection process, JLLT’s improvements allowed the IWMS to fill the missing role of a central hub for location data.

The process of centralizing CAD drawings, employee assignments, space records and move request data into a single integrated module was also a benefit. The ability to rapidly compare multiple potential models, including options representing complex architectural and design changes, led to better decision-making and a more efficient hybrid workplace transformation.

IWMS supports digital transformation outside the office

The ability for organizations to use their IWMS to anchor digital transformation is not limited to helping office-driven businesses go hybrid. Verticals ranging from retail to higher education can use their IWMS to eliminate manual processes in the workplace, increase efficiency, and make data more reliable.

During their presentation at TRIRIGA World, a national fast casual restaurant chain described an all-too-common pain point: digital transformation is underway, but the technology selected doesn’t work as expected.

In their case, business optimization goals driven by real-time business intelligence reporting tools (BIRT) were being hamstrung. The culprit? Users reported difficulty wrapping their heads around the IWMS’s built-in navigation and found the reports themselves too cumbersome to read on various devices.

The company responded by phasing in a navigator app. This app phased out the existing BIRT reporting process, leading to a much-improved experience and widespread user adoption. The restaurant chain was happy to report that not only was the solution implemented in a matter of weeks, but also that a process that once took users 2 minutes has been reduced to 12 seconds.

Another presenter, one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising companies, talked about how it evolved the use of its IWMS platform to digitize lease and asset management tasks. Similar to the restaurant chain, the advertising organization’s digital transformation revolved around the deployment of a mobile app. In this case, one that simulated the desktop IWMS experience in the field.

The app replaced manual billboard inspections, increased profitability, and led to more reliable maintenance schedules. The advertising company also introduced role-based dashboards to its existing IWMS build that ensured that asset data was consistently in front of the right people to avoid inspection delays.

Focus on proven solutions when selecting an IWMS partner

One advantage the three TRIRIGA World presenters had in common was an experienced technology partner guiding their transformation process. Direction from JLLT allowed these organizations to execute meaningful technology projects that expanded business capabilities and resulted in impressive user adoption over a short implementation period, all without fear of a costly misstep.

The recent Verdantix buyer’s guide for workplace systems integrators is an excellent resource for those interested in drawing out the substantial value of their IWMS. You can also contact JLLT directly if you have more questions about what it will take to position your IWMS as the heart of your organization’s technology goals.