Smart office: automation to simplify business processes.
Artificial intelligence, thanks to its innovative features and enormous potential for development, is able to revolutionize the working environment by making it “smart”. In 2018, 62% of companies want to invest significant funds in implementing smart technologies to create smart offices and digital workplace.
The data that emerged from Dimension Data’s research “The Digital Workplace Report: Transforming Your Business” clearly highlights the importance that companies give to their work environment. One Smart office allows, in fact, to obtain a considerable energy saving and is the basis of the simplification and automation of the plant process.
In order to significantly increase one’s profits, it is necessary to optimize all production processes and offer totally satisfying purchasing experiences for consumers. Organizing your business in a smart office can be an indispensable tool to quickly reach considerable business goals.
Smart office: What it is and how it works?
Gartner, a world leader in Information Technology research and analysis, defines the intelligent work environment as “a business strategy that enables innovative and more effective ways of working, exploiting worker-oriented technologies and organizational models, improving engagement and employee productivity”. The Smart office is therefore a digital approach based on the union of new technological work spaces, workers and company processes with the aim of optimizing the return and profits of the activity.
Smart offices are true ecosystems of innovative technologies aimed at maximizing company performance and based on office space and increasingly connected workers through intelligent tools and devices. The creation of Smart office environments aimed at cooperating with increasingly connected and itinerant employees is made possible thanks to tools such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, machine learning and big data analytic tools.
The innovative offices are characterized by totally new spaces, such as meeting rooms for networking, and by a uniquely wireless communication network, able to guarantee a constant connection status even outside the working environment.
A further fundamental characteristic of smart offices is the ability to support the creativity of their workers through bright, spacious and rich in natural elements: in a Smart office they are, in fact, always present a bright and welcoming entrance, a relaxation space and a kitchen where you can spend your lunch breaks together.
What are the features of a Smart office?
A smart office is equipped with some technological automation functions that can personalize the working experience of work environments and actively communicate with all teams of workers.
Let’s find out what the most innovative features and tools are in a Smart office …
Artificial intelligence
Smart offices are characterized by the presence of advanced and automated IoT systems: machine learning and artificial intelligence are used to optimize company performance and to improve the work experience of employees. Functions such as automatic lighting control, room monitoring, integrated sunlight management and automated time programming are essential not only for optimizing the employees’ experience, but also for recording significant savings in economic and energy resources.
Virtual Assistants
The implementation of a Smart office technology with IoT systems allows workers to simplify and organize their activities in the office through the use of virtual assistants programmed with artificial intelligence techniques: by incorporating the voice command in real time, the voice assistant can respond within seconds allowing the worker to save a significant amount of time.
Immersive AR / VR technologies
Smart offices are characterized by the use of augmented reality and virtual reality applications: AR and VR technologies are useful for managing internal analysis and production processes and for showing realistic actions and reports during meetings.
Crowdsourcing and silo buster
The digital workplace is characterized by the use of tools aimed at sharing ideas and achieving business objectives: there are internal networks and blogs managed directly by the staff with the aim of sharing information and supporting virtually every worker.
Smart office: New organizational aspects
The implementation of a Smart office technology allows companies to make significant gains in terms of productivity, but requires the search for new personnel with adequate skills: the companies need, in fact, qualified collaborators in different business sectors:
Big data analysis sector
The new IoT devices and the new technologies of a Smart office are able to collect an innumerable quantity of data. To correctly analyze the new types of information, companies need qualified and experienced personnel in the sector;
IT department
A Smart office is characterized by the presence of highly automated and technological tools that can be programmed in different ways based on the different business needs. A company that operates in intelligent offices requires IT staff capable of programming, using and analyzing tools that are constantly being developed;
Structure management
The working space and physical facilities of a Smart office undergo continuous changes as work spaces are continuously modified and optimized based on data analysis and results obtained;
Human resources
Human resources managers can use a smart office to optimize the company’s image in the eyes of potential talent to be recruited. An office equipped with IoT technologies greatly improves corporate reputation and can be an essential tool for presenting your company to potential new employees.
The revolution of the working environment and of the production logic implies a considerable change also within the company organizational system requiring the use of new leadership strategies able to optimize the activity in the digital workplace …
- Company leaders and managers must abandon the pyramidal logic and promote the sense of the community: collaboration and openness to innovative ideas are essential to organize an efficient Smart Office and achieve considerable results;
- It is essential to optimize your work tools: virtualized environments and communications are essential tools for devising effective digital business strategies;
- Empowerment, or the ability to empower its employees, is an essential feature for a leader who wants to organize an effective smart working: constant connections and virtual devices allow workers to personalize their business with innovative ideas that could be useful for optimize the company business.
Smart office: Benefits for your business
The benefits deriving from the choice of a Smart office structure are evident …
Worker satisfaction and productivity
The use of artificial intelligence and IoT devices involves the automation of many difficult and repetitive procedures: in this way employees can apply their skills in innovative and more stimulating activities. Intelligent systems also allow workers to search and share information very easily.
Reduced margins of error
With the application of smart procedures and structures it is possible to minimize the risk and error margins: the almost total elimination of risks makes the work activities more targeted and promotes creativity and the development of new customized procedures.
Optimization of corporate reputation
Modern working methods based on mutual collaboration are very attractive: potential workers and customers who visit a Smart office could be pleasantly impressed by the way work is organized and thus report positive feedback on the activity itself.
Optimal space distribution
The rationalization of real estate investments is a direct consequence of the optimization of the working environment: the classic desk is no longer the characterizing element of an office, the activities in a Smart office, in fact, are planned and carried out especially in common meeting spaces.
Reduction of energy consumption
The use of centralized systems and the automated management of the working environment are essential activities to contain one’s investments: the choice of cloud tools and intelligent devices allows access to different types of applications without the need for investments in specific hardware and not cheap.
Acceleration of innovation processes
IoT technological tools and smart physical spaces allow an optimized communication between the various company sectors: the continuous exchange of ideas is a fundamental activity to create connected teams and to accelerate the processes of production and business innovation.
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