Workplace Tech & Software

3 Problems Solved by SaaS Wayfinding Software

David Spence
July 4th, 2013

Interactive office maps

1.) Problem: Your Company Is Large, With Many Employees

All companies have a need to know who sits where. When a company has 200 or more people, this need is intensified; there are a lot of workers to keep track of. Without employee tracking software to help you, finding one person’s information can take a lot of unnecessary time and energy. For example, if you’re keeping each person’s contact info on separate spreadsheets, divided by department, you may find yourself doing a lot of digging just to find one person’s email address. Data gets old and is difficult to keep up to date.

Solution: A Searchable, Visual Office Map With a Linked Employee Database

The right wayfinding office software will have interactive office floor plan maps that give a full view of employee locations on any given floor of your building. Not only will the maps let you quickly see the division of departments on each floor, they will also give you more specific information about the workers themselves. This may include not only their name, title, and department, but also their phone number, email address, and supervisor. If you need to quickly locate a certain worker, and you are not sure where their desk is, the software may also let you search by name to locate them visually on the map.

Conference room booking

2.) Problem: Meeting Room Booking and Locating

Finding the right room for a group meeting can be a tiring process, especially in an office with a large floor plan. Without good SaaS software to guide you, you would have to physically scout each floor for the right room, and then of course there is the problem of booking the room. Is there a person you need to contact, or should you make reservations with a computer?

Solution: Virtual Searching Via the Company Floor Plan

Wayfinding software packages can be a valuable asset to large organizations. A comprehensive SaaS facilities management software tool should let you easily search for the right room either via text using specific keywords, or by navigating a visual floor plan map so you can quickly and easily see what’s available for your use by clicking on the meeting room on the floor plan to see information about the room’s capacity, equipment, and reservation requirements.

Move Management

3.) Problem: Employee Moves Are Commonplace

Perhaps employee churn is commonplace in your company. Someone gets promoted, or some people have to be shuffled around. Perhaps a fresh wave of interns, temps, and new hires come in, and you need to figure out where to put them. At times, all the rearranging may feel like a game of Tetris that never ends, especially if you are using outdated employee management techniques like spreadsheets or Microsoft Access databases.

Solution: Move Management Software Tools

The right SaaS wayfinding software can also help you here. Integrated move management software tools can make  an employee relocation much easier, and less time-intensive. For example, if the FM tool has a drag and drop feature, the facility manager can simply transfer a worker’s info from their current spot on the floor plan map to an empty seat. All of this, instead of having to find an empty desk, or having to walk around and manually update floorplans. What might have taken the facilities team hours before can be accomplished in just a few minutes.

Wayfinding software should be easy to use, but also comprehensive in its scope. Good SaaS software solves a small number of acute problems incredibly well instead of trying to solve every minor detail which might lead to over-complexity. A program such as OfficeSpace, which has been developed in conjunction with facilities teams, aims to tackle the big problems and make an immediate difference to a facility or building manager’s work. OfficeSpace can generate analytical reports about occupancy and detailed floor maps for not only your office, but also those of other company locations, giving you a literal bird’s-eye view of your company’s employees and space. We’re more than happy to talk about these features in depth. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

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