FOCUS CAFM
COPING WITH COVID
A group of experts describe the many ways CAFM can help FMs cope with the
latest Covid-19 requirements to stay safe and compliant
JOHN GORMAN, MARKETING MANAGER
SAMUEL BUTLER, CHANNEL ACCOUNT
MANAGER ANDERS+KERN
The priorities for those working in FM have
changed out of all recognition over the last six
months. They’ve moved away from managing
buildings and their occupants to juggling the
needs of hybrid and o ice-based workers
that are beginning to migrate back into the
workplace. One the most important elements for
CAFM developers is in talking to customers and
finding out their needs, and for the foreseeable
feature this means developing COVID-friendly
so ware that helps FMs plan and organise
buildings and occupancy as seamlessly as
possible.
It is also important to o er customers as
much flexibility as possible, which is why Space
Connect so ware includes configuration rights,
allowing users quick and easy access to manage
their own system alternations without having to
go back to the developer.
32 OCTOBER 2020
Desk booking
CAFM systems have had to adapt quickly to
keep up over the last few months and for us
the first realisation was that the demand for
meeting room booking, which used to account
for 80 to 90 per cent of enquires switched almost
overnight to enquiries about desk booking.
Previously our desk booking so ware was used
mainly to facilitate agile working practices, but
in the age of COVID the idea of just turning up
to choose a desk isn’t feasible. This is why users
now have the option of choosing from bookable
desks or fixed desks, the latter being for those
who regularly need to be in the o ice and want
an assigned place.
With social distancing being a priority, systems
now o er managers access to floorplans and
interactive maps that show which desks are
available and blanks out those that need to
be le free to assist social distancing. To avoid
people wandering around the workplace,
managers can also confirm via the dashboard
assigned zones where particular teams can
sit together. End users can access the desk
booking via an app or online and – to ensure
accountability they’ll be prompted by the system
if they fail to register their arrival.
Cleaning and sanitisation is hugely important,
and we are developing a tool that will give
cleaning operatives access to a dedicated area
of the system which will tell them which spaces
need to be cleaned and enable them to sign
o on areas that are ready for reoccupation.
Managers can also add push notifications via the
so ware to remind occupants to wash hands.
Minimising contact is a crucial factor in the
battle against infection, so meeting room
so ware automatically integrates with Zoom,
Teams and Skype to deliver touch free access
to these platforms. By integrating the so ware
with hardware (e.g. sensors, docking stations,
facial recognition, contactless check-in, digital
signage) FMs can install touch free systems at
point of entries that enable visitors to use facial
recognition to enter a building and notify the
person they’re meeting to come and collect
them, all without the need for any physical
contact.
Track and trace is a vital part of the
battle against COVID, and the latest system
enhancements allow the dashboard to track not
only where an individual has been sitting in the
workplace, but with a click of a button shows
who else has sat in that spot to enable a fast
response should it be needed.
Analytics
However, one of the most powerful benefits of
the latest CAFM enhancements will be in utilising
data and analytics to enable FMs to manage
corporate real estate and assets.
One of the key ingredients for this is occupancy
sensors, for instance positioned under or on
desktops. Whereas in the past the use of sensors
to measure occupancy levels was met with
some reticence by clients who thought it very
expensive and users who viewed it as a ‘big
brother’ platform, the application of sensor
integration into a CAFM system takes the product
to a new level.
Using sensors, you can chart exactly how
many people have utilised a particular area of a
building, and for how long. That way, meeting
rooms which are virtually redundant can be
reappointed and o ice areas which may be
utilised erratically can be addressed. The latest
systems will even link to Bluetooth locations on
a mobile app so the sensor will automatically
know you were the person who booked the desk.
The tech is expensive at the moment but the cost
will go down as uptake increases.
The real power of the system will be when a
real estate customer has for example, four o ices
and is able to use the data to work out how many
desks are being booked, how much space is
being used, how many meeting rooms are being
utilised and how many ‘ghost bookings’ are