THE PIVOTAL ROLE THE C-SUITE PLAYS IN CHOOSING AN IWMS Pivotal Role the C-Suite... · negative customer experience results in high churn. What some organizations forget is that their

CHOOSING AN IWMS

THE PIVOTAL ROLE

THE C-SUITE PLAYS IN

1

THE FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVE OF THE EXECUTIVE TEAM — ENSURING THE SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION OF THE COMPANY’S VISION — HAS REMAINED CONSISTENT FOR THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES. BUT AS THE BUSINESS WORLD HAS EVOLVED (MOSTLY AS A RESULT OF RAPID TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE), SO, TOO, HAVE THE C-SUITE’S BROADER GOALS.

And while every business leader has his or her own particular priorities, driven by their own

strategy, research shows a set of nearly universal concerns today’s executive team faces:

• Improving Recruiting and Retention

• Increasing Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

• Leveraging Technology in Business Operations

The common thread throughout each of these is a need for connection — connecting the

company with high-quality talent, building meaningful connections with the workforce,

using data to connect the workplace. And one of the most effective ways to facilitate these

connections is with an integrated workplace management system (IWMS).

Executive leadership at some of the biggest companies in the world have recognized how

an IWMS can assist them as they shape the company’s vision and just how crucial it

is for them to be involved in discussions about this workplace technology.

So why should the C-Suite care about the process of choosing

an IWMS? It’s time to find out—your connected workplace

depends on it.

2

THE EXECUTIVE TEAM’S TOP PRIORITIES

IMPROVING RECRUITING AND RETENTIONTake a look at these three facts:

MORETHAN 80%OF THE CEOS SURVEYED FOR THE 2017 DELOITTE

GLOBAL HUMAN CAPITAL TRENDS REPORT CITED

TALENT ACQUISITION AS “IMPORTANT” OR

“VERY IMPORTANT.”

MORETHAN

¾

ACCORDING TOKPMG’S 2016 GLOBAL

CEO OUTLOOK SURVEY,

OF RESPONDENTS BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT

TO FOSTER A CULTUREOF INNOVATION.

THE MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANY

CULTURES ARE FUELED BY

TECHNOLOGY

AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE INDEX

(CREATED BYJACOB MORGAN, A

GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED AUTHORITY ON THE

MODERN WORKPLACE),

3

in lost productivity each year in the United States alone.

Unhappy workers cost companies

FACT$450 to $550

BILLION

The workplace is a physical representation of the company culture. This means the most

visible way to demonstrate a commitment to building an innovative culture is by

designing a modern, innovative workplace.

A common misconception is that innovation in the workplace starts and ends with

providing employees with the latest technology — like a new iPad. But building a modern

workplace goes well beyond this. Instead, creating an innovative work environment means

implementing technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) and an IWMS to collect data

about the workplace and then utilizing this data to create spaces where employees feel

motivated and empowered. An innovative work environment offers the proper balance

between connectivity and flexibility.

An energetic environment composed of well-designed workspaces demonstrates the

organization’s commitment to the well-being and happiness of its workforce. But a

lackluster environment with outdated technology and poorly organized workspaces

tells employees the company is less invested in their success. And if the organization

doesn’t care about the workforce, why should current (or potential) employees care

about the organization?

NOW CONSIDER THIS:

4

INCREASING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT& SATISFACTION

Enterprises invest hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of

dollars and countless hours on market research and customer

satisfaction surveys to gain insight into what makes their clients tick.

They want to better understand their customers’ goals, challenges and

needs because they recognize these factors impact how the customer perceives

its interactions with the company — a.k.a. the customer experience. A consistently

positive customer experience leads to long-term relationships, whereas a consistently

negative customer experience results in high churn.

What some organizations forget is that their employees are their first (and most important)

customers. Therefore, focusing on the employee experience is even more critical than

evaluating the customer experience. The time, budget and resources a company

dedicates to enhancing the customer experience should never be more than

what it invests in enhancing the employee experience.

The employee experience is primarily influenced by the physical environment in which

the employee works and the tools and technologies an employer provides. Both of these

factors can be improved through the use of an IWMS.

The data collected by an IWMS allows a business to see which workspaces employees

prefer and which go unused. The organization can identify the common elements among

popular spaces — for example, an area with plenty of natural light, a layout designed

for collaboration or a place where employees can just enjoy some quiet time. With

this information, the company can create an environment where every employee

feels motivated and comfortable.

5

THE RIGHT IWMS ALLOWS EMPLOYEES TO STAY CONNECTED AND HAVE ACCESS TO THE DATA THEY NEED AT ALL TIMES. IT EMPOWERS THEM TO BE INNOVATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE, ENABLING THEM TO FOCUS ON THE PROJECTS THAT WILL HAVE THE MOST IMPACT ON THE BUSINESS.

An IWMS reduces disruptions by eliminating the

need to track down physical documents, hunt for a

coworker or waste time wandering around looking

for an available meeting space.

LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGYIN BUSINESS OPERATIONS

In IBM’s Redefining Boundaries - Insights from the Global C-suite Study, 72 percent

of the CEOs surveyed reported technology, regardless of industry, is a critical differentiator.

And more than half the respondents believed cloud computing and IoT will be the dominant

technologies in the next three to five years.

This prediction was echoed in PwC’s 19th Annual Global CEO Survey, in which two-

thirds of the CEOs surveyed recognized the need to adopt data and analytics (enabled by

cloud computing and IoT) more broadly, as they will derive the most benefits from these

technologies. But while these executives were enthusiastic about cloud computing and IoT,

they also reported they haven’t fully mastered how best to make use of operational data to

drive business outcomes.

The solution? You guessed it — an IWMS. The most comprehensive and accurate

workforce and workplace data means nothing if a company doesn’t have the tools

to organize it, analyze it and make it actionable. An IWMS enables business leaders

to build customized analytics dashboards to help them improve operations

across departments.

The data analytics capabilities of an IWMS help organizations identify

opportunities to increase the cost-effectiveness of their two

biggest expenses: personnel and real estate. Better resource

allocation, more efficient use of space and improved asset

management all start with the implementation of an

IWMS.

6

7

Although many top-level executives may leave the job of comparing, choosing and

implementing an IWMS to the corporate real estate and facilities management teams,

their involvement in the process is critical for three primary reasons:

AN IWMS CAN SUPPORT OR DISRUPT THE VISION FOR YOUR COMPANY

THE C-SUITE RELIES ON

DATA TO MAKE

IMPORTANT DECISIONS

ACHIEVING EMPLOYEE

BUY-IN STARTS FROM

THE TOP DOWN

1 2 3

8

AN IWMS CAN SUPPORT OR DISRUPT THE VISION FOR YOUR COMPANY

WHAT IS YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION? WHAT ABOUT ITS VISION?

More importantly, what is your organization doing to uphold this mission and execute this

vision? Undoubtedly, some sort of technology is involved in the process, for example:

to build and foster connections with prospects and customers

to allow employees to access information on demand

to make meetings with remote employees more personal and engaging

to ensure visitors to your site have a positive user experience

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) SOFTWARE

CLOUD-BASED DATA STORAGE

VIDEO CONFERENCING SOLUTIONS

A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (CMS) AND WEB HOSTING PLATFORM

1

9

Implementing the wrong CRM or installing the wrong conference room technology is

certainly inconvenient and can be expensive. But the ramifications won’t necessarily

have negative consequences across the entire company, so leaving the choice of which

software or hardware to invest in up to the management team is acceptable.

However, an IWMS has the power to influence the employee experience more than most

other technologies. The right IWMS supplies your workforce with the tools they need to

be more productive, enables the business to increase operational efficiency and supports

the organization as it strives to fulfill its vision. But an IWMS that doesn’t meet the needs

of the workforce and the workplace can be an expensive mistake which does more harm

than good.

WHERE DOES THE C-SUITE FIT INTO THIS?

The executive team has insight into high-level business objectives that the rest of

the company does not. This means they are better equipped than anyone else in the

organization to choose an IWMS that best aligns with the company mission and furthers

the business.

10

THE C-SUITE RELIES ON DATA TO MAKE IMPORTANT DECISIONS

Sometimes executive team members don’t have time to make a calculated choice.

Sometimes they must make a snap decision and shoot from the hip. But more often than

not, an executive has the privilege of reviewing and analyzing a slew of data points

— from the minute to the mission-critical.

AND REFUSING TO LEVERAGE THE DATA AT YOUR DISPOSAL IS DOWNRIGHT FOOLHARDY.

The true value of an IWMS is in its analytics capabilities — aggregating data from multiple

sources to help managers across all departments make the right decisions. But this

information is arguably most valuable when in the hands of the C-Suite, who has the

power to affect the biggest changes in an organization.

Having on-demand access to accurate and dependable data helps the executive team stay

abreast of crucial financial and operational developments. And by fully understanding these

features of the IWMS and being comfortable diving into dashboards at any moment, the

executive team can make confident, data-driven decisions about short-term and long-term

business objectives. In other words, an IWMS aids the executive team in bridging the

gap between raw data and a robust strategy.

2

11

THE 9 QUESTIONSEVERY EXECUTIVE ASKS

(That IWMS Analytics Can Answer)

REAL ESTATE1) How much space has my business invested in?

2) How much of this space is my workforce actually using?

3) How can I make sure my business is getting the most out of its real estate?

ASSETS4) What equipment and assets does my business have

and what do we need?

5) Which of these assets are in high-demand and which are simply taking up space?

6) How much is my business spending on purchasing, maintaining and replacing assets?

COMPLIANCE7) Does my business have the required International Standards (ISO) documentation?

8) Are all permits, contracts and licenses up-to-date?

9) Is my business abiding by environmental and government regulations?

ACHIEVING EMPLOYEE BUY-IN STARTS FROMTHE TOP DOWN

Convincing the workforce to accept any change in their environment (such as adopting an

IWMS) is difficult enough as it is. But if the executive and management teams don’t appear

to be 100 percent dedicated to the update, employees at every level will certainly notice

and be hesitant, as well.

To achieve buy-in for an IWMS, the C-Suite must be on board. And for the C-Suite to

be fully on board, they must have adequate experience and information about the new

solution. When the executive team commits to becoming experts on each part of the

process, they can confidently answer employees’ questions and help the workforce feel

more confident about the success of the implementation.

When the C-Suite starts by being upfront about the reason for investing in an IWMS,

demonstrates enthusiasm for the IWMS and properly communicates with all members

of the workforce, it supports an environment of authenticity and openness. As a result,

employees will trust the executive team and have confidence the company has their best

interests at heart.

Because the C-Suite has clout, they can speed up the process, helping to

reduce the time to implementation. In turn, they can free up resources

more quickly and enable the company to move on to other initiatives.

As a bonus, being involved in the process gives the company

bragging rights. The executive team is seen as hands-on and

dedicated to innovation, which helps the company image.

12

3

13

AT THE END OF THE DAY,THE C-SUITE IS MOST CONCERNED WITH ONE THING: THE SUCCESS OF THE BUSINESS. How the executive team goes about achieving this success will certainly vary

across companies and industries, but two facts remain:

FIND THE BEST IWMS SOLUTION FOR YOUR UNIQUE BUSINESS NEEDS.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT

IWMS IS INTEGRAL TO

POSITIVE BUSINESS OUTCOMES

THE C-SUITE

IS INTEGRAL TO CHOOSING THE

RIGHT IWMS

1 2

REQUEST A DEMO TODAY