Today’s smart buildings are getting more intelligent on the inside, so to speak, due to a new advanced technology category called tenant experience apps (TeX applications) or tenant experience software. Different from landlord/building owner technology that focuses on the management of building systems and operations, this technology delivers value to building tenants by allowing them to digitally transform their specific indoor workspaces for enhanced comfort, wellness, and collaboration.
Many options exist for tenant experience software and their associated apps, so it’s important for those thinking about investing in TeX to know what criteria to look for. Therefore, below I’ve provided the summary list of each selection criteria to consider when choosing such a solution followed by an explanation for each:
Building Automation Systems (BAS) Integration – Integration with any existing building automation system.
Access Controls and Security – Integration with existing access control systems enables features like Mobile-as-a-Pass, allowing your building app to grant access at key entry points such as gates, turnstiles, and main entrances.
Personalization and User Profiles – Required personal information to assist with access, identification, user preferences, and personalization. (Note: In an ideal world, users should be synchronized to a modern identity provider like Okta or AA for SSO, Enhanced Security and Role-based Access Control.)
Visitor Management Systems – Management of access, directions, and notifications for visitors.
Personal Notifications/Announcements – Typically scheduled personal tenant notifications/announcements.
General Announcements – Typically scheduled notifications for general messaging and communicating to tenants and occupants.
Wayfinding – Maps and directions for tenants and visitors.
Booking Systems – Space browsing and reservation systems.
Workplace Equipment and Resource Management – Capability for teams to book essential meeting resources, such as hearing assistance systems, interactive whiteboards, catering, room layouts, and other workplace equipment, ensuring seamless access to the necessary tools and amenities.
Catering – Management of catering for meetings and events.
Environment Management/Space Control – Management of space environment for comfort and wellness.
Sensors for Space Quality Management – Addition of sensors for data capture for intelligent insight into space quality management.
Space Categorization and Management – Intelligent indexing and promotion of spaces based on the intended use.
Service Requests – Coordination of requests for space management, improvement, and repairs.
Soft Facilities Management – Management of internal soft services to maintain a welcoming and safe environment.
Reporting – Delivery of regular reports on space usage and app adoption, tenant feedback, and ESG related activities.
Building Automation Systems (BAS) Integration – Integration with any existing building automation system (BAS). The leading building automation systems include ABB, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Trane Technologies, among many others. These solutions offer either standards-based interfaces or proprietary application programming interfaces (APIs). Your tenant experience apps will need to integrate seamlessly with your existing BAS or data abstraction later, i.e., a building operating system (BOS).
Access Controls and Security
Integration with existing access control systems enables features like Mobile-as-a-Pass, allowing your building app to grant access at key entry points such as gates, turnstiles, and main entrances. Moreover, the tenant experience solution plays a significant role in security and access. Modern systems will leverage users’ mobile devices to authenticate and enable access. This management can extend from initial access to specific areas and lockers and other assets.
Personalization and User Profiles
Required personal information to assist with access, identification, user preferences, and personalization. (Note: in an ideal world, users should be synchronized to a modern identity provider like Okta or AA for SSO, Enhanced Security and Role-based Access Control.) Tenant experience software is not a one size fits all. In addition to scalability to adapt to all facility size requirements, it also needs to adapt to individual user requirements and personalization. This feature includes monitoring and facilitating repetitive tasks, supporting favourites, adapting to start and end times, and assisting with preferred languages.
Visitor Management Systems
Management of access, directions, and notifications for visitors and their hosts. Visitor management enables access to the facility and selected areas and can provide directions in an unfamiliar environment and notify others of their presence.
Personal Notifications/Announcements
Typically scheduled personal tenant notifications/announcements. Tenant experience apps should offer opt-in and occupant-customisable mobile push notifications, browser push notifications, and email notifications.
General Announcements
Typically scheduled notifications for general messaging and communicating to tenants and occupants. Announcements exist for many purposes and are typically formatted for tenant benefit to highlight schedules, special events, user group updates, etc. These will often offer automated scheduling and expirations and can leverage any of the previous notification methods. Announcements can also be available on public displays such as signage monitors, kiosks, or ticker displays.
Wayfinding
Maps and directions to tenants and visitors. Wayfinding or direction finding is extremely valuable as a tenant experience benefit as it can provide direction to lobbies, workspaces, desks, conference rooms, etc. Wayfinding allows tenants to search for colleagues, equipment, or available resources. Local QR codes are often available to highlight current positions or call up associated displays based on current location.
Booking Systems
Space browsing and reservation systems. Key to coordinating the activities of your tenants, a booking solution will let you coordinate the use of buildings, zones, rooms, work desks, presentation aids, catering, and much more. The tenant experience software will manage start and end times and can offer related information such as start times or event durations. Bookings may require approvals, or trigger workflows for space or equipment management. The booking system should also link with traditional office applications such as Microsoft Office 365.
Workspace Equipment & Resource Management
Capability for teams to book essential meeting resources, such as hearing assistance systems, interactive whiteboards, catering, room layouts, and other workplace equipment, ensuring seamless access to the necessary tools and amenities. This feature allows tenants to catalog and track inventory and maintenance schedules and leverage barcodes or QR codes for identification and location services to track asset whereabouts.
Catering
Management of catering for meetings and events. A tenant experience app should provide a catering feature that at least provides the following functionality: coordinating contractors, managing inventory, tracking dietary needs, building menus, and managing policies.
Environment Management/Space Control
Management of space environment for comfort and wellness. By interfacing with new or existing BAS, the tenant experience apps can bring a new level of flexibility and accountability to all aspects of building environment control. These features will control temperature, lighting, window coverings and blinds, audio visual (AV), to name a few.
Sensors for Space Quality Management
Addition of sensors for data capture for intelligent insight into space quality management. Tenant experience software should interface with all sensors in a facility, both existing and future sensors. This capability requires the software to support existing standards and common protocols and offer tools to create new interfaces. Sensors can deliver a wide range of data from simple values to histories of data as well as complex structures such as messages — which include informational messages and alarm messages that require attention from management. Common sensors will include occupancy, room temperature and controls, indoor air quality, and cameras.
Space Categorization, Information, and Management
Intelligent indexing and promotion of spaces based on their intended use. A tenant experience app will include a central database for all space information including space images, availability, booking policies, space type, location, capacity, and layout options.
Service Requests
Coordination of requests for space management, improvement, and repairs. A tenant experience solution is also an asset management solution. Features include tracking assets, managing asset lifecycles, and triggering communications and workflows as necessary for asset optimization. Features will include initial notifications with corresponding data and images, notifications, and workaround options.
Soft Facilities Management
Management of internal soft services to maintain a welcoming and safe environment. Different from hard facility management, which focuses on the maintenance and servicing of mechanical equipment (plumbing, air conditioning, and electrical), fire safety, BAS, etc., soft facility management covers aspects like cleaning, catering, concierge, and other internal services to give tenants an additional level of space management and control.
Reporting
Delivery of regular reports on space usage and app adoption, tenant feedback, and ESG related activities. A tenant experience app will include an integral reporting engine that can deliver various reports to tenants and facility managers. These reports can include energy analytics and billing, occupancy rates, asset status, and more. The reporting feature can deliver standard reports but can also be configured for custom reports as the demand requires.
Concluding Thoughts
The selection of a tenant experience app (TeX) or software is crucial to realizing modern workspaces that use technology to promote collaboration, wellness, comfort, and an overall superior user experience.
The key features outlined in this article such as BAS integration, mobile and desktop support, notifications, wayfinding, booking systems, and facilities management are essential for delivering a seamless and enhanced tenant experience.
By choosing a TeX software that meets these criteria, building owners and landlords can ensure that their tenants have access to the tools and services they need and want.
For more information, visit: Smart Buildings Software | ICONICS IBSS | United Kingdom (intelligentbuildingssoftware.com)