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Soon after launching Been There, Done That, we heard from many of you that you wanted more — more coaching, more resources more access to the network of entrepreneurs PivotDesk has built.
So, we started to host events aimed at giving you just that…more!
Rather than limit the benefits of these events to attendees only, we’ll be sharing the key insights we covered live, right here on the blog.
Keep an eye out for more PivotDesk event recaps coming soon.
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A panel discussion with the theme of the Democratization of Office Management – shedding light on how technology can empower employees across an organization to maximize company productivity.
January was an awesomely busy month over at PivotDesk New York. In addition to Breakfast without the BS, last month, the first installment of the Future of Work event series kicked off, bringing together experts in workplace productivity and smart office management.
This series began with a conversation with the founders of Managed by Q, PivotDesk, Kisi, and Envoy — all brands who are leading the movement in making companies more productive and efficient through technology-enabled products & services.
Are ping pong tables that important?
Q: What does office culture mean to you? How do you define it?
“Office culture is important in attracting the right people to your team, while company culture is the set of values that inspire your team to work together and grow,” Dan Teran, CEO and Co-founder of Managed by Q explained.
PivotDesk’s own David Mandell, responded very similarly explaining that culture is what differentiates your business and helps you grow. How your employees work together to help grow the business is what company culture embodies. The culture within should ensure every team member feels empowered by the fact that they are contributing to growth of the company as a whole. While they are fun to have, foosball tables and catered lunches shouldn’t be the focus.
Technology isn’t taking your job
Q: Who benefits from your technology within each company?
David opened the dialogue by saying, “There’s a difference between a cost-conscious CEO and a value-conscious CEO.” He went on to explain that the focus should be on increasing productivity and driving value, not saving pennies. He added, “CEOs should be empowering workers to add value every step of the way and implementing new technologies into the office environment allows the CEO to do just that— create more value for the team.”
Bernard Mehl co-founder of KISI explained that he saw a need for businesses to have easier and more secure access to their offices, so he created the keyless entry system to give administrators the ability to control and monitor authorized access to their offices. This is not only useful for team members, but also helps office managers track times employees are entering the office and understand the highest traffic times of the day to plan accordingly.
Larry Gadea of Envoy, backed up Bernard stating that the Envoy product is not meant to replace a receptionist, but rather focuses on “enabling them to do more.” The receptionist can make more of an impact when their focus isn’t on small tasks such as checking guests in on a pen and paper at the front desk.
The panelists agreed that their technology helps team members focus more on the job they are supposed to be doing rather than mundane day-to-day tasks that tend to be major distractions.
The push for new technology — Landlords or Tenants?
Q: Who are you selling to? Landlords, or tenants?
The panelists unanimously agreed that landlords are typically stuck in the dark ages when it comes to technology. They will not adapt unless absolutely necessary, and this usually will not happen without a push from tenants.
David explained that PivotDesk currently works with landlords, brokers and tenants. Initially the push was to work with tenants, due to the fact that brokers and landlords did not want to adapt to something new until they were able visualize results. He went on to say that eventually, brokers and landlords alike started to understand the benefit of using PivotDesk and allowing tenants to share their office. Now, he said, “The CRE industry is coming to us for help with flexible space.”
What’s next for the Commercial Real Estate industry?
Q: How do you see the Commercial Real Estate industry evolving in terms of technology in the future?
The panelists all felt that the Commercial Real Estate industry is behind the times when it comes to technology. With that being said, Dan and David both agreed that with strong enough demand and brand loyalty from tenants, landlords and brokers may be persuaded to change their ways.
Bernard believes that a strong desire to attract (and keep) top tenants in their office spaces may be the push landlords need.
Whatever the push, The CRE industry has a lot of catching up to do. With the help of companies such as KISI, Managed by Q, PivotDesk and Envoy, this should make the transition much smoother.
The modern workplace is changing fast...
Are you keeping up?