COO talks to CIO Tech Asia about how its shifted from a traditional way of doing things to meet the challenges of COVID-19.
Global real estate and property management company Knight Frank Australia will combat the challenges in communication and connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond with, Equiem’s tenant experience app as a critical tool for engaging its workforce across the country
Aaron McGhee chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Knight Frank Australia told CIO Tech Asia the new app will deliver “seamless” communication, health and wellbeing programming (including the provision of live-streamed fitness classes), key HR information, and more.
“The full suite of products and services will help Knight Frank support and connect with its team members through a likely extended period of transition,” he said. “Knight Frank will also be able to take advantage of Equiem’s recently released ‘Return to Workplace’ solution – set of new features and services designed to help property managers and owners return workers safely into offices.” These features include ‘Smart’ dashboards that report on real-time lobby traffic; building occupancy; air quality and other key measures. As well as interactive re-entry guides, controlled building access, and touchless door, turnstile, lift access.
McGhee said the deal complements the Knight Frank Australia and Equiem relationship which already includes a portfolio arrangement. Currently Knight Frank offer Equiem’s tenant experience app to their existing and prospective Australian customers, enabling the firm to offer a new service to clients and differentiate Knight Frank’s offer in the Australian marketplace.
This mobile app is targeted at B and C grade commercial assets managed by Knight Frank, as well as customers.
“Our competitors have been creating businesses within the business to try and solve working and operating in a pandemic,” McGhee said. “What we have done is partner with organisations like Equiem to allows us to rapidly integrate any platform into the business.”
He said during the pandemic lockdown Knight Frank rapidly “flipped the product to be an employee engagement tool”.
“We’ve replaced our intranet in terms of commerce platform and we’re using apps like Equiem’s to help with remote workers, as well as customers.”
McGhee said the organisation acknowledged there were changes in business behaviour and to continue it needed to start “something new”.
“Remote by Equiem is a Knight Frank pick up from “Landlord Tenant Engagement Tool” and creates building communities, we then pivoted the product to become Employee Engagement tool – social, corporate, health and wellbeing during the pandemic to keep remote workers engaged. We will also use his as a test case for occupant/tenant advisory.”
McGee said the discussion in the corporate landscape has changed from work from home to return to work and retaining flexibility of working arrangements.
“We have acknowledged we will always have a component of our business working flexibly from now on,” he said.
Another Knight Frank product, Allaccessplus helped carry the discussions around flexible/co-working infrastructure further.
“We pivoted this product to manage return to work,” said McGhee. “It runs our desk booking system, social distancing in the office and team rotations. It will be further extended to control all lockers and access points touchless. It will also have facial recognition and automatic temperature testing and recording.”
McGhee said this has had the highest engagement from its clients, who are all working through the return to work issue and the constantly changing landscape (nationally and by state).
“Our company approach to IT has changed with the appointment of our Head of Disruption ( Allan Jansen ) we will continue to foster relationship and leverage relationships for our clients, by using KF as the proof point,” he said. “The game is now about speed of adoption, acknowledging redundancy and constant evolution through superseding via integration. Jansen looks at the future state of problem solving for our clients.”
Tags: appscommercial propertyDigital DisruptionEquiemKnight Franreal estateremote work
