Over the past decade, the commercial real estate sector has undergone substantial changes, driven by a shift towards customer-centricity. Landlords and workspace operators now face the challenge of delivering diverse space options that cater to the varied needs of their tenants throughout the workweek.
“One of the biggest issues we’re trying to solve is what is the relationship we all want with the office?” Kally Kang-Kersey, Chief People Officer
This question underscores the complexity of modern workspace management, particularly with the rise of hybrid and dynamic working models. These models, which range from distributed setups to hub-and-spoke configurations, demand adaptable spaces that facilitate both collaborative and focused work. As a result, the sophistication required to manage these spaces has increased, making data and insight crucial elements in this new era.
The role of data in optimising workspaces
Despite the rapid evolution towards hybrid working, the data available to understand space utilisation and user experiences remains limited. Traditional metrics, such as contractual occupancy, while important, don’t paint a complete picture of how spaces are used. What space operators need is high-resolution, high-fidelity data that provides a detailed understanding of space utilisation and user experience.
“Our customers are looking for much better fidelity, so they want accurate pictures whether that’s real-time or over time. And they also want a much better resolution.” Mark Furness, Chief Executive Officer
Intelligence Engine addresses this gap by integrating various proprietary data sources and surfacing meaningful insights – in real-time and over time. This comprehensive approach allows us to offer a true picture of workspace performance and health. By providing this level of detail, we enable our customers to make better investments and optimise their spaces more effectively.
What is essensys Platform Intelligence Engine?
Intelligence Engine was conceptualised in 2019 with the goal of delivering unparalleled resolution & fidelity in workspace data. By combining multiple data sources, we’re able to surface a holistic view of how spaces are used and experienced. This tool not only highlights real-time usage patterns and digital experience indicators, but also stores historic data so patterns and trends can be identified over time.
“Intelligence Engine in essensys Platform is all about allowing our customers to make more powerful strategic decisions confidently, based on actionable data.” James Shannon, Chief Product & Technology Officer
This ambition sets Intelligence Engine apart, allowing us to track users at an individual level and offering a precise measure of space utilisation. This goes beyond merely counting devices in a building to understanding the user journeys and interactions within the space. By doing so, we provide a coherent view of both physical and digital experiences, crucial for optimising workspace performance.
Key benefits for our customers
Our customers consistently express the need for insights that help them achieve 3 core goals: driving occupancy, increasing yield per square foot, and reducing operating costs. Intelligence Engine directly addresses these needs by offering data-driven insights into space utilisation and digital experience. This allows space operators to make informed decisions that keep their spaces fuller for longer, enhance revenue potential, and streamline operational efficiency.
“Whether [our customers are] trying to reduce operating costs or increase yield or occupancy, seeing patterns of user journeys through spaces and patterns of utilisation and potentially how they’re experiencing the space, either physically or digitally, is where we feel we can drive the most value.” James Lowery, Chief, Operations Officer
For instance, understanding patterns around user journeys and utilisation can highlight potential risks, such as low utilisation in a building with high contractual occupancy. These insights enable proactive measures to improve space usage and tenant satisfaction, ultimately driving better outcomes for both operators and their clients.
The future of workspace optimisation
Intelligence Engine will continue to evolve, leveraging the growing power of data sets and advanced analytics. As machine learning and AI capabilities expand, we will be able to offer even more predictive insights, helping our customers anticipate future trends in space utilisation and user behaviour.
“Going beyond what we measure in real time and historically, machine learning and AI gives us the ability to create insights as to what may happen in the future. So rather than just creating actual insights about what has happened in the past about utilisation and experience in a space, we’ll be able to start surfacing how a customer or how an occupier may use a space in the future.” James Shannon, Chief Product & Technology Officer
By providing a high-resolution, high-fidelity view of workspace performance, Intelligence Engine empowers our customers to optimise their environments in ways that were previously unimaginable. Whether it’s through improving the digital experience, enhancing space utilisation, or reducing operational costs, this tool is poised to drive significant value across the commercial real estate sector.
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