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Anyone can accrue data – Workplace Intelligence ensures it’s being put to use
Even well-prepared organisations can struggle to turn their smart technology investments into actionable insights and meaningful decisions. Scott Murphy, Head of Service Sales at Conscia UK, examines how why this is, and how Workplace Intelligence is designed to help organisations avoid it.
In my previous blog, I introduced Conscia’s new Workplace Intelligence offering by looking at the trend of organisations making piecemeal investments into smart technologies, only to end up with lacklustre results. Today, I wanted to take this a step further and examine why even coordinated efforts by well-prepared organisations can ultimately fail to convert collecting data into making meaningful ongoing decisions around an organisation’s operations.
Broadly, every organisation that makes an investment in the smart technologies space falls into one of three categories: those that are accruing data, those that are accessing data, and those that are using data. While careful planning and identified goals can generally ensure an organisation avoids just accruing data, it by no means guarantees that they’ll be able to actively turn this data into their desired outcomes.
To look at how organisations fall into this middle ground – and how we can avoid it – let’s run through the basics of each category.
Accruing data
The first rung on the smart technologies ladder, this category contains organisations that are collecting data without ever seeing it. This is most commonly caused by situations where the devices that collect data are already being used for a different primary purpose; video endpoints, CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi access points – these can all act as data sources, but the organisation may not realise they’re collecting data at all. In other instances, the organisation may be aware of their capabilities but simply lacks the time or expertise to invest in harnessing the data. In either case, the data is ignored by the organisation, and so is ultimately useless to them.
Accessing data
The next step from simply accruing data is accessing it. These organisations are adopting smart technologies and collecting the data they provide, but do not necessarily have a clear plan for how that data should be used.
The intention is in the right place, and they will see some benefit. However, as the number of devices increases, so too will the number of data silos. Without bringing that data together in one central place and applying it with a clear purpose, organisations will struggle to turn insight into ongoing opportunities.
Only ever seeing fragments of the picture, rather than the whole thing, will result in decisions that are limited in both scope and impact and, in some cases, could lead to unintended consequences because they are based on incomplete information.
Using data
This brings us to the final category: organisations that not only have broad access to their data, but also the ability to reliably turn it into meaningful decisions and actions that influence how they operate.
Organisations in this category recognise not only the potential of smart technologies, but also the importance of having dedicated time, responsibility, and specialist expertise to put that technology to work. Rather than expecting data alone to provide the answers, they have a clear approach to interpreting it and applying it to their specific priorities.
By consolidating their data and applying the right expertise and insight, organisations can move beyond simply reading and reacting to what the data tells them. Instead, they can identify opportunities, take informed action, measure the impact, and continually refine their approach to achieve defined outcomes and generate greater value from their technology investments.
The service approach
For some organisations, the expertise required to reach the final stage will be found in-house. Many, however, won’t have the internal resource to give these investments the attention they need. In these cases, working with a technology partner can provide the expertise, focus, and ongoing support required.
This is exactly what Conscia’s Workplace Intelligence is designed to provide. It combines hardware and a powerful data platform, with a comprehensive service wrap that provides dedicated expertise focused on turning that data into insight, action and ongoing value.
We start by understanding the outcomes you want to achieve, before considering the technology or data needed to get there. We assess the capabilities you already have, often uncovering valuable data sources that are hidden or underused, and then build a solution around your goals.
The entire solution is combined with dedicated expertise and is delivered as a service over an agreed term. Maintenance and support keep your systems healthy, secure and operational, while regular service reviews and consultancy track progress against your goals and provide tailored recommendations for what to do next.
There is no significant upfront investment and no need to build specialist expertise in-house. A simple monthly fee provides the technology, insight and ongoing support needed to realise the full value of your smart workplace investment.
To find out more about Workplace Intelligence please visit our dedicated page, or get in contact to start the conversation for yourself.
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