Bridging technology and service for a better workday

Q: Can you explain your role at ISS? 

A: When I joined ISS in 2022, my primary task was to build up agile software development teams internally. First, we created a team that built a new waste management solution for Denmark, now live at BYGST (Danish building and property agency) and will be launching next year in the UK. The next huge step was development of ISS’ Workplace app. We started by insourcing the app from an external vendor and have gone on to completely redesigned the app to enhance usability, provide more insights, and make a greater impact at client sites.  

Q: What role does the Workplace app play in providing a curated workplace experience? Why is it important that it does that?  

A: The Workplace app is designed to support customers’ employees throughout their work day. Through the app, a news feed carousel provides the most relevant information at a glance. At ISS, we offer curated events for our clients, which surface through the app, and users can view upcoming events, register or unregister for them, and have these events automatically added to their Outlook calendars. And of course users can book meeting rooms, work stations and parking spaces for themselves, colleagues or guests. The app can be integrated with Order@ISS (where you can order food from your phone), IBM Tririga, Microsoft Teams and your Outlook calendar— just to name a few! We act as a technical bridge between our service offerings and the employees who benefit from them, making it easier for them to access and engage with our services. This app serves as a vital channel for delivering our curated experiences to our clients. 

Q: Which features have driven the most satisfaction from clients or the most productivity from their employees? Is there a particular feature that they've said has been really beneficial for them? 

A: The first feature is our helpdesk, which provides a simple way to raise service requests. If something is broken, an ISS placemaker is notified to fix it. This feature is heavily used and is present in most of our customer installations. It adds significant value because it offers convenience and certainty; when you’re in the office and encounter a problem, you know exactly where to go to get it fixed. You can even chat with our placemakers through the app, asking questions like “When will you come around?” or “When will it be fixed?” and the placemakers can respond directly through the app. 

Another highly valued feature is desk booking, which can be enhanced with sensors and localisation technology. When you sit down at a desk equipped with a sensor, it automatically checks you in, making it a powerful and convenient way to organise office life where desk booking is required. 

Q: How is ISS’ Workplace app different from what other providers do?  

A: There are two main differences. First, we provide an exceptionally broad range of services. Some competitors only offer room and desk booking, others focus solely on food and beverages, or parking solutions. In contrast, our app includes all these features in one place. Additionally, you can add any link you like, making our app a one-stop shop for any service a company wants to offer its employees. 

The second difference is that we are not a tech company; we are a service company. Our technology is seamlessly integrated with the services we offer, and the people and processes which sit behind them. This is something that partners like Microsoft appreciate, as it links technology to the human side of things. We can achieve this because we have 350,000 placemakers in our clients’ buildings, and our technology connects employees directly to them. 

Q: For a company that is looking to use the app in their workplace, what main things should they consider?  

A: I would start by asking them what technology they already have, what they want to add or replace and what they want to achieve. For example, some clients use solutions for helpdesk services and may want to replace those with our application. Others might have a back-to-the-office policy post-pandemic that they want to support with desk booking capabilities. It really depends on what they need to support or enhance with technology. 

Given the wide variety of features, we can support many touchpoints that employees encounter throughout the day, whether it’s booking parking spaces, meeting rooms, desks, ordering food, addressing problems, managing events or answering questions about the building. The app is fully customisable to meet the specific needs of each customer. 

Q: Are there any features that clients can expect in the app in the next months or years?  

A: One thing we frequently hear from clients is the desire for a more intelligent app, utilising chatbots and AI to support and drive certain features. That’s why we have a chatbot-driven helpdesk feature on our roadmap, where users can interact with a chatbot to get the help they need. This is our first step towards creating a chatbot-driven application, and we’re ultimately aiming for a digital companion that users can talk to or write to, organising everything for them. 

Additionally, clients are looking for technology that better supports hybrid working models. To address this, we are creating a feature called ‘Great To See You’ which allows users to see who is in the office and engage with them in different ways, for instance by organising a team event. Are your favourite colleagues, your team or your boss in the office— invite them for a coffee! You can also encourage people to come into the office through the app.  

Q: Looking at the whole landscape of workplace applications, how has that developed or changed in the last few years?  

A: It’s now less about individual features and more about supporting the entire daily journey of an employee. Previously, the focus was on making specific tasks, like room booking, efficient. Now, the approach is more user-centric, considering what an employee needs throughout their day. For example, we know when a specific user arrives, they will want to park their car, have a coffee and easily find their booked desk. 

This user-centric view is why we aim to integrate features like ‘Great to See You’, linking various modules together. For instance, if you’ve booked a parking spot, a desk, and three meeting rooms but suddenly you can’t come to the office, you can simply inform the app and it will cancel your reservations and notify your colleagues. This creates a companion tool where different features are seamlessly integrated. 

We are also looking forward to future possibilities, such as integrating tools like Microsoft Copilot to assist in decision-making. For example, the app could notice you’re scheduled to be in the office next Tuesday along with two other meeting participants, so it suggests booking a meeting room or reserving a table for you at lunch. These features are not far off, and are even more feasible now with our collaboration with Microsoft and access to their data. We’re really excited about the future.