Sustainability has been at the top of the building agenda for many years, with an emphasis on its environmental and economic impact. Such outcomes are of major importance, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that buildings are created for people, and their health and wellbeing should be of the highest priority when it comes to the interior design and workings of offices and other workplaces. Stacey Lucas, Commercial and Marketing Director at Sontay, a market-leader in the manufacture of sensors specifically developed to improve the indoor environment and create healthier, more energy-efficient buildings, looks at how smart sensor technology is being employed for beneficial effect in the places we inhabit most. Pre-pandemic we reportedly spent more than 90% of our lives indoors whether at home, school or in the workplace. Ventilation, temperature and pressure regulation contribute to maintaining an atmospheric happy medium, which in a work environment helps increase employee contentment, leading to increased productivity and fewer sick days. Building sensors installed as part of an efficient building management system, offer an ingeniously smart and effective way of remotely monitoring indoor conditions, as well as giving property owners more control over energy usage; a benefit that not only helps reduce heating and lighting costs, it facilitates a significant reduction in a building’s carbon footprint. Monitoring key criteria such as relative humidity, CO2 and air quality can also offer vital information on the likelihood of viral transmission in the indoor environment and instruct the BMS to increase ventilation to improve conditions. Their usage could therefore be a factor in driving environmental-initiatives, such as the UK government’s pledge for carbon-neutral status by 2050 as well as building confidence in us returning to office buildings in the future. Sensor solutions Sensors can control a myriad of elements that affect our indoor climate including temperature, which in relation to an office environment is found to be around 22°C. However, relative humidity, if not managed correctly can make a room feel hotter or colder than the actual temperature reading. It can increase the likelihood of bacterial spread at lower levels. A sensor can help overcome these issues by monitoring humidity levels, to ensure an ideal 50% reading is maintained. In terms of air quality, airborne volatile organic compounds (VOC), pollutants which are found in paints and other building materials, are known to have a detrimental effect. The same harmful chemicals are also present in hand sanitisers, aggressive cleaning products and detergents; the demand for which has been unprecedented since the onset of the coronavirus crisis. Air quality sensors are able to measure VOC levels and provide data for when ventilation is needed to maintain occupancy comfort, or the need to take action when a potentially hazardous reading is recorded. Crisis management The COVID-19 pandemic has also focused a lot of attention on the amount of indoor space people should be allowed to share in order to maintain distance and prevent viral spread. A CO2 sensor provides a clear visual indication of when a workplace requires ventilation due to deterioration in the indoor air quality. When we exhale we emit CO2, which if left unchecked in a busy office environment for example, can lead to headaches due to increased discomfort levels. A CO2 sensor with an LED traffic light-style display can help alleviate this issue. When showing green, for instance, the sensor is indicating that a room isn’t over-occupied and the risk to air quality is low. Should the sensor show amber, it’s a sign that windows require opening or fewer people need to be in the room to maintain the same healthy indoors environment. When the sensor turns red it is a call to action, as it indicates there is not enough ventilation in the room. At these last two stages, if a sensor is connected to a building management system, it will activate relevant ventilation. Light level and occupancy sensors offer further relevance to the ongoing pandemic. In relation to the nationwide lockdown, many offices in towns and cities remain empty whilst lights and other energy sources continue to burn unmonitored within the buildings themselves. An estimated 40% of a building’s energy costs are attributed to light usage; therefore, installing a sensor which operates lighting based on a building’s occupancy and interior light levels has financial and environmental benefits. Though relatively small in size, building sensors can have a huge part to play in ensuring properties, particularly workspaces, are managed safely, sustainably and profitably. Like a friend we never knew we had, these smart little devices look out for us when we’re in the office, and look out for the office when we’re at home. They are becoming evermore vital to the way we work today, and in the future.

Cadline has launched a new platform called DynamicAIM, to address a major crisis for building and asset owners, providing the “golden thread” required within the construction and housing industry. DynamicAIM is a first of its kind, all-in-one solution for digitising build details including all BIM, survey and asset information, enabling property owners and managers to securely preserve and access vital information when needed. Local authorities, housing developers, and manufacturing sites are among the first to adopt DynamicAIM, including associations such as Peabody and Wolverhampton Council. “As our go-to 3D survey and BIM supplier, Cadline’s DynamicAIM helps us digitise our stock and centralise data whilst working towards conforming to the Hackitt report and new government guideline,” said a spokesperson from Peabody. Asset owners are facing a critical point for building safety as The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has this week revealed new guidance on which types of properties require additional inspections. This means asset owners need to be prepared to hand over vital information at any time, as outlined in the Hackitt report. Where build details, drawings, measurements, certifications and manuals would traditionally be produced manually and stored separately, the ability to digitally store and view all details in one platform means asset managers are able to more effectively and safely maintain buildings and facilities. DynamicAIM is enabling firms to comply with the Building Safety Bill – which is likely to require a digital version of residential buildings above 18 metres. “It is a building owner’s responsibility to preserve asset information in order to have the means to appropriately maintain the building and its contents. The failings in this regard are well documented throughout the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry and while property managers struggle to search for historical data that is either outdated, inaccurate, or no longer exists,” added Matt Lees, Head of Engineering at Cadline. “Now, all asset details from specific measurements right through to large-scale plans can be shared among architects, stakeholders, fire engineers and safety managers in one platform. This has been critical for those addressing immediate safety requirements, and to provide better transparency for stakeholders, tenants and staff.” DynamicAIM is built on Cadline’s existing, robust DynamicMaps functionality. It has been created as one solution to address demand from existing Cadline clients. DynamicAIM handles big data and enables asset owners and managers to view any element of the building virtually, via 3D model or 360 HD virtual tours. It also has the ability to obtain measurements, making future adjustments, repairs or maintenance much easier and quicker to carry out. As an Autodesk partner, Cadline specialises in supporting customers in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing industries.

Priva – one of the world’s leading building controls manufacturers – has launched a new innovation lab to accelerate the development and deployment of technology and software solutions that enable better, healthier buildings and smarter approaches to energy use. From its base in De Lier, Holland, Priva Lab for Innovation (Lin) has been developed in response to the major energy challenges faced within the built environment supply chain. Together, building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world[1], with operational emissions (from energy used to heat, cool and light buildings) accounting for 28%.  The Lab’s growing suite of smart building technologies will also help organisations to participate in the ‘energy transition’. This will make it easier for carbon-conscious businesses and the public sector to take advantage of smarter, more flexible approaches to energy consumption. It will also enable more efficient balancing of demand from green, renewable sources.  Technology suite The Lin Lab capitalises on sophisticated digital twin technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to bring new, data driven solutions to the smart buildings / smart energy market. The launch portfolio is focused on two technologies: ecoBuilding – an already proven technology which is an intelligent layer of cloud-based software that sits on top of an existing building management system. Already deployed in sites across Europe, ecoBuilding uses digital twin and AI technology to learns how to balance indoor climate control against external factors such as fluctuations in energy tariffs and make continuous operational improvements to a buildings.  ecoGrid – a cloud-based smart microgrid solution which enables fully-automated balancing of energy consumption, demand and storage by optimising the flows between the connected energy elements. It makes buildings with renewable energy sources even more self-sufficient and ready to connect to energy grids at a local level.   Commenting on the launch of Priva’s Lab for Innovation Peter Vandendriessche, VP Strategy & Commerce, said: “We are extremely excited to share Priva’s Lab for Innovation with the world. We are a business that never stands still; we always look to the future. The Lin Lab will act as an important accelerator for cutting-edge technologies that will re-shape the way our customers and partners use – and resource – energy. In doing so, it will be possible to embrace the smart energy revolution and accelerate the journey to Net Zero emissions. We very much look forward to inviting you all to the Lab as soon as we are able.” Online profile To support the launch of Priva’s Lab for Innovation a comprehensive website has been developed which includes case studies and references of ecoGrid and ecoBuilding as well as regularly updated content on topics around energy in the built environment. To explore the Priva Lab for Innovation, click here: www.privalabforinnovation.com

3D Repo, creators of cloud-based design collaboration in Building Information Modelling (BIM) today announced that it has received an Epic MegaGrant, which will be used to build a new data delivery platform for the AEC industry. Harnessing the power of Unreal Engine’s advanced real-time technology, 3D Repo has created an infinitely scalable 3D rendering and data delivery platform that allows AEC users to share and view massive and complex 3D engineering models online. Dr Jozef Dobos, CEO at 3D Repo, said: “Over the past two years we’ve seen a gradual shift from BIM to Digital Twins, with more and more clients requesting high visual fidelity for both engineering and client presentation purposes, and the ability to explore vast 3D scenes in real-time. “Our new digital twin streaming solution is a major breakthrough that will enable AEC professionals to collaborate remotely using very large and complex 3D models across the web. 3D Repo is delighted to receive the Epic MegaGrant to help push the boundaries and improve efficiency and quality of construction in the UK.” Via open APIs, the 3D Repo version control cloud connects with Unreal Engine, where pre-optimised assets are dynamically loaded directly into a running game, giving users the ability to log-in via their 3D Repo credentials and seamlessly retrieve any of their assets on the fly. This is made possible through a persistent storage layer rather than parsing and baking assets into a new game executable each time an asset revision is created. Ken Pimentel, AEC industry management at Epic Games, said: “The new 3D Repo data delivery platform for Unreal Engine enables remote collaboration using very large and complex 3D models through the power of Unreal’s real-time technology. “AEC professionals are running into a wall trying to visualise large-scale projects using existing solutions, and this effort shows what’s truly possible when innovative teams collaborate for a mutual goal.” The integration library is now freely available for download at https://3drepo.com/downloads/#plugins

A seismic shift in the way homes are bought and sold has placed technology at the core of the property industry. And that’s where it is set to stay, according to a tech entrepreneur who is celebrating the first anniversary of his software launching today. Yourkeys launched its sales progression platform for new homes in January 2020 and soon added a feature to facilitate remote sales. CEO Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson believes remote viewings, reservations and sales progression, born of necessity, will remain a vital part of the sales process. He said: “Yourkeys came about in a bid to fix slow and broken processes in the property market. As we sought to automate transactions, we identified a need to process remote reservations from overseas buyers. Then lockdown hit and the whole industry was working remotely. “We launched our online reservation feature and immediately saw 60 to 70 per cent of transactions becoming fully remote. “Since then, while face-to-face viewings have resumed, more than 60 per cent of reservations are still taken remotely. “Buyers’ expectations have changed. They want to complete the administrative tasks associated with buying a home at a time that suits them. They don’t see the need to travel to the development to reserve once they have seen the home they want to buy.” Yourkeys connects mortgage providers, conveyancers, search providers and even CRM systems. The company’s technology will be available to estate agents by the middle of 2021 and there is scope for further diversification. Riccardo said: “The past year has demonstrated that a whole host of tasks associated with residential property sales can be digitised. While some advances were necessitated by the health crisis, the industry has discovered that technology can solve many problems and transform outdated processes. “Crucially, this is a change that the industry has embraced. Perceptions have shifted and there is a real openness to consider new tech solutions.” Yourkeys currently works with more than 50 new homes developers and agents. It has 9,000 homes listed on its platform, with a total value in excess of £2bn. More than 70 per cent of all sales through Yourkeys progress to exchange in 28 days or fewer. Riccardo said: “While it’s easy to refer to a number of ‘properties’ or ‘units’, these are people’s new homes. We take great satisfaction in helping our clients to provide a better customer experience and to progress the sale as quickly and seamlessly as possible.” For more information on Yourkeys, or to book a demo, see Yourkeys.com.

Customer relationship management is a business development tool designed to help organizations manage their interactions with customers easily. Its automation features send alerts when a customer completes a particular action, when it is time to perform an activity such as follow up a contract, download a white paper or even sign up for a free trial. This therefore shows that CRM system is right for every business process and the CRM features can be utilized at any stage of the business. It is therefore never too late to use a CRM Creatio in business but the timing of actions must be correctly calculated. However, a good number of companies wait too long to start implementing CRM. as a result, they deal with many issues for long before they finally settle on a suitable system. During this time, they lose leads, overwork employees and provide inferior customer service. In this article, we look at the sections of business that use CRM and the essence of using the software at that particular stage of business. It is however important to have this information handy before acquiring a CRM software at any stage of a business. Acceptance: make sure workers and other key stakeholders have clear understanding of the benefits this application brings to the business and that they fully embrace the installation. Understand the problem: stakeholders should have clear understanding of the kinds of problems the software is coming to solve. Training and implementation: how will the management encourage adoption? Who will need to access the system? How will the teams learn about the system? Features: what features of the system are needed by your business? There Is No Insight Into The Performance Of Sales Teams An effectively progressing business needs a clear insight into how each team is performing or contributing to the success. If your organization is lacking, unable or even unsure on how best to track sales activities and business processes, then it could be the right time to acquire a CRM system. You may be asking for instance; how much time do your ales reps spend closing deals? Or how fast do they respond to leads? It won’t be very easy or even possible to improve sales if in the first place they are not being tracked. Important Data Is Missing Or Getting Lost Building lasting relationships with customers is more than just remembering their names. It is about memorizing what they purchased last, offering integrated customer service, following up on previous interactions and tracking additional opportunities. CRM gives you a centralized customer data storage and access portal making it easier to follow up on past interactions with them. If your business is struggling with missing customer information, this is the right time to start using the system and improve the company’s relationships. Your Employees Are Overworked Research shows that employees spend only about 36% of their time selling. This shows that a big volume of workhours is wasted by sales people and customer service teams handling and managing customer data. This could be in the form of time wasted checking email campaigns, logging phone calls or updating contact data. This is the right time to acquire a good CRM system in order to centralize contents and automate processes. This reduces time spent checking the statuses of campaigns or updating contact information. As a result, employees spend more time doing other tasks that help them increase productivity. Lack Of Personalized Customer Service Many people say they prefer personalized treatment as opposed to robotic business interactions. This is why one will not care about waiting too long in a queue at a shop where he gets more personalized services at a higher price instead of acquiring similar services at the next shop with poor customer relationship management. If your business is suffering the wrath of poor customer service, this maybe the right time for you to start using CRM in your business.

If you run a field service business that is in the process of growing, it is essential you use software to support your operations and decision making. Read on to find out more. The Advantages of Going Paperless By using software for a field service business, your company can evolve to entirely paperless operations. By transferring from a paper system to a software solution, you have the tools to: ·       Provide electronic invoicing. ·       Store data in the cloud online, so it can be accessed anytime and anywhere by anyone who has permission. ·       Capture information in pre-formatted and photo-enriched forms to help avoid errors. ·       Use instant messaging services to ensure all field teams and service centre staff are connected. ·       Save costs on things like paper, ink cartridges, printers, and photocopiers. Software Helps to Provide Accurate Estimates Pen and paper or spreadsheets are still commonly used by field service businesses like electrical contracting companies to come up with estimates. But manually estimating the cost of jobs is an inefficient way to work compared to using a software solution for electrical bidding and other field service bids. Manually estimating costs can lead to all kinds of issues. Most importantly, it can lead to services being priced incorrectly. With the right software, field service businesses have a system that gives them a precise overview of the time, expenses, and margins for every specific job, ensuring that accurate estimates can be given. It’s 2024. It’s time for contractors to update their tech. Quality FSM software and a device like a smartphone or tablet are all you need to do anything business-related on the fly. Aside from the work itself, of course. Software Helps to Solve Scheduling Problems One of the biggest logistical problems field service technicians and dispatchers encounter is scheduling issues. Scheduling challenges can become even more problematic as a field service company grows. Manually tracking where technicians are and where they have been can be difficult. But software alleviates that problem. The best field service business software provides accurate scheduling tools and can alert technicians in the field instantly. Most software also enables you to optimise appointment bookings so that technicians can plan the best routes to jobs and notify customers if they are running late.   Software Enables Field Service Businesses to Respond in Real Time The best software enables your business to respond in real time, which means many of your operations can become more efficient. For example, software allows your company to: ·       Optimise travel times for technicians, meaning they can arrive faster and spend less time in traffic jams. ·       Optimise service times, due to the fact that technicians have access to online details about things like customer data and spare parts. ·       Optimise workloads of technicians, because the ability to work more efficiently in all areas enables technicians to perform more service calls each day. Benefits like those above enable field service businesses to increase their productivity, and therefore, accelerate growth. Field Service Businesses Can Measure Growth with Industry-specific Data To grow a field service business, you need to be able to measure and track your company’s progress. To ensure you can do that, use a software solution where you can integrate your business parameters into the platform. Each business has its own specific Key Performance Indicators. After you have identified your specific KPIs, ensure your software can retrieve and analyse reliable field data for things like the number of service calls performed and the adherence to service legal agreements. Software Can Improve Customer Satisfaction If you want your field service business to grow, you must continually provide customer satisfaction. If you have problems with factors like schedules, timekeeping, and accounts, your customer satisfaction rates will soon drop. But as seen above, software solutions can help you avoid such issues. By utilising the right software solutions, your business will have all it needs to improve its performance and increase its productivity; both of which will help to foster business growth.