Our work is all about the user experience. And five years from now, solutions providers will do well to remember that will still be the case. Perhaps even more so, as new technologies, workplace transformation, and expectations from Millennial workers assert their influence.
You’re seeing it in every technology we’re exposed to today, and it extends across retail, house of worship, manufacturing, sports, education, hospitality, medical, and certainly any workplace. Better experience makes technology the enabler of better outcomes.
New Technologies — The role for solutions providers will be to strategically guide our clients through the rapidly changing technology trends to provide collaboration solutions that deliver on an experience, and more importantly on the clients’ desired business outcomes.
It can be a tricky balance between technology capability and simplicity of use. We’re at an inflection point where technology, space and workflows must optimally come together to transform the workplace into a harmonious, productive whole. Work is now mobile, social, collaborative and ever connected.
So group collaboration tools and flexible, connected workspaces will be the new norm. Think of mass standardization delivered in a way that is repeatable, scalable, and delivers an outcome that encourages adoption and future use.
Workplace Transformation — The focus is changing from projects to platforms. Customized solutions will always have a place within an organization’s technology playbook, but standards and more technology everywhere are quickly becoming the norm.
Spaces that have not usually included technology — like cafes, hallways, coffee bars and huddle spaces — are becoming connected, collaboration spaces. Companies want fewer, but more useable, spaces that can produce natural and intuitive experiences without boundaries.
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Research shows that over 54 percent of meetings involve remote participants; so the collaboration solutions provider will need to accept the responsibility of removing the in-room bias and delivering solu-tions that produce consistent out-comes and desired experiences for everyone.
Today, technology decisions are an integral part of space and fit-out discussions. It is now a joint decision between a number of stakeholders, with IT and facilities teams leading the way. Delivering a consistent and scalable experience will rely more heavily on managed services from solutions providers.
As organizations work to implement technology standards, shift to more cloud-based conferencing applications, and strive for consistent meeting experiences, the importance of services to help assess, develop and support their solutions is more critical.
Millennials and Expectations — Mobile and Millennial workers are driving this change. Providers need to be able to speak with confidence on the value of the solutions they design, offer and support.
They must deliver that message in ways that are tangible for the customer. That message should focus on outcomes and experience. The solutions providers who can pivot quickly through technology acceleration and deliver on that experience will be leading the way for the rest of the industry.
