OMNI-CHANNEL FROM OFFICE TO - The Rise of the Omni-Channel Worker in the Digital Age - WORKTECH Academy
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
FROM OFFICE TO
OMNI-CHANNEL
The Rise of the
Omni-Channel Worker
in the Digital Age
A PAPER BY MIRVAC
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WORKTECH ACADEMY
OFFICE
‘a room, set of rooms, or building
used as a place for commercial,
professional, or bureaucratic work…’
Oxford English Dictionary
OMNI-CHANNEL
‘seamless and effortless, high-quality
customer experiences that occur within
and between contact channels…’
Frost & Sullivan business consultants
1
CONTENTS
1. Executive Summary
2. What is Omni-Channel Working?
3. The New World of Work
4. The Retail Parallel
5. Enabling Technologies
6. Leadership, Productivity and Wellbeing
7. The Way Forward
21.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A new scenario for work is emerging in the aftermath of the
global pandemic that will change the way that office buildings are
used in the future. The acceleration of a trend to more flexible and
home working amid the COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the
potential and the capacity for employees to work anywhere
using virtual, cloud-based technologies.
The scene is now set for an omni- The paper discusses the emergence of The paper concludes with pointers
channel approach to working in which the omni-channel model in the context and advice for organisations; these
employees work, synchronously and of providing more flexibility, choice relate to using their property portfolio
asynchronously, across time, space and and consistent experience in work, as a platform, and using data to shape
a range of places. The corporate office and balance in work-life. It highlights and curate new work experiences.
channel will remain critically important the continuing importance of office Our research suggests omni-channel
but not as a generic, all-purpose property within this new model as a working is not about a trade-off between
workplace – it will evolve into several hub for culture, innovation, learning physical and digital channels, but rather
work channels with specific functions. and production. It also examines about a process of digital transformation
This paper describes the first signs of a the enabling technologies that will which in turn offers workers a wider
global shift from office to omni-channel, underpin the model, ensuring seamless choice of physical places in which to
chronicling the rise of the omni-channel transitions between different channels, work.
worker in the digital age and mapping enabling creative collaborations, driving
Office property will remain a vital part
the different physical and virtual digital equality and using data-driven
of the omni-channel world, but it will
workspaces of the future. insights to understand and respond to
require repurposing, replanning and
new working patterns.
Omni-channel working takes its redesigning. Where offices are fit for
name from omni-channel retailing or The rise of omni-channel work has this new purpose, the office property
commerce, which has been successfully significant implications for organisations portfolio will take on a new lease of life
adopted by many big brands and in terms of supporting the productivity as an essential part of a smart platform
provides a single, seamless customer and wellbeing of their employees. The to enable the new omni-channel
experience across all channels. This paper looks at the adjustments that will workforce.
retail parallel is valuable because it need to be made in terms of corporate
provides the workplace with a useful mindset and leadership strategy. Stories
precedent in blending physical and are shared on how companies as
digital channels. Omni-channel working diverse at Spotify, UniCredit, Facebook,
substitutes customer experience and Scotiabank, GitLab, Telstra, Atlassian
loyalty with employee experience and and LinkedIn are preparing for an omni-
engagement. channel future.
32.
WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING?
A shift is underway from the office as the only channel
for working to an omni-channel approach that borrows from retail
to provide employees with a seamless ‘customer’ experience.
The traditional office building we know Today, this is no longer the case. As As remote and flexible working patterns
so well has been the main channel for the global pandemic has demonstrated become more established in the post
certain types of white-collar work for with unprecedented clarity, people can COVID-19 era, the office of the future
more than a century. In the past, it has work productively away from the office, will no longer be the sole channel
demanded daily attendance for set organisations can still run. For the first for working. However, it will continue
hours on account of being the only time, the office is challenged to rethink to be of fundamental and strategic
place where the tools and resources for its approach by a new model in which importance as it provides many
working can be accessed by employees, digital technologies driving more remote channels for work, acting as a catalyst
and the only way for teams to come and hybrid working no longer rely on a for business to flourish.
together. physical workplace to host them.
42.
WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING?
The strict lockdowns of COVID-19 across different channels each week. We see clear parallels with what
initially substituted one work channel This asks urgent new questions of tomorrow’s employees will want to
(the office) with another (the home), corporate real-estate strategy and achieve in terms of offering their
but as companies around the world requires an imaginative response from workforce a seamless and integrated
now cautiously raise their head to the workplace industry, rethinking working experience across a range
prepare for the post-pandemic era, it is what office portfolios can achieve and of channels. But it is important to
becoming clear that the future will be unlocking their potential for a new era. remember that retailers didn’t develop
about multiple channels for working. We have given this trend a name: The multiple channels through which to
People will return to the office, but only Rise of the Omni-Channel Worker. reach customers only with the advent
for part of the week and for specific of the worldwide web and the mobile
reasons, according to research; they will HIGH-QUALITY EXPERIENCES phone – they’ve been alert to the
continue to work partly at home as well ‘Omni-channel’ is a term borrowed from opportunities for decades; think of the
as in flexible spaces, membership clubs, retailing, which has relevant experience ice cream maker, for example, with a
local satellites, client sites and other in broadening the customer experience factory shop, direct sales, telesales and
settings as office portfolios become from attending bricks-and-mortar stores mobile vans.
more sophisticated. to engaging with a variety of channels
that offer the same seamless experience In contrast, many large organisations
A study of 2,300 US office workers by whether customers are online or not. have only had eyes for the office
the Gensler Research Institute found Omni channel is defined by business building or campus as the single channel
that only 12 per cent wanted to work consultants Frost & Sullivan as ‘seamless for work. Not even the inexorable rise
from home full-time – most employees and effortless, high-quality customer of digital technology, which has made
preferred to return to the workplace, experiences that occur within and flexible and remote working achievable
but with critical design changes between contact channels.’ The prefix at scale, could persuade them to think
implemented to improve the experience. omni is from the Latin omnis, meaning differently about where and how people
A survey of 162 individuals in 28 all or every. might work. Many people were still tied
organisations carried out by Australian to commuting at peak hour and daily
designers Davenport Campbell with the In retail, these channels are mainly attendance at an office desk even if they
University of New South Wales revealed driven by mobile applications and spent all day online. Only during the
that while only 3 per cent would choose include in-store point-of-sale, online enforceable shelter-at-home restrictions
to work from home full-time, two-thirds platforms, click and collect services, and of the global pandemic were companies
of the sample would do so two-to-three social media streaming campaigns. The forced to close down the single channel
days a week, combining this approach shopping experience is seamless and and embark on implementing a new
with attendance at an office. integrated across all physical and digital model.
channels so that the personal profile
It is likely that employees will have the and preferences of each customer
freedom and the tools (including a is captured and updated with data,
virtual cloud-based desktop) to work irrespective of the touchpoint chosen to
wherever they wish in order to be interact with the retailer.
productive, varying their work patterns
CASE STUDY Swedish music streaming platform of collaborating that allows Spotifiers
Spotify has announced that it is to work from wherever they do their
Spotify: Work adopting a ‘Work from Anywhere’
model, which will allow employees to
best thinking and creating. Spotify
is giving employees the opportunity
From Anywhere choose whether they want to be in to select a Work Mode – giving
the office full time, at home full time them the choice over location and
or use a combination of different time to work most effectively. Salary
channels to conduct their work. rates will be unaffected. Spotify will
This move is the first step in many also be redesigning office space to
organisations embracing the advent accommodate employee preferences
of the omni-channel worker. Spotify for quiet spaces, shared-desk space
describes the initiative as a new way and collaboration areas.
52.
WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING?
NEW LANDSCAPE FOR WORK The corporate office channel will retain mentoring environment. A ‘Specialist
Today, as the smoke begins to lift on its importance but will change its uses, Office’ will accommodate production
the COVID-19 crisis, we believe there evolving into several work channels with and R&D activities with the requirement
is a move underway from office to specific functions. A ‘Destination Office’ for regular attendance, such as life
omni-channel as organisations survey will be the place to go for creating science lab facilities or 24-hour media
a new property landscape for work. culture, building social capital and newsrooms.
The diagram below maps out several connecting to the mission and values
of the work channels, which are sized of the organisation. A ‘Training Office’
according to their likely importance. will provide a dedicated learning and
WORK AVERYWHERE: LANDSCAPE OF THE OMNI-CHANNEL WORKER
AL C LO U D - B A S E D
TU OF
R FIC
VI E
DESTINATION HOME
OFFICE OFFICE
TRAINING FLEXI
OFFICE
INFRASTRU OFFICE
AL C
IT
TU
DIG
V IRTUAL C
RE
OFFICE
OMNI-CHANNEL
SPECIALIST
WORKER
DIG
RE
OFFICE
TU
AL
IT
C
D
INFR STRU
A
LO U
ASE B
D
-
-B
UD
AS
O
E
CL
D
L OF
A FI
TU CE
VIR
62.
WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING?
CASE STUDY public space, with the main lobby 80 Ann is leveraging this history
for building tenants located on the in its retail strategy by connecting
Destination Office: first floor. The ground floor includes
a marketplace for strategic retail
the retail experience to the office
building. The building has a dual
80 Ann Street, partnerships with local Brisbane street frontage on two of the city’s
Brisbane
businesses, a landscaped garden with busiest streets, making it immediately
indigenous planting, and spaces to accessible not only to tenants but
sit and socialise. This mix of publicly to the wider public. 80 per cent of
available space plays into the idea of the biophilia is from Queensland’s
Mirvac has created a ‘destination bringing a range of people together bio region and the building has
office’ at 80 Ann Street in Brisbane through different channels. recently achieved a WELL Platinum
which responds to the experiential Design Precertification. An integrated
Mirvac saw an opportunity to bring
and flexible needs of future office technology network allows tenants
history and authenticity to the site,
workers. The project, which will be to simply plug in, and the system
which was home to the Former Fruit
completed in February 2022, focuses provides the capability for tenants to
and Produce Exchange, being the
on authenticity, nature and a range obtain data on how their employees
first fruit and vegetable market in
of shared experiences in its core are using the building and the spaces
Brisbane’s Central Business District.
strategy. The building is comprised within it. There are also three floors
The Exchange was first established in
of 35 floors and nearly 60 per cent dedicated to coworking space.
1906 and continued operating on the
of the ground level is dedicated
site until 60 years ago,
72.
WHAT IS OMNI-CHANNEL WORKING?
The ‘Home Office’ channel will play a and associations, 21st century guilds omni-channel retailing sought to do. It
more prominent and more permanent where the omni-channel worker can is about going fully digital and, in the
role in working life than before the network with others in their industry or process, offering workers a wider choice
pandemic, but the omni-channel profession. Co-location with others will of physical places to work to suit their
worker will have other options too. The no longer just be on the basis of who needs.
‘Flexi-Office’ will provide membership the employer is.
This paper sets out to describe the
of coworking spaces and other space-
What makes all of these property context in which omni-channel working
as-a-service provisions across the
channels possible is a common and is emerging, the lessons from customer-
city. ‘Local Satellite’ offices will be
consistent digital infrastructure that centric omni-channel commerce,
located closer to people’s homes in a
underpins the ability for each employee the enabling technologies, and what
hub-and-spoke model that reduces
to access a virtual cloud-based office different companies around the
commuting times; and companies will
enabling them to work from anywhere. world are doing to address wellbeing,
also experiment with mobile offices
Omni-channel working is not about productivity and management of an
that offer local convenience. Working at
complementing the physical with a omni-channel workforce.
client sites will become more prevalent;
digital channel, as early versions of
so will working at sector-specific clubs
CASE STUDY Australian tech giant Atlassian is benefits from the largest talent pool
giving all employees the choice to available; third, it acknowledges that
Team Anywhere: work from any combination of home, teams come in all sizes, cultures,
office, and other locations where they and comprise different goals; and
Atlassian feel productive. It has introduced fourth, it recognises that ideal
a ‘Team Anywhere’ initiative that communication frequency and style
embraces distributed teamwork. depend not just on professional but
on personal lives. Atlassian is using
There are four principles of Team
a ‘build, measure, learn, integrate’
Anywhere: first, team formation is
model and a small, dedicated team
not centred on physical footprint
across the organisation is focused
but on the right talent for the
on transitioning Atlassian to a fully
composition of the team; second, it
distributed workforce.
appreciates diverse teams, which
1 2 3 4
It allows team formation It appreciates diverse It acknowledges that It recognises that
to not center on physical teams, which benefits teams come in all sizes, ideal communication
footprint, but the from the largest talent cultures, and comprise frequency and style
right talent for team pool available. different goals. depend not just on
composition instead. professional, but
personal, lives.
83.
THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
A drive for flexibility, choice and equality
of experience provides the context for the
rise of the omni-channel worker.
Just as the retail and hospitality people are viewed by their organisations Even before the global pandemic,
industries have been forced to rethink less as employees and more as trends were paving the way for an
their approach to the market in the customers, and work tools such as the entirely different set of expectations for
digital economy of the early 21st office are seen as enabling products. many office workers, but the shock of
century, so the workplace has begun to This shift in emphasis can be described COVID-19 sharply accelerated change
absorb innovations from these sectors as from place to people – and it in corporate real estate. Three key areas
to facilitate new ways of working. As provides the consumerised context and in particular are shaping the new world
these industries collide, there has been growing network of choices in which the of work and enabling the rise of omni-
a steady shift towards a more omni-channel worker sits. channel working: demand for flexibility,
‘consumer-centric workplace’ where challenging proximity and creating
equality of experience.
TREAT OFFICE AS A CONSUMER PRODUCT. EARN
THE LOYALTY OF EMPLOYEES TO KEEP RETURNING
TO THAT LOCATION TIME AND TIME AGAIN…
Mark Needham,
Cisco
FLEXIBILITY AS AN EXPECTATION Flexibility has traditionally been rooted Choice can be reflected in the physical
Flexible workplace design was initially in spaces and settings, but the level of workspace by enabling workers to
adopted by organisations to create spaces flexibility required for the omni-channel escape to quiet space, nooks and
which promote choice and idea generation worker transcends space into time and corners while also facilitating spaces for
between people. But over time, with global experience. The introduction of more collaboration and idea generation. As
adoption, the flexible open-plan agenda flexible ways of working has forced employees turn to different channels
became a cost-saving exercise for many organisations to reassess how they to plug into their work, workplace
companies. Density was prioritised over manage, structure and enable their design will be redefined to create more
real choice, but now this model is being employees to perform to the best of progressive and agile space plans that
turned on its head. Flexibility is set to their ability. For many organisations, this focus less on density and more on choice
trump density in a post-pandemic era process enables employees to exercise and flexibility.
keenly aware of employee safety and choice with responsibility.
health.
93.
THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
IN THE POST-PANDEMIC RECOVERY, CHOICE —
THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES
— WILL BE THE DRIVER, NOT PRIOR PATTERNS. THIS
REALISATION COULD RESHAPE THE WAY WE DESIGN OUR
WORKPLACES, HOTELS, RETAIL, SCHOOLS, AND CITIES.
Diane Hoskins
Gensler/ World Economic Forum
Choice of settings in the office has working hours model. Professor Lynda In Finland, this concept has even been
been a widely adopted concept Gratton of the London Business School passed into legislation with a new
across the world with ABW (activity- explains that, in the aftermath of Working Hours Act that replaces the
based working), but this new model COVID-19, business leaders need to concept of workplace with a more
is expanding outside the traditional experiment with flexible time as well neutral term ‘working place’. This
workplace and into multiple locations. as flexible space. This could be in the means that working hours will no
This could be best described as LBW form of staggered working hours or longer be tied to a specific place of
(location-based working). As new work four-day working weeks. work but will simply refer to time
channels emerge, traditional metrics spent working, wherever you are.
There have already been some
for measuring productivity – such
successful early adopters of the four- In the new world of work, flexibility
as hours spent in the office – are no
day week such as Microsoft Japan, will focus on creating choice across
longer adequate. The performance of
which tested the concept and found time and space so employees can
today’s knowledge-based workforce
that employees were not only happier craft a bespoke working experience
is reflected in value, innovation and
but significantly more productive. Its across different channels that fits their
quality of output, and new metrics will
pilot called Work-Life Choice Challenge specific requirements. This approach
be required as flexibility increases.
Summer involved giving its entire will require a significant re-evaluation
More flexible work will be the chief 2,300-person workforce five Fridays off of workspace, property strategy and
legacy of the pandemic because it in a row without decreasing pay. The leadership models to accommodate all
not only forces a rethink of workspace shortened weeks led to more efficient employee needs.
design and real estate strategies, meetings and boosted productivity by
but it also challenges the traditional 40 per cent.
CASE STUDY WORKTECH Academy and the Royal College of Art
resulted in a project to flexibly repurpose UniCredit’s
UniCredit: The Hybrid bank branches for more hybrid uses and bring in external
partners to share costs. A modular architectural kit of
Bank Branch of the Future parts was devised to create standalone bank settings
at different scales within interior space. These settings
As more of its customers switched to online banking, were layered with digital services to improve access
Italian financial services giant UniCredit asked what for customers, extending from free wi-fi right up to
its European bank branch network should look like in augmented environments. The first hybrid bank branch
the future. How could it reach local communities in was opened in Via Verdi, Milan, in 2017. UniCredit also
a more cost-effective way while creating an effective experimented with mobile branch offices, including taking
work environment for its staff? Design research with one to the Venice Film Festival.
103.
THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
CHALLENGING remotely. Employees have reported USA, data indicates enduring appeal will
PHYSICAL PROXIMITY benefits such as increased productivity, remain for CBDs and city offices in the
efficiency and morale as well as the APAC region.
In the aftermath of COVID-19, work-
obvious benefits of flexibility, autonomy
from-home (WFH) is morphing into But while city districts will bounce
and no commute time. As technology
work-from-anywhere (WFA), a model back and thrive again after the
and internet access continues to
which challenges the idea of proximity pandemic, there will be growing
improve, more of the global workforce
to one central office and opens up a emphasis on social community and
will opt to work from anywhere.
vista of different office spaces flexing culture, with a greater focus placed on
and flowing around new patterns of Despite location no longer being offices providing flexibility, community
work. It also opens organisations up critical for certain business decisions, and building social cohesion through
to a much wider talent pool. In the there is a general consensus that we experiences. Planners and developers
past, organisations were restricted to will still need and depend on physical will need to recalibrate where workplaces
choosing talent based on proximity to offices and cities. British economist and fit into the urban mix. Mirvac’s own
the central office. Now, a more remote academic Frances Cairncross, author of ‘Intermix’ research with WORKTECH
and flexible workforce means that The Death of Distance, explains: ‘There Academy on the future of smart
organisations have access to talent is a strength and depth in some big precincts reveals how ‘digital districts’
that may be across regional or national cities that cannot be emulated online’. such as King’s Cross in London, Hudson
borders. This is especially so in Australia where Yards in New York, and South Eveleigh
research on cities has highlighted the (formerly ATP or Australian Technology
According to a recent Remote Work
enduring appeal of central business Park) in Sydney are skilfully weaving
report by software platform GitLab, a
districts to employees. Unlike ‘urban workspaces into the wider public realm –
quarter of remote work settings are
flight’ trends seen recently in the UK and not closing them off from city life.
all-remote, where all employees work
113.
THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
A rethink on cities is seeing the healthcare should all be available hours and rigid working days. The
reintroduction of polycentric urban within the same time a commuter 15-minute city concept has been
design and the 15-minute city concept, might once have waited on a railway pioneered in Paris, but other urban
where there are multiple urban hubs platform. Each neighbourhood should leaders across the world in Barcelona,
in the local radius of every urban fulfil six social functions: living, London, Milan and a number of
dweller. The 15-minute city concept working, supplying, caring, learning and Chinese cities are all working toward
is hailed as an ideal post COVID-19 enjoying. similar visions. The hope is to refashion
urban planning model. The concept cities as places to walk, linger, socialise
The pandemic has shone a harsh light
requires that access to work, home, and enjoy rather than simply to
on the inefficiencies of work patterns
shops, entertainment, education and commute in and out of.
such as daily commutes during peak
CASE STUDY policy where all employees work reason to congregate in an office.
remotely and in their native time GitLab rival, GitHub, has a 65 per cent
GitLab zone. Being all-remote did not start
as an intentional business strategy,
but it was a natural evolution as
remote workforce.
In 2019, GitLab appointed a Head of
Remote, a dedicated leader to evolve
the first team members started to
Online storage and software platform the company’s remote strategy. The
work from home. GitLab the product
GitLab is the world’s largest all- business cannot rely on harvesting
brings cross-team collaboration and
remote company with more than company culture on-site so it works
communication into a single platform.
1,300 team members in more than to organise it. Over the course of six
With every employee contributing
65 countries. Since 2014, GitLab years, GitLab has learnt about how to
to a single conversation within the
has introduced an ‘all-remote’ collaborate effectively and strengthen
tool, GitLab found there was little
its culture, all while working remotely.
123.
THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
EQUALITY OF EXPERIENCE relevant communication, as well as supporting staff; employees disagreed,
A workplace experience centred the ability to access information, make telling researchers they are tired and
around the physical office heavily decisions for themselves and engage overworked, feel disconnected and
favoured those employees who in a digital experience. lack the training and support required.
commuted to the office every day. Less Less than half of workers believed
The Deloitte research indicates that
focus was given to remote workers and their organisation is doing enough to
choice is an important factor in overall
digital experiences, which created an support their wellbeing and only 38
employee experience. Just as a shabby
imbalance between those employees per cent think they’re being helped to
office detracts from staff morale, so a
who were in the office and those learn the new skills required.
shabby digital experience sends out
who were not – with flexible workers the message that ‘my employer doesn’t As the lines between professional
frequently missing out in terms of care’ to many employees. To create a and personal life continue to blur,
experience. more positive employee experience, employees increasingly want the
This was typically because the majority companies need to meet the relevant, convenient and engaging
of employees were not remote. Now, expectations of individual employees experiences they have outside of
the scales have tipped in favour of from all angles. work to be replicated inside their
remote workers and organisations organisation. Above all, they want the
A sobering report from the IBM
have to rethink how they deliver their opportunity to shape their workplace
Institute for Business, which
entire employee experience. More experiences on their own terms. In
interviewed 50,000 employees in
employees are set to work from home, order to achieve an equal experience
eight countries alongside 3,450 senior
at least some of the time, on a more for all employees, more and more
executives, revealed a disconnect
permanent basis. A recent Deloitte organisations are giving employees
between bosses and workers on the
survey revealed that to be more a set of options that will help them
subject of how well things are going in
comfortable in a work environment, achieve their full potential and drive
pivoting to remote working. Leaders
workers want more frequent and more business value.
thought they were doing well at
CASE STUDY Australian telecommunications have the opportunity to break away
company Telstra has adopted an ‘All from traditional working hours or
Telstra: Roles Flex’ programme which ensures locations. The company is committed
employees have the connectivity to creating a seamless experience
All Roles Flex and flexibility to work wherever across all work channels which
and whenever they need. Simply should be ‘as automated and as
put, the policy means any of the intelligent as possible’.
company’s employees worldwide
134.
THE RETAIL PARALLEL
As employers explore the potential of omni-channel
working amid the biggest shake-up of working life for a
generation, retailing appears to provide a ready template.
Many of the world’s biggest brands However, in examining the lessons for channel” – they just expect a seamless
and most successful retailing names the workplace, some experts in the brand experience. It’s an operational
have become remarkably effective at retail field believe that ‘omni-channel phrase which is all about making the
reaching customers through the smart commerce’ is a better term to use than back-of-house systems work together
combination of different channels. This omni-channel retailing because the to create that experience.’
is important for the workplace industry concept is really a business-centric
to observe because retail provides a rather than a consumer-centric one.
useful template for how a cohesive According to leading British retail
blend of physical and digital channels designer, Ian Johnston of Quinine,
can be achieved – which is no easy task. ‘Customers never talk about “omni-
CUSTOMERS NEVER TALK ABOUT
OMNI-CHANNEL – THEY JUST EXPECT
A SEAMLESS BRAND EXPERIENCE….
Ian Johnston,
Quinine Design
Until recent advances in data-driven The next phase of development was messaging and the underlying technical
technologies, many retailers struggled for retailers to offer exactly the same infrastructure that delivers them
with this operational side. When online products in the same way in every remains cohesive. There are lessons
retail sales first appeared on the radar, channel they provided, whether in a here for organisations who might want
there was a tendency for them to set up kiosk or superstore or online shop. to create different experiences in
a separate online division, with its own This generic approach to omni- different work channels (home office,
profit-and-loss account. The result was channel commerce was efficient from satellite office or corporate HQ for
fierce competition between different an operational perspective, less so in example) while offering a single, unified
parts of the same retail organisation, capturing the customer imagination. technological platform for app-centric
with a lack of coordination in sales engagement with the company.
Today, there is a shift in orientation
strategy.
towards giving customers a range of
Gradually, lessons were learned and a different experiences through different
more integrated approach introduced. channels, even though the overall brand
144.
THE RETAIL PARALLEL
THE HALO EFFECT OPERATORS BRISTLING
According to Ian Johnston of Quinine,
‘There’s a new metric starting to
WITH INNOVATION
When US software developer Hubspot
TOP 10:
emerge in retail which is ROE (return
on experience) as opposed to ROI
created a top ten company ranking for
omni-channel experience in 2020, there
Companies
(return in investment). It’s harder to were some interesting names on its list.
Disney topped the table – apparently
for Omni-
Channel
quantify but there is evidence of a
“halo effect” of increased online traffic its magic starts with a mobile-friendly
Experience
in locations where a new store has trip-planning website and includes a
opened.’ The shifting role of the bricks- Magic Band program that automatically
and-mortar store away from direct opens your Disney hotel room and
sales to become a ‘destination site’ stores photographs taken with Disney
based around storytelling, discovery, characters at the park. But such diverse
presence and brand reinforcement has operators as Virgin Atlantic, Bank of
been happening for a while. Big brands America, Starbucks, footwear company
such as Nike led the charge in opening Timberland and fashion retailer Oasis
flagship ‘brand temples’ in cities around also made the cut, every aspect of their 1 Disney
the world. Online-only players then omni-channel approach bristling with
followed suit, opening street-front stores innovation. 2 Virgin Atlantic
to raise awareness. The next phase for omni-channel
However, some consumer experts commerce is likely to see diverse trends
3 Bank of America
believe the ‘Instagram moment’ for playing out. A report by Quinine, Retail
stores has already passed – the Insights 2021, predicts the emergence of 4 Oasis
cost of creating memorable visual more agile store formats to connect with
experiences is going up all the time and customers with a focus on changing 5 REI
the future instead belongs to smaller, scenes quickly. Retailers will think more
more efficient store formats and smart in terms of time, not place, so we can 6 Starbucks
systems. According to Jon Himoff of expect to see more temporary pop-ups
and semi-permanent structures. The
Connected Retail: ‘We’re going to see
‘store as a set’ will gain ground with
7 Chipotle
more “conversational commerce” in
which chatbots and virtual assistants more experiential events, theatrical
make purchasing suggestions, and more techniques and ‘live-streaming’ from
8 Timberland
use to AI and Big Data to personalise inside the retail outlet – and this could
experiences for the customer.’ be mirrored by more experiential design 9 Orvis
and stage setting in office environments.
One can envisage the ‘office as a set’ 10 VIP.com
live-streaming key events such as CEO
town hall meetings or project set-ups Source: Hubspot 2020
into employees’ homes.
CASE STUDY Japanese automotive manufacturer accommodate up to 20 passengers,
Toyota is aiming to commercialise with seats that fold up and allow
Toyota e-Palette a large autonomous vehicle shaped the space to be repurposed. One
like a shipping container. The vehicle of the first places the public will be
can be adapted to a wide range of able to see the driverless e-Palette
uses that include roving office, ride- in action is in Toyota’s 175-acre
sharing, logistics and mobile shop. hydrogen-powered Woven City,
Known as e-Palette, the vehicle is a a ‘prototype city’ planned at the
large, transparent, oblong carriage on base of Mount Fuji.
wheels that is battery powered. It can
154.
THE RETAIL PARALLEL
Retailers are looking to make things – and ‘retail in a box’, which enables amounts of in-store data on behaviour
easier for customers in 2021, especially customers to order online and unbox and movement. We can expect our
in terms of location. There will be some elements of the store experience omni-channel workplaces to follow
growth in local retail, providing in the privacy of their own homes. much the same pattern in combining an
community-based convenience, and Retail will continue to revolve around a increasingly app-centric approach with
even a rise in ‘retail on the move’ – smartphone-first experience – and it will data analytics to improve design and
mobile stores interacting with people continue to collect and analyse copious experience in physical space.
CASE STUDY
Asia Pacific’s
Omni-Channel
Innovators
Freshippo, Shanghai: Harvey Nichols, Hong Kong: Bunnings Group, Australia:
The first of 13 similar grocery The British department store only The traditional hardware and
stores in China, this is Alibaba’s has a 10 per cent overlap between appliance giant has completed a
sortie into what it calls ‘new retail’ what it sells online and in its HK rapid online sales rollout for 374
which converges online and offline Pacific Place store. The in-store stores to transform its reputation
shopping. Also known as Hema, the focus is on discovery and exploration, into one of Australia’s standout
chain uses data and technology to showcasing local and emerging hybrid digital retailers. Its strategy
create a seamless and more efficient fashion brands (including from integrates click-and-collect, delivery,
shopping experience. Freshippo Japan and South Korea) while the trade credit and reselling services not
specialises in fresh food from all over online offer is more mainstream and available in its stores via Bunnings
the world, including seafood which international. Interactive screens Marketlink. Bunnings came late to
can be cooked and eaten in the are built into the store’s windows so e-commerce but is now a convert.
store. You shop with your mobile by shoppers can browse online before Managing director Michael Schneider
downloading an app and scanning entering, creating an entire outfit of is reported as saying that ‘millennials
the barcode of each item, which will clothing, shoes and handbags. Giant might swipe but can’t screw’- they
give you background information 50-inch screens inside the store are digitally aware but have no DIY
on the produce and also alternative enable customers to scan a QR code aptitude. To switch to omni-channel
suggestions. Each store also acts a and view items from all angles, which retailing, Bunnings has opened a
fulfilment centre for home delivery in builds engagement. technology development centre in
a 1.5 mile local radius and operates a Bangalore to source the software
membership club with online rewards skills needed for the new approach.
and benefits.
165.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
Behind the rise of the omni-channel worker lies a
broad palette of digital technologies on which the delivery
of a consistent employee experience will depend.
Before the pandemic, the role of the Coupled with the implementation of revolution digitised paperwork, took
office building was already losing the Microsoft’s 365 Office suite on any files off the desk and created a virtual
its significance as a container for device, as well as the now-ubiquitous desktop inside each computer. The
corporate technology, as mobile and Zoom for video conferencing, this second will give each employee a digital
cloud-based innovations enabled means it is technically possible to workspace in the cloud that can be
a work-from-anywhere approach. have a completely virtual, cloud-based accessed wherever they go to work,
COVID-19 has simply forced modern workplace which bypasses the office whether they’re present in an office,
technology infrastructure to realise its altogether. Additional breakthroughs working at home or via other workspace
potential – software, systems and data with e-signatures and electronic channels.
can now all be accessed remotely by document management and storage
The technology infrastructure that will
employees through the cloud. We have create a position where, in the words
enable and support the omni-channel
now reached a tipping point where of Philip Ross of UnWork, ‘The role
workforce will be underpinned by
employees can pick up and carry their of the office as the node or nexus of
four principles: seamless transitioning
work tools with them wherever they technology is now redundant.’
between physical to digital workspace;
go – smartphones, laptops and tablets
Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s Vice maintaining digital equality; encouraging
are now combined with webcams,
President for Modern Work, told The creative collaboration; and using
headphones and peripherals to
New Yorker that the pandemic has data-driven insights to inform decision-
provision work by connecting to screens
created the conditions for a ‘second making and future workplace strategies.
wherever you are.
digital transformation’. The first PC
CASE STUDY
Smarten Spaces
Smarten Spaces, an innovative AI solution helps companies manage visitor management service, as well
and IoT company, has launched a their new hybrid workplaces via a as contact tracing, alongside desk
new technology called Jumpree single pane-of-glass dashboard and management, workforce rostering
3.0, which is currently being used offers real-time reports to maximise and asset management inventory
by Fortune 500 companies around operational efficiency. So far, results services. According to Smarten
the world. Employees download have found that companies can save Spaces founder and CEO Dinesh
the Smarten Spaces app to their up to 30 per cent of their office space Malkani, the three key technologies
smart phones, allowing companies costs. Key features of the platform for a hybrid workplace are the
to automate the entire workplace include a digital workplace app for Internet of Things, AI and the
experience from the back-end. The AI-based contactless access and mobile phone.
175.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
SEAMLESS
TRANSITIONING
Cloud-based software, ubiquitous wi-fi
connectivity and mobile devices have
enabled the ‘office in a box’ concept.
This is the idea that workers should
always have the right equipment and
tools to set-up a workspace anywhere.
In order for this concept to really
come to fruition for the omni-channel
worker, organisations need to provide
technology that is universally accessible
and capable.
This approach could start with
organisations providing a menu of
technologies that employees can
choose from based on their personal
preferences and their job role. Once
employees choose the right tools
for their work, management should
trust employees to use these tools to
enhance performance.
The seamless transition between digital
and physical workspace is not only
enabled by personal digital tools, but
also by shared and collaborative tools.
Software-based systems such as virtual
scheduling, visitor management, file
sharing and instant messaging are also
key to developing a seamless transition.
Apps such as Microsoft Teams have
integrated video, file sharing, instant
messaging and team channels in CASE STUDY
one single platform – this enables
employees to easily switch from virtual AgilQuest’s Forum Platform
collaboration to physical collaboration
with all documents stored in an easily
accessible folder. AgilQuest is one of the leading workplace reservation software systems
The blend between physical and and aims to create a seamless workplace experience. Its people-first focus
digital is becoming further integrated gives organisations the tools to support Work from Anywhere. Whether
as technologies such as intelligent employees are in a traditional office setting, flexible office, working from
mail come into play. This technology home, or a mix of them all, AgilQuest’s platform, Forum, empowers people
scans and processes physical mail and to find the workspaces, meeting rooms, amenities, coworking spaces,
sends the recipient a digital copy of the services, equipment, and any other resource they need to be productive
mail, in which they can chose to reply and efficient. Forum includes an integrated analytics engine to provide
physically or digitally. This means that real-time utilisation and presence data detailing how employees are working,
employees do not physically have to and assets are being used. Forum uses a consumer-like interface which is
be in the office to receive or reply to highly visual and includes live floorplans and a Google Maps integration,
physical mail, or even to physically sign making it easy-to-use and engaging for users. Employees can create
documents anymore with the advent of ‘teams’ to quickly see where co-workers are sitting and can update their
e-signatures. own status for staying connected.
185.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
THE CONVERSATION WILL SHIFT FROM HYBRID
TO HUMAN-CENTRIC. IF YOU MISS THAT PIECE OUT,
BEING SUCCESSFUL IN THE NEW WORLD OF WORK
WILL BE A CHALLENGE…
Dinesh Malkani,
Founder and CEO, Smarten Spaces
DIGITAL EQUALITY From finding colleagues to navigating across the different facets of work
As people start to work in a hybrid to a desk or meeting room that has in a distributed workforce. Digital
way, we will need meeting spaces with been booked, ordering food or checking whiteboarding technologies – such
advanced audio-visual technology that on availability of classes or the queue as Captivo – are going some way to
creates an equal experience across all at the genius bar, the user experience bridge the gap between physical and
channels. Apps can also enable digital via an app will define the success of virtual participants in collaboration
equality and redefine the blended the workplace. meetings by capturing all the data on
workplace experience. By sharing who virtual whiteboards and sending it to
One of the big challenges facing
has booked to be in on a particular day, all participants. This means that at the
large corporates now is creating the
by nudging or suggesting when would end of the meeting all participants have
right balance between the digital
be good to go into the office, and by the same information shared with them.
and physical experience inside and
providing great user experience when However, organisations still have a way
outside the office. Organisations need
people arrive work, the app will become to go to create a seamless experience
to consider how they can maintain
the gateway to workplace experience. across all the different work channels.
corporate culture and inclusivity
195.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
CREATIVE COLLABORATION virtual employees might see on the employee present are projected into
One of the most significant drawbacks app that a colleague has walked into a the virtual space and collaboration
of being away from the central office shared space in the physical office; they and communication can occur. This
has been the inability to socially might want to chat to that colleague technology already exists in the
connect with colleagues and engage so they project themselves onto an gaming world where players from
in face-to-face collaboration. While ‘always-on’ screen in that space to say different geographical locations meet
there is still a place for physical hi and connect. This type of technology in a virtual setting and use headsets to
collaboration in omni-channel working, can recreate the spontaneity of the communicate with each other.
there is an opportunity to integrate it watercooler moments, previously Without everyone present in the office,
with virtual colleagues to create creative reserved for the physical office. BCG it can be difficult to know who your
collaborative environments for all is renowned for developing a ‘collision colleagues are outside your immediate
participants. The physical office remains coefficient’ in its New York office, a team. This makes it more difficult to find
the best place to collaborate, work in mathematical formula which measures people with relevant skillsets for specific
teams and solve problems together, so chance encounters in physical space. projects. Digital tools such as Profinda’s
critical to any omni channel solution. One could imagine organisations EX system harvests data sources and
developing a ‘collision coefficient’ for provides a directory of skills for that
Architect and academic Kristi Woolsey,
digital serendipity too. organisation. As physical networks
Associate Director and lead for Smart
Environments Group for management This concept is similar to collaborating get smaller as a result of less people
consultants Digital BCG, explains in virtual environments using AR and in one central office, this technology
that there is an opportunity to blend VR (augmented and virtual reality). allows transparent access to skills to
physical and digital worlds via an All employees can meet in a virtual help employees collaborate effectively
integrated app, creating what she calls space which places every participant with the right people right across the
‘the bionic workplace’. For example, on an equal footing. Avatars of each organisation.
205.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS
Critical to omni-channel working is CASE STUDY
an understanding of how teams are
working and the ability to analyse Ecosystem
by Scotiabank
emerging work patterns. Data science
and analytics will therefore take centre
stage as the method to manage the new
workplace, with use of AI and machine
In 2017, the Canadian multinational to physical space to promote
learning to suggest and nudge people
banking and financial service collaboration between office-based
as well as define the optimal clusters
company Scotiabank began the and remote employees. Scotiabank
and ecosystems.
implementation of its activity-based is working to understand omni-
Microsoft Workplace Analytics has working initiative called Ecosystem. channel worker patterns through
been a pioneer in using data on team This concept saw the provision of a data-driven approach and an
and company-wide communication space for groups of 500 employees employee-centric viewpoint. Data is
to understand collaboration patterns who all have a shared purpose in compared across different regions
within the business and inform decision- their work, despite being spread and countries within the organisation
making. With Microsoft 365 insights and across different teams. This brought to understand how employees are
the Workplace Analytics platform, data people together with shared goals working across teams.
scientists can look at the organisational and common outputs. Scotiabank
The Ecosystem model has been
network analysis that shows who is collected and analysed data in
successful with 7,000 people
emailing whom, who is invited to Teams each ‘ecosystem’ to understand
currently working in this model,
or other Outlook events and who is how different groups of people use
with 12,000 projected to do so by
sharing documents with others. It builds space and what activities are being
2024. This approach has allowed
a picture of the real work at play, the conducted on a day-to-day basis.
Scotiabank to become an agile
interactions and clusters, as well as
The purpose of the Ecosystem model organisation where all employees are
correlating who is collaborating with
is to move beyond the hierarchies untethered from a physical place and
whom. And so we can plan our omni-
shown on the organisation chart. able to conduct work from anywhere.
channel workplaces with science, driven
Scotiabank relied on well understood Employees are empowered with
by a logic that determines patterns of
digital tools within the company but choice over their tools which makes
occupancy and engagement.
added more audio-visual technology them accountable for their own work.
215.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
ONCE YOU PUT DATA ON THE TABLE THE CONVERSATION
TENDS TO CHANGE QUICKLY FROM PROBLEMS TO SOLUTIONS
James Davis
Associate Director and Change Manager, Fidelity International
As well as tracking collaboration data, booking systems; and recorded data It is clear that data analysis can provide
organisations can anonymously track an which is used by leadership to make organisations with evidence-based
individual’s journey and identify trends decisions on real-estate efficiency and insights to help accommodate their
in how they work. This data can help effectiveness. employees across multiple channels of
create a bespoke workplace experience work. However, an acceleration of data
LinkedIn is another great example – it
for every individual as integrations with collection within companies can also
collects data on how its employees
AI can tailor recommendations and lead to employee pushback on data
work through a survey tool called Glint.
services based on data patterns. Fidelity privacy and digital surveillance. The
Weaved into the LinkedIn platform,
International is one such organisation collection of track-and-trace health data
Glint gathers feedback from employees.
which uses data to take a forensic look in the pandemic has ‘softened up’ public
Between this and the people analytics
at its workforce. The business has two attitudes on this issue, but feelings
data collected by the HR department,
streams of data: live data which is an within the workplace can still run high.
LinkedIn is able to identify trends on
app-based approach to give employees
where people work and the different
access to visitor management and desk
work styles of their employees.
225.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE OMNI-CHANNEL WORKER
S DA
T IC TA
A LY AN
AN
AL
ROOM & DESK ROUTINE ONLINE FILE
YT
TA
BOOKING SHARING
IC
DA
S
VISITOR
VIDEO MANAGEMENT ELECTRONIC
CONFERENCING & WAYFINDING EMAIL DOCUMENT
SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT
SYNCHRONOUS WORKPLACE ASYNCHRONOUS
APPS
AR/VR INSTANT PROJECT
MESSAGING MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL SYSTEMS
WHITEBOARDS VOICE
ACTIVATION
ONLINE
D
COLLABORATION
AT
VIRTUAL TOOLS
A
WORKSHOP
AN
TOOLS CREATIVE YT
AL
IC
S
SYNCHRONOUS AND which work doesn’t happen at the same Routine, synchronous work will
ASYNCHRONOUS WORK time for everyone. Asynchronous work be enhanced not only by video
What companies like LinkedIn, is an important characteristic of the conferencing but also by room and
Scotiabank and Fidelity International omni-channel approach and an asset space booking technologies, visitor
share is a commitment to using new for remote teams collaborating with management and digital wayfinding
technologies to support not just a shift colleagues in different time zones. This systems so that more sporadic office
from office to omni-channel, but also a diagram summarises technologies that attendance in the omni-channel era
shift from synchronous work, in which will support the omni-channel worker can be efficiently managed. Routine,
people work together on things at the collaborating across time, place and asynchronous work will be supported
same time, to asynchronous work, in space. by email, online file sharing and
235.
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
electronic document management using instant messaging such as Slack, The challenge for companies is how to
systems that facilitate processes via voice-activated assistants such as shift the model, as there are important
the cloud. Creative, synchronous work Amazon Alexa, online collaboration tools implications for the management of
brings people together for collaborative such as Asana, InVision and Trello, and their workforces. A new approach is not
innovation activities using virtual project management systems such as without risk, as we shall explore in the
workshop tools such as Mural or Basecamp. next section, not least because greater
Miro, digital whiteboards, augmented reliance on a remote working channel
Many of the technologies required for
reality and virtual reality. Creative, can damage company culture and
omni-channel working already exist
asynchronous work allows ideas to be employee wellbeing.
and are proven in the marketplace.
built on by teammates over distance
CASE STUDY
Samsung DeX digital
workplace powered by mobile
Smartphones have become the The system creates a single has a DeX docking station and the
centrepiece of the workplace. multifaceted device that handles VMware Workspace ONE software
Employees use mobile apps to communication and collaboration. available from the Google Play Store.
communicate, navigate and organise Users can access all workplace DeX can be placed in conference
themselves. Recognising this shift, apps and their Windows desktop rooms to allow employees to present
Samsung has created a tool which to combine desktop efficiency with their latest work straight from their
combines mobile apps with desktop mobile convenience in one connected smartphone.
apps to create a virtual desktop virtual desktop. This desktop can be
accessible from anywhere. accessed from anywhere if the user
24You can also read
