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.
