5 Mega Trends That Are Changing The Workplace In 2021

Add-On Products, our Platinum Sponsor for the 6th FUTURE Workplaces Summit, shares their thoughts on the 5 trends that are changing the workplace in 2021. Continue reading:

 

MEGATRENDS IMPACTING THE WORKPLACE

In the last decade, and especially in the last year, we’ve witnessed major changes in the workplace. Technology has played a pivotal role in the shift we’re seeing. The following are some megatrends in work technology that are transforming the way we work now and into the future.

 

1. HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENTS

Work is no longer a place that you go – it is something that you do. Employees now have greater control over their work environments than ever before. Many people who started working from home during the pandemic were expecting to stay remote full-time but as vaccination rates increase and things start to normalize, a growing number of employers are encouraging workers to return to the office. As a result, companies are implementing rotational schedules and hybrid work environments with unassigned desks so that workers can spend part of their time working in the office and the rest of the time at home. 

To enable employees to seamlessly book hot desks and meeting rooms before they get to the office, it’s important to provide access to a booking app, such as the Workspace Booking App. This app allows workers to review floor plans and tap the touchscreen to book hot desks in the office directly from their mobile devices. With the flexibility this app affords, workers are no longer confined to a specific time and place, and they have better control over their work schedules and environment. They can even use the floor plan to see where their team members are sitting and book a workspace near them.

 

2. ACCELERATED DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

In just a span of months, the scale of the digital transformation that has taken place in response to Covid-19 is enormous. Companies have quickly adapted to the circumstances and adopted new technologies, including contact tracing apps, apps to support employee mental health, hot desk booking tools, collaboration platforms, and more.

 

3. ENHANCED CYBERSECURITY

Cyberattacks and data breaches have become increasingly commonplace. In response, there has been a greater focus placed on strengthening company cybersecurity strategies. One major area of consideration is authentication and authorization services for user logins. Single sign-on has been adopted by more and more companies so that employees could maintain a single set of login credentials rather than maintain multiple application passwords for day-to-day work.

 

4. SMART OFFICE SOLUTIONS

We live in a world dominated by smart devices that connect to the Internet and sync with our smartphones. Smart devices are changing our workspaces and the way we do work. Connected devices that we use at work include wireless presentation systems, meeting booking software, digital signage, and online collaboration tools. The right tools and equipment can boost collaboration between employees both remotely and in the office, as well as improve productivity and streamline processes.

 

5. DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING

The basis of any commercial enterprise is information, and today, we have more information at our fingertips than ever before. Big data is a collection of data from both inside and outside your company that you can use for analysis. Many companies are good at collecting data but don’t know what to do with it. 

Translating mountains of data into actionable insights and smart decisions is no easy feat, but it can be done with the right tools and strategies. Take meeting room and hot desk booking software, for example. Resource Central captures a wealth of data about how meeting rooms and workspaces are used and then provides insightful reporting to empower companies to make informed decisions about workspace arrangements.

 

THE FUTURE OF WORK

The question is not whether companies should embrace these trends but how fast they can do so.

Both in-person and remote teams are working together to collaborate and complete tasks using emerging technologies and innovative tools designed to boost efficiency and support flexibility.

To learn more about Add-On Products and the meeting room booking software tools we offer that can benefit your workforce and increase productivity, sign up for a free trial or free online demo!

 

 

Editor's Note: This article was first published on Add-On Product's blog.

Read more insights by Add-On Product:

https://www.add-on.com/blog/entry/what-return-to-work-technologies-do-you-need

https://www.add-on.com/blog/entry/how-a-desk-booking-app-can-make-your-return-to-office-plans-a-success

4th Advanced Materials In Construction Summit: A Sustainable Future

 As a society, we are becoming increasingly more environmentally conscious and every industry is looking for ways to be more sustainable and have a positive impact on the environment. The construction industry is no different.

According to the World Green Building Council, the construction industry is one of the major consumers of natural resources by generating around 39% of the world’s carbon emissions.

As the industry pushes to adopt a more sustainable approach to infrastructure and the built environment, using advanced materials has become increasingly popular to deliver green buildings that are both resilient and eco-friendly. Materials such as self-healing concrete, cross-laminated timber, smart glass windows, nanomaterials and more are helping the industry build towards a better and more sustainable future.

Let’s examine a few use cases of modern, advanced materials in construction:

3D Printed Concrete

By using 3D printed concrete, you can save a lot of production cost on material waste since no framework is required during the building process and the printer only uses the materials required to build the structure. It also greatly reduces production time and the personnel that’s needed to have projects completed in a quicker time than traditional methods.

Smart Glass Windows

Smart glass windows are more energy-efficient and can provide the flexibility that’s needed to control the amount of light/heat that enters a building. By being able to easily switch from clear to opaque settings, it’s becoming increasingly popular for open-space design since privacy can still be achieved quickly and without the need for curtains or other drapery.

Eco-Friendly Insulation

Using eco-friendly insulation like hemp, cellulose or wood requires less energy than conventional materials as they don’t require much processing in their production. They also have lower conductivity and higher thermal mass that helps it regulate temperature to help save on utility costs.

Cross-Laminated Timber

Cross-laminated timber is strong, lightweight, and sustainable plus has a lower extraction and processing impact than steel and concrete. Also when exposed to fire, the multiple layers allow the panel to remain structurally stable, unlike materials such as steel.

Now more than ever it’s important to focus on exploring the best practices of using next-generation materials in the construction sector. That’s why we are excited to return for our 4th Advanced Materials in Construction Summit in Berlin, Germany on November 18th and 19th, 2021.

This hybrid event will bring together building, construction, material science and architecture experts to review the latest technologies and strategies for creating buildings of the future.

We will have the pleasure of hearing from top expert speakers from major brands such as DAW SE, Knauf Insulation, Hilti Group, Holcim, Wacker Chemie AG and other key players in the market about their experiences and the latest innovations in building materials that they use to add real business value to their organizations. Our expert speakers will discuss the materials mentioned above, as well as others, and will showcase how their organization is using these advanced materials to construct the infrastructure of the future.

We are looking forward to connecting with everyone whether you choose to join us in the vibrant city of Berlin or virtually from the comfort of your home. No matter where you are joining us from, all attendees will be connected through our online platform to build valuable business relationships with your peers starting 3 weeks prior to the event and allowing you to stay in touch even after the summit is over.

Request your free brochure today to discover the full line-up of speakers and see the complete event agenda. Tickets are available now! Register today to save your spot so you don’t miss out on this invaluable industry event.

Supercharge Your RPA With Conversational AI

 We were fortunate to connect with our Platinum Sponsor, Cognigy, before our 4th World RPA & AI Summit. Continue reading to learn more about their insights:

Robotic process automation (RPA) is rapidly transforming how businesses operate. According to Gartner, 72 percent of companies will use RPA in some form during the next two years.  With such a rise in RPA adoption, innovation and digital transformation teams are scrambling to do their due diligence in understanding the scope of intelligent automation technologies, with a focus on long-term scalability and performance.

On the other hand, recent advances in conversational AI are also set to disrupt how businesses approach automation. Perhaps the future lies in a combination of the two technologies, in the form of conversational RPA, where the power of natural language understanding and machine learning can join forces to enable end-to-end automation of customer-facing processes. The convergence of RPA and Conversational AI is the next step in the intelligent automation journey as they create powerful synergy by taking on where the other has left off. While RPA kicks off, automates, and supervises the execution of business processes behind the scenes, Conversational AI manages the key human interactions in the front end.

Let’s explore some use cases and understand how backend process automation meets conversation-driven automation to revolutionize many industries, both in terms of customer experience and process efficiency.

Insurance

Consider insurance claims to be a complete customer journey with many interactions and processes handled by multiple systems and staff. Without speed, precision, and efficacy in the back-office, no matter how good and responsive the customer interaction aspect is, the time to settle a claim is reliant on the complete chain of events from a customer filing a claim to validation, approval, and lastly payment.

In such a scenario, a claim processing virtual agent can assist and gather documentation and details related to an incident, as well as enable uploading images, documents, or videos that provide more context to help in the subsequent process. Furthermore, the integration of optical character recognition (OCR) with RPA can enable insurers to automatically interpret content from uploaded documents and direct the information into the appropriate systems. This improves data quality and accuracy while curtailing insurance backlogs. Thereby, enabling a frictionless, human-like, end-user experience.

Retail/Merchandising

The challenge for the retail industry is to meet the towering expectations of the consumers as customers anticipate same-day or next-day delivery. In addition, the massive volume and fast-moving nature of the products increase the complexity of retail supply chain management. The question is, what is the best route ahead for the retail industry?

Well, A combination of RPA & Conversational AI can alleviate many of the issues that merchants encounter. The fundamental goal of AI and RPA technologies is to eliminate human error and improve the efficiency of business processes. Supply-chain management in retail is an excellent field where a mix of Conversational AI and RPA can bring forth surprising results, much as automated checkout, tailored recommendations, and churn rate reductions are some of the powerful use cases of applying AI solutions in retail. The fusion of these two technologies can elevate inventory management and the customer experience in the retail sector.

Healthcare

Across the globe, healthcare is one of the industries where human workers act as information routers, manually moving loads of data between systems by selecting, copying, and pasting. This repetitive work is tedious and unsatisfying, and it also has a high error rate since people lose focus and interest when doing monotonous jobs. This calls for intelligent automation in healthcare.

Conversational AI and RPA can de be deployed in hospitals and clinics to assist staff with the growing number of repetitive tasks, while also providing a superior experience to patients. AI-powered virtual agents can be used to route and direct patients to the most appropriate care when they are seeking information regarding the cause or treatment of their symptoms. An RPA component is incorporated as a virtual agent that can lead the patient towards picking a time to visit a doctor and automatically schedule an appointment.

Energy and Utilities

The energy and utility industry are transitioning from a largely traditional, regulation-heavy sector to one that is driven by technologies. Not only do the industry's fundamental operations have a lot of automation potential, but there are also a lot of recurring and rule-based procedures in the back and front office, which opens up a lot of possibilities for process automation. This makes it a perfect candidate for initiatives to revolutionize customer service and boost operational efficiency.

Whether it’s a query on a utility bill, updating customers on the status of a service outage, or responding to other service requests, RPA and Conversational AI can be adopted by utility providers in their contact centres to improve the customer experience while cutting service delivery costs. This relieves people of monotonous tasks, reduces errors, and increases quality and compliance.

Banking

When it comes to banking, the process of applying for a loan or a credit card account and getting approval is another area where RPA and conversational AI can play a combined role.

Within a conventional loan process, the customer journey and approval process are way too complex, requiring multiple steps, systems, and handovers that are loaded with friction and inefficiencies. This can lead to a loss of loan customers during long and frustrating cycle times. Though, it’s quite challenging to deliver a flawless customer experience in the banking sector, but, if we can combine the two technologies in disruptive ways, we can reap the immense benefits from the synergy they generate.

 

 

 

Join Cognigy at the 4th World RPA & AI Summit on October 7th and 8th, request a free brochure to see the full topic lineup and reserve your spot today!

Join Us During The Animal Health & Nutrition Summit

 According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the global population is approximately 7.3 billion and it is anticipated to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050; of which, 795 million people are undernourished.

This has caused a shift in the agriculture sector to focus more on long-lasting feed production techniques and providing better health management for livestock, poultry, swine and other food production animals to improve their overall health, growth and performance as it has a direct impact on the human population.

However, there are several new challenges that farmers are facing with the introduction of innovative technologies and more sustainable food systems. From rising emissions in dairy production to the consumers' need to trust where their food comes from – and much more – sharing real-life examples and experiences can help transform the lifecycle of animals and can improve animal welfare while maintaining the nutritional value humans need.

The Animal Health & Nutrition Virtual Summit will take place on the 28th and 29th of October 2021 and will bring together food producers, animal health and feed experts, as well as, vaccine and genetic specialists to discuss current trends and strategies for improving animal health, nutrition and precision farming.

The summit will focus on the latest innovations and strategies to improve dietary planning, livestock monitoring, behavioral analyses, feed management and more to create a better lifestyle overall for food production animals.

We will have the pleasure of hearing from top expert speakers from major brands such as Phibro Animal Health, Elanco, Kemin, Danone, DSM, InnovaFeed and other key players in the market about their experiences on combining technology and data to make better business decisions and much more.

Attendees will acquire in-depth knowledge that will cover designing smart nutritional plans and balancing your feed additives to create more sustainable food systems. They will also discover technologies' role in preventative healthcare & how data-driven decision-making can help push your business forward while providing the best life possible for the animals that keep us fed.

Our virtual event platform offers a wide range of networking and contact-building opportunities starting 3 weeks prior to the event as well as the possibility to schedule 1-on-1 virtual meetings, share materials with event attendees and participate in discussions and Q&As.

With the 2-day agenda packed full of informative case studies and networking opportunities, this virtual event is a must-attend for high-level executives and professionals in the industry looking to gain exceptional knowledge on the latest industry opportunities.

You can receive more information about the Animal Health & Nutrition Virtual Summit by requesting your free brochure and then when you are ready to join us, register here.

Updated Covid Measures For Fall Events

Luxatia International is excited to welcome you back to our hybrid conferences this fall and we can’t wait to gather in person again. The health and wellbeing of our delegates, speakers, sponsors and staff remain our top priority and we are working with our hotel venues to provide you with the same high-quality accommodations and services you expect while ensuring the health and safety of everyone.

As we continue to actively monitor the situation regarding the coronavirus and follow the latest advice and guidelines issued by the World Health Organization & European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, we have implemented hygiene measures and some changes to maximize everyone’s safety.

In order to join the event in person, during check-in we will require attendees to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus with an EMA* approved vaccine valid 2 weeks after your final dose, a negative coronavirus PCR test results valid within 72 hours, or proof of recovery in the last 6 months. If you are unable to provide any of the above, we can conduct an on-spot antigen test prior to the start of the event.

The COVID measures we also will adopt are as follows:

• Pens, printed material, promotional items will be available only upon request (digital materials will also be available virtually through our event app)
• Disinfectant dispensers are located at the main hotel entrance, the meeting room entrance and are available in all public areas (lobby, elevator, restaurant, etc.)
• The minimum distance is maintained throughout the building with a guidance system and appropriate signs
• Each venue will have its own employee dedicated to ensuring all safety measures are carried out
• Each employee (of Luxatia International and the hotel venues) will be trained on the latest hygiene standards prior to the event
• Masks must be worn in the elevator and social distancing must be maintained. (Look for signs before boarding for information on the maximum number of occupants)
• Contact details for all participants will be provided to the hotel upon request, in case of an emergency to ensure easy follow-up
• A no-handshake policy is in place at all times, including networking sessions
• The reception area of each hotel will try to make the contact made during check-in as contactless as possible by using: contactless payment options, a clear window between guests and the hotel staff, paperless checkout 

We appreciate your cooperation with using prevention strategies, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette for the duration of the summit.

Only by working together can we continue to enjoy the pleasures of travel and business events while preventing the further spread of the coronavirus.

If you are unable to travel at this time, we are offering virtual participation through our event platform for all of our summits as well. You can register for that option through the appropriate event page or if you need to switch your participation option, please email info@luxatiainternational.com.

Thank you for your understanding of these measures so we can continue to gather with industry leaders, share knowledge about the innovations of the future and establish valuable business relationships to help create solutions.

We look forward to seeing you soon!