With the return to office and an increase in overall headcount, this leading financial services organization looked to empower employees to take on individual reservations and have the autonomy to decide when and where they need to be. Additionally, they needed a tool to support wayfinding as hybrid became the new workplace model.
Wisp provided one connected solution to empower their hybrid workforce through the return to office. With Wisp delivering a solution to support space management, desk reservations, and wayfinding, it made understanding the client’s space usage, portfolio management and reservable seats easy and accessible to the entirety of their workforce.
As this leader in financial services transitioned back to the office, the real estate and facilities team faced an ongoing challenge – how to support the influx of new hires while encouraging the return to office for valuable in-person experiences. With the shift to hybrid workplace adoption, there was a greater need to reassess their current technology stack and space usage to establish a baseline and make the needed enhancements.
Originally, a solution was built by their IT department within Microsoft SharePoint to manage reservable desks for the first return to office wave; however, leveraging their own homegrown reservation solution proved challenging to fully visualize the entire space at a given time, and the corporate real estate team was unable to fully capture the real-time usage and reservations on a given day.
“It was a manual process with no ability to see when others were coming in. It couldn’t help you plan which days to come in based on other people’s schedules. It was static and not live.” – AVP Corporate Real Estate
It was time to shift away from the manual process to their already established space and occupancy tool in order to support their ongoing workplace and occupant strategies with the evolving needs of the workplace.
In an partnership with their space management software provider, Wisp, the client implemented the desk reservation solution to capture all reservable seats in a single source while supporting the shift to a hybrid workplace model. Implementing the desk reservation solution was efficient with a short turnaround, given they already used Wisp for space management.
“The Gensler Wisp team either hit or was early on the project timeline that was given for implementation of the desk reservation system.” – AVP Corporate Real Estate
In addition to returning to office, the influx of new headcount was paralleled with shifting away from traditional “owning their seat” mentality to a flexible arrangement where employees had autonomy in selecting their own workspace. In adjusting to a hybrid environment, there also came the need for communication and change management. Wisp gave the client a better tool to lead change management with their line of business. As part of the communication for the shift to hybrid, they setup a monitor in the lobby and sent out a short one-minute video that included a QR code to easily access the desk reservation system.
Most employees utilized the intranet as their access point and found the direct link “very easy”. The client sent a follow-up survey to all employees on their experience using the Wisp desk reservation and wayfinding system, and employees gave Wisp an 88% ease-of-use rating.
“I found [Wisp] incredibly easy! I’m looking forward to using it in the future as needed and hopefully coordinating with colleagues to find ways to meet in person periodically.” – Wisp Desk Reservation User
In addition to streamlined reporting and an easy-to-use tool, additional benefits came from continued support by the Wisp customer success team. From implementation through ongoing support, the Wisp customer success manager was there to support the client through consulting and advising on best practices and solutioning. The continuous partnership with the Wisp customer success manager allowed for ongoing monitoring of the utilization and the ability to adjust to new ways of working when necessary.
“One of my favorite parts about Wisp in general is the service level we get from our dedicated customer success manager and the entire Gensler Wisp team.” – AVP Corporate Real Estate
With their shift to reservations, the corporate real estate team was able to capture reporting and insights on employees’ movement and occupancy trends throughout the ebbs and flows of office attendance. Wisp served as a collaboration and wayfinding tool so individuals could plan for the day and see when their teammates would be in the office and be more efficient and intentional when they are in the office – this instilled a greater productivity for the time spent in office.
“[Wisp] is a tool specific to your needs, allowing you to better plan for your day and when/where you do your best work. It helps users plan their day more efficiently.” – AVP Corporate Real Estate
While the return to office brought forth new learnings, the value of utilizing Wisp with desk reservations was seen in trend and reporting on occupancy and space planning. The data within Wisp helped to see which areas were highly attended for reservations, enabling administrators to effectively manage the workplace and gather impactful data to understand space utilization and plan for the future of work. Through the single source of data, the corporate real estate team effectively managed the shift to a hybrid work model and continued to navigate the changes within their workplace strategy.
By leveraging Wisp as their space management and desk reservation solution, this financial services client facilitated a swift and productive return to office and hybrid workplace adoption.
