Issue
It’s 7 a.m. and you’re in the office early to prepare for a meeting with your leaders. You’ve got your spreadsheets, a great presentation–even a new suit. Now you just need a big cup of coffee to get your mind firing. But wait! The machine is broken. You call maintenance and get a recorded message. Maybe they’ll get back to you. Maybe not. Maybe you can get a cup of coffee later in the morning. Maybe not…
Technical problems with simple, yet indispensable office equipment like thecoffee machine can be more complicated to fix thanyou might think. One study at The Edge, Deloitte’s state-of-the-art smart office building in Amsterdam, revealed that it can take seven people from four organizations about 40 hours to make a coffee machine repair.There had to be a better way.
Solution
The Edge may be jam-packed with technology, but we’ve learned it takes more than machines to makea smart building run smoothly. People and processes must work with the technology for successful outcomes.
To find the solution to this maintenance bottleneck, we interviewed operational teams at The Edge to learn about their processes. Working with themwedesignedaway to better coordinate their activities with the technology available.
Enter the Do. App, an app developed by Deloitte,combined with a Smart Service Processdesigned by Deloitte and LOEK!,a blockchain-based building platform that connects people, assets, and processes. Using the app, anyone can point, click, and get something fixed.
In the case of the coffee maker, our early riser can point their smartphone camera at the errant machine. The app recognizes the coffee maker and provides a selection of potential issues. Once the problem is identified,the Smart Service Processroutes the issue directly to the proper maintenance company, by-passing departments that don’t need to be involved. Theapp notifies anyone reporting an issue that the problem is fixed and provides an opportunity to give feedback on the process, improving the overall quality of service.
Additionally, sensors in the coffee machine provide us with real-time data about its status. The internet of things enables the coffee machine to be part of the Smart Service Process, by reporting its own problems facilitating predictive maintenance.
Impact
The pilot project in The Edge has showed a 40-60 percent reduction in repair time and related costs as a result of the Do. App coupled with the Smart Service Process, with more savings on the way. It isnowavailable to all 6,500 employees across all of Deloitte’s 15 offices in the Netherlands.
And coffee makers are just the beginning. The process is aimed to berolled out forclimate control systems, elevators, printers, AV-equipment, and more.Also on the horizon, the blockchaininfrastructure that runs the building platform will be configured to immediately pay service companies that fix problems via smart contracts, cutting down on administrative payroll issues.The future of building maintenance is now.