JLL WorkSmart app
Global real estate services firm, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) is embracing the digital age, says Rajiv Nagrath, director of corporate solutions at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL).
JLL developed a WorkSmart@420 smart-phone app that is exclusive to staff, containing information about its new office at 420 George Street, Sydney, activity-based working as well as some helpful functionality. This tool operates across all smartphone devices including iPhones and iPads, Android and BlackBerry.
The app contains information on the new way of working being adopted by the organisation, how to engage with and interact with the new environment and the behaviours expected of employees in the new environment. It contains media including video, copy, image gallery and interactive maps. The app also enables staff to request a meeting room, to sign in a visitor and nominate a client for a tour at the push of a button.
Some 117 of JLL’s staff downloaded the app in the first week of launch, representing more than 35 percent of the employee base.
| NFC innovation |
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An Australian innovation allowing prospective buyers to tap a for-sale sign outside a property to access a 360 degree walk-through of its interior has been launched by Starr Partners real estate.
The innovation utilises Near Field Communication (NFC) or ‘tap it’ technology. When a consumer waves a smartphone at an NFC-enabled for sale board, it will instantaneously take them to the relevant Starr Partners created web page providing the all-access interior view. |
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NFC is seen as the natural successor to QR codes, which require an app to enable user access. NFC works via inbuilt smartphone scanning capabilities, making this technology more readily available for spontaneous use.
The technology works using radio-frequency identification. The antenna (passive tag) emits a frequency to the smartphone (active tag), transmitting information such as a URL. The information is then displayed immediately on the users screen.
CMS Property
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The CMS Property solution offers a property management system specifically tuned to the needs of real estate agencies and managers of commercial, industrial and retail property portfolios. It has the scalability and versatility required for agency franchises, trusts and retail chains, as well as for single property agencies and boutique agencies.
Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) have matured in the past decade and become accepted as the most important strategic enterprise solution for planning and managing any organisation’s real estate assets. |
IWMS implementations provide a business tool to not only reduce costs in the short term, but for organisational effectiveness and enhancement of capabilities for sustaining on-going cost reduction and competitive positioning in the long term.
Manhattan IWMS solution provides end-to-end capabilities from planning, financial management and budgeting, project management, real estate and portfolio management, facilities and space management, operations and maintenance, and sustainability.
| Yardi Voyager Mobile apps |
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Technology provider Yardi has created mobile applications that extend the core Yardi Voyager™ property management and accounting system beyond desktops and laptops. Yardi Voyager applications currently available on such mobile platforms as Apple OS, Android OS and BlackBerry OS include:
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Yardi Maintenance Mobile™, which offers workers in the field the convenience of creating, updating and closing work orders in Yardi Maintenance™ from a mobile device, with results automatically updated in Yardi Voyager.
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Yardi Inspection Mobile™, which lets inspectors in the field enter data into Yardi Voyager from smartphones or tablets. Inspectors can instantly view assigned inspections and automatically record inspection results, and attach pictures and voice notes on devices that support camera and voice recording functionality.
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Yardi PAYscan Mobile™, designed for companies that use Yardi PAYscan™, this application allows the secure review and approval of purchase orders and invoices. Users can drill down to purchase order and invoice details, review and validate invoice images using touchscreen gestures and summary overlay, and email invoice images or download them to an iOS device.
Aconex
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Aconex is said to be the most widely-used collaboration platform for construction, infrastructure, energy and resource projects.
According to Aconex, in the the future more applications will be used on mobile devices and there will be more widespread use of mobile devices. |
Mobile technology will allow richer information to be captured and communicated out in the field. In particular, Aconex expects to see widespread use of photos, videos and voice capture to provide more ‘visualized’ communication of construction-related issues amongst project teams.
Aconex anticipates the adoption of mobile BIM and augmented reality – the ability to not only view and interact with models in the field, but actually visualise the building onsite.
| Ray White visual dashboards |
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Ray White Group has deployed Tableau Software to better see and understand data and drive its geographical expansion strategy. The documentbuilder software breaks down multi-dimensional data mash-ups with rich data visualisations that support people’s natural ability to think visually.
Originally intended to visualise market potential for prospect franchisees in certain suburbs, the company’s data team quickly realised the potential of the application for sales purposes. |
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Through a web-based portal connected to Tableau Server, it allows sales representatives to create their own market reports for specific suburbs and geographies. It takes less than a minute for an agent to build a new document.
With Tableau, Ray White also launched the Franchiser Launchpad to make performance and sales metrics accessible to the group management, franchisees and agents from an intuitive dashboard. Market share data comprises sales numbers and compares them with total sales per suburb, sourced from external property market research firms. With the software, Ray White’s data team was able to distribute the analytic insights from data to thousands of users as pie charts, drilling from national level all the way down to individual suburbs.
