Smart Facility Services: Combining Efficiency and Sustainability in Real Estate Management

On Mar 20, 2025

Smart Facility Services have emerged as a key driver of innovation in the corporate real estate and facility management world. In a rapidly changing environment introducing new ways to use workspaces and services, digital transformation has become the only viable way to keep up efficiently. Offices are now just one of many places where work happens, and hybrid work models have become mainstream. It’s only natural that facility management services must adapt to a world that demands ever-greater flexibility and agility.

Myspot plays a central role in this transformation. Myspot is a digital workplace experience platform that brings together people, real estate, and technology into one integrated ecosystem, enabling a shift to smart, flexible facility management. Notably, Myspot was named a Gartner® Cool Vendor in Digital Workplace Applications in both 2018 and 2023—an honor that underscores its innovative impact. By leveraging Myspot, organizations can create engaging workplace experiences that improve efficiency while also supporting sustainability goals.

The question is: how can facility services achieve this transformation in practice? The answer lies in harnessing advanced technologies through an integrated platform approach to not only optimize the management of physical assets and services, but also to streamline collaboration among all stakeholders in the facility ecosystem. Platforms like Myspot exemplify this approach by uniting these capabilities in one digital environment. By doing so, organizations can ensure both transparency and efficiency in every interaction, meeting the new demands of the market.

Leveraging Advanced Technologies to Drive Efficiency

Organizations today embark on digital transformation initiatives to maximize efficiency, using data and technology to automate and improve processes. This same approach extends to real estate and workplace management in the modern era. For example, Internet of Things (IoT) sensors gather real-time data from buildings and equipment; cloud platforms are ideal for analyzing that data; and smart contracts secured by blockchain bring transparency and automation to facility-related transactions. By blending these technologies into one integrated platform (such as a modern IWMS – Integrated Workplace Management System), companies can achieve several key outcomes:

•Eliminating Waste and Inefficiency: We live in a world very different from just a few years ago. With the rise of remote and hybrid work, the average office occupancy has declined, making it imperative for facility managers to deliver high-quality workplace experiences and employee well-being without inflating costs. Smart Facility Services enable a needs-based approach – performing maintenance or adjustments only when truly necessary and aligning services to the actual usage of spaces. For instance, sensors and analytics can trigger a maintenance activity or HVAC adjustment exactly when data shows it’s needed (often called predictive maintenance). By tailoring services to real-time demand in an automated, transparent way, Smart Facility Services eliminate waste and become enablers of workplaces that are productive, pleasant, and engaging for occupants.

•Enabling New Business Models: The digitalization of facility management processes, combined with automation and blockchain-enabled smart contracts, opens the door to new revenue models. Chief among these is space-as-a-service – essentially the “servitization” of real estate assets. In this model, organizations can repurpose underutilized office space into flexible work areas or coworking hubs for others, creating new income streams while fostering creativity and collaboration. Adopting space-as-a-service requires reconceiving a workspace not as one monolithic asset, but as a collection of component services (e.g. a bundle of comfortable desks, meeting rooms, amenities, etc.) that can be offered on-demand. Facility service providers then guarantee the availability and quality of each component – such as comfort, accessibility, and security – under usage-based contracts. This shift is pivotal, because in an as-a-service model providers are compensated based on the availability and performance of space and services, rather than a fixed fee, aligning everyone’s incentives toward excellent service and efficient use of space.

Myspot: Core Modules for a Smart Workplace

To put these capabilities into practice, the Myspot platform offers a suite of core modules that together create a comprehensive digital workplace experience:

•Booking: Enables employees to easily reserve desks, meeting rooms, and other workplace resources via web or mobile app. Myspot’s Booking module connects with users’ calendars (e.g. Outlook or Google) and the organization’s floor plans to match space demand with availability. This ensures workspaces are utilized efficiently and in accordance with company policies, while giving employees flexibility to collaborate, focus, and meet as needed.

•Access: Streamlines visitor management and building access. With Myspot’s Access module, employees can pre-register guests and send digital invitations or QR code badges for entry. The system supports reception workflows (including self-service check-in at a lobby kiosk or tablet) and integrates with access control hardware and even corporate Wi-Fi networks to grant visitors the appropriate permissions automatically. The result is a secure, compliant process for inviting, welcoming, and tracking visitors—improving lobby efficiency and the guest experience.

•Engagement: Fosters employee engagement and communication by providing a platform for events and content. The Engagement module allows organizations to create and manage events (from town halls to training sessions), whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid. It supports multi-channel content delivery and interactivity—participants can join via integrated video conferencing (e.g. Zoom or Microsoft Teams) or in person, engage through live Q&As and polls, and even view event livestreams on social platforms. This keeps employees connected and involved, enriching the workplace community.

•Plan: Delivers real-time occupancy insights and space utilization analytics. Myspot’s Plan module consolidates data from IoT sensors and other sources into a single dashboard. Facility managers can monitor how spaces are being used in real time (for example, current occupancy levels and environmental conditions) and analyze trends over time. These insights support data-driven decisions on how to adjust layouts, optimize cleaning schedules, or plan for future space needs. The module is hardware-agnostic, meaning it can integrate with a variety of sensor technologies and even offers optional proprietary sensors for desk occupancy and people counting. Ultimately, Plan helps organizations develop workplaces that truly reflect employees’ needs and business objectives.

•Service Requests: Provides a digital help desk for facilities and workplace services. Through the Service Requests module, employees can report issues or request assistance (for instance, a broken chair, an IT problem, or a cleaning need) directly from their location or personal device. They can describe the issue, attach photos, and select a priority level, then submit the ticket for resolution. On the back end, these requests are automatically routed to the appropriate facility or service team and tracked through completion. Employees can monitor the status of their requests in real time and receive updates when actions are taken. This not only maximizes the availability of the workplace by ensuring issues are addressed promptly, but also provides transparency and accountability in service delivery. The system can integrate with maintenance management or IWMS software, so that all service interventions are logged and managed in one place.

All of these modules are unified on a single cloud platform, providing a seamless user experience and centralized administration. Myspot is highly configurable (it can even be white-labeled to match an organization’s branding) and it integrates with existing workplace technology ecosystems—connecting to identity providers for single sign-on, calendar and email platforms, building IoT sensors and access control systems, and more. This means companies can deploy Myspot alongside their current Integrated Workplace Management Systems and infrastructure, quickly adding powerful new capabilities without starting from scratch. The result is greater automation, real-time visibility, and cohesive management of the workplace.

Smart Facility Services and Sustainability: Environmental and Social Impact

When we talk about sustainability, we often think of environmental responsibility first. However, sustainability has multiple facets – notably environmental and social – alongside economic considerations. These pillars of sustainability must be addressed in tandem, in synergy. This is true on a global scale (as reflected in frameworks like the UN Sustainable Development Goals) and in the business context, where companies increasingly focus on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria. Smart Facility Services represent an innovation that supports all these facets, and they are poised to become a pillar of the future of real estate management – one that looks beyond just efficiency and profitability to also encompass environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

•Reducing Environmental Impact: Adopting Smart Facility Services can significantly advance an organization’s environmental goals. In fact, such services are a foundational element of the emerging “Building 4.0” paradigm (applying Industry 4.0 principles to buildings), which leverages an ecosystem of technologies – IoT, AI, blockchain, automation, BIM (Building Information Modeling), and more – to manage the entire building lifecycle efficiently. Embracing a smart, data-driven approach to facility operations means, above all, optimizing energy consumption and maintenance cycles based on actual needs. For example, predictive maintenance (powered by IoT sensors and AI analytics) ensures that equipment is serviced or replaced only when needed, preventing energy waste and extending asset life. Additionally, smart contracts allow companies to embed environmental requirements directly into service agreements: providers might be required to hold certain green certifications or to use eco-friendly equipment and materials, with their compliance automatically tracked and verified on a blockchain. By enforcing sustainable practices through digital contracts, organizations can ensure their facility operations align with green building standards and reduce their carbon footprint over time.

•Enhancing Social Responsibility and Compliance: Smart Facility Services also yield benefits in terms of social impact and accountability. Using technologies like blockchain and smart contracts to govern relationships between parties brings a new level of fairness and transparency to facilities management. Automatic monitoring of service execution and continuous data recording help eliminate the “grey areas” where lapses or disputes often occur. Every maintenance task, cleaning service, or security check can be verified against predefined standards and timelines. This means work is done under conditions that respect labor agreements and the dignity of workers, since there’s clear proof of what was done and when. Moreover, all activities can be measured against applicable regulations and company policies to ensure full compliance – whether it’s adherence to health and safety standards (important in North America under OSHA and similar regulations), or meeting contractual SLAs. In short, Smart Facility Services promote a culture of accountability and transparency, ensuring that service providers meet their obligations and that facilities are managed in a socially responsible way.

Conclusion: A New Era for Facility Management in North America

For North American organizations, embracing Smart Facility Services—powered by Myspot—isn’t just about adopting the latest tech trend. It’s about gaining a competitive edge and future-proofing their real estate operations. By digitalizing facility management, companies can cut operating costs, reduce waste, and mitigate risks, all while improving the experience of the people who use their buildings. They also position themselves to meet growing expectations from regulators, investors, and employees for sustainability and transparency in operations. The North American market increasingly values data-driven decision making and demonstrable ROI, and Smart Facility Services deliver on both fronts: maximizing the value of assets and ensuring every dollar spent on facilities truly contributes to business goals.

In summary, Smart Facility Services combine efficiency with sustainability in a way that resonates with the modern business mindset. They enable organizations to streamline processes, unlock new revenue opportunities, and uphold higher standards of environmental and social responsibility. By aligning facility management with advanced technology (through solutions like Myspot) and sustainable practices, companies can create smarter, healthier buildings that not only save money but also enhance occupant satisfaction and meet the evolving demands of the market. This represents a new era of real estate and facility management – one where digital innovation and North American market expectations go hand in hand, driving better outcomes for businesses, people, and the planet alike.

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