Almost one third of facilities managers believe that managing and implementing technologies will have the biggest impact on their roles in 2023, according to new research from Watco.
The survey, conducted with 250 facilities management professionals, uncovered five digital technologies which they believe will have the biggest influence on the wider sector in 2023:
- Customer portals to maintain and digital ‘golden thread’ of information
- Sensor technology
- Robotics
- Resource and workforce management software
- Internet of things
Technology has been gaining momentum within the sector over the previous decade, however, the survey results demonstrate that in 2023, industry professionals expect it to have a larger impact on their day-to-day role. This is due to the way that innovations can create crucial improvements in business performance areas such as efficiency and time-saving.
Nonetheless, there is still some hesitation when it comes to investing in digital technologies, with attitude, capability and feedback proving sticking points for many businesses.
In fact, the survey revealed that almost half of respondents (47%) say their business is ‘slow to embrace digital technology’ with that figure climbing to 50% for millennial respondents. Furthermore, 42% reported that their business will be negatively affected if it doesn’t improve its digital technologies and skills.
With the new year upon us, and many facilities management professionals anticipating what 2023 will bring, Lisa O’Neill, Group Marketing Director at Watco shares her insights on digital innovation in the sector: “Within our business, we have been evolving with technology and innovation at our core for a number of years now – seeing the benefits of this approach first-hand. It’s great to see from the survey that it will become such a big focus for the warehouse and facilities management sectors this year.
Despite the traditional nature of our sector, there are plenty of opportunities to innovate and where we have spotted these then used technology in our solutions, we have seen great resonation with our customers.
We know how busy facilities managers are, and digital innovations present a strong opportunity to support businesses both in time-saving and resource allocation. So, as a supplier, anything we can do to assist in improving a business’s efficiencies will help us to support customers through what is set to be a difficult year economically.
Examples of innovative technologies in our customer communications strategy include the website’s live chat feature, virtual site visits and most recently – our brand-new product finder. This new tool will enable facilities managers to acquire expert recommendations in just a few clicks meaning that they can get back to doing what they do best.”
For more information on Watco’s product finder tool, please visit: https://www.watco.co.uk/watco-product-finder
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