QR Codes in Buildings Transforming Operations
COVID Has Spurred the Use of QR Codes Inside and Outside Buildings
QR codes in buildings are being used by businesses to make interactions in their facilities a touchless experience. Touchless, makes facilities safer and less susceptible to the spread of viruses and germs.
In a previous blog, we discussed what a QR code is and how they are easier than ever to create and use. Just point your phone’s camera at the QR code to scan it, and it works.
QR codes in buildings have benefits beyond promoting a touchless environment within your building and workplace management. Here are the general categories and some examples:
- Operations & Infrastructure Support: Streamline support and reduce support costs, e.g room problem report, AV issue; eliminate the requirement to install a phone line in rooms for support; unlock a door; track maintenance.
- Administrative Reporting & Streamlining: Scan to report a facilities problem; register on-site.
- On-Site Communication: Communication of more detailed info: videos, PDFs, websites, and more; sign up/register for events; communicate to daily visitors on-site messaging.
- Emergency Management: Scan to make phone calls; scan reports location; scan provides a phone number when it generates a call or text; fully include visitors for the day with emergency text notifications.
- Cleanliness and Health Safety: Promoting a touch-free environment further mitigating the spread of viruses and germs. All of the QR code use cases are touchless and promote health and cleanliness.
The ways QR codes can be used within your building facilities is not limited to the list above. Our collective imaginations will find further use cases to our collective benefit.
Use Cases: QR Codes Transforming Building Operations
Let’s explore a few use cases in more detail.
Operational Support for Building Occupants
Facilities management has to ensure their buildings are supported to ensure smooth operations. A traditional way of supporting meeting rooms is by having a phone line installed in the meeting room with a number to call if operational support is required. Users would call if they couldn’t get the AV to work properly, or some other reason.
Since everyone has a mobile phone, using a QR to make a call is much simpler. Instead of having the cost and infrastructure of supporting phone lines to all the rooms and other building facilities, just have QR codes to call for support.
Not only is this more convenient for the user, but the cost savings are substantial versus traditional support costs.
Access Control
Interactive panels are often mounted outside meeting rooms displaying room availability, allowing users to book the room on the spot. They can also be connected to the door lock, requiring a user to enter their unique ID number to unlock the door. Putting a QR code on the panel and when the user scans it, it sends a text to the door lock system which contains the user’s phone number. A match unlocks the door. The system can be set up so the entering of the ID can still be done on the panel, but the QR code provides a touchless and more elegant solution.
Bulletin Boards
Bulletin boards are found in many lunchrooms, common areas, and access points in schools, clubs, and organizations of any size. One of the types of bulletins found on these boards is a notice of an event or activity which requires sign up. And there are associated sign up sheets with the event. Using a QR code to provide a form for submission, enroll via text, or access to a website, is a much better option. It eliminates touch, instantly collects the information, and provides all the information required to communicate with the user after the signup. And further details can be instantly provided, e.g. confirmation of enrollment, waitlisting, or informing the user the event is fully booked.
On-Site Emergency Notification
Emergency notification within a building, or a school or corporate campus, is hugely important. Organizations are always trying to do a better job to keep their community of occupants safe at all times. This includes regular members of the facility’s community as well as daily visitors. There are many different kinds of emergency situations that require unique contingencies and communication to the occupant community at the time of the emergency.
QR codes can be used in many different ways. Instantly call or text security, or another designated department, for help, or to report
something, By calling, the person also provides their mobile number to security, and potentially the location in the building complex they are calling from can be tracked. These are both very powerful capabilities that can greatly enhance the security operations of the building campus. The QR codes can be either printed, and permanently mounted, or they can be digital, and be part of the content on displays of all kinds. A strategy that uses both printed and digital would ultimately provide the most capability and flexibility. The print and digital options are discussed in greater detail in this blog.
Building Maintenance
The use of QR codes can simplify, streamline, and enhance building maintenance. There are so many ways they can be used and new innovative ways of using them are constantly being created. Simple but powerful uses like the automatic recording of an event each time a QR code is scanned. The event can identify who is scanning, when, and enable other actions as a result of the scan.
For example, having regular maintenance (including cleaning), scan a QR code when the maintenance is completed provides an instant record of the activity, with the ID of the person scanning and the time. If a quick form needs to be filled out providing more detail, it can be instantly sent to the phone and details filled out. Making information instantly available and saving the effort of having to record the data separately later.
For more advanced types of maintenance, the QR code scan can give an authorized user (authorized via the phone number of device scanning the QR code), instant access to floor plans, video footage of drone building scan, or a how-to video on the maintenance procedure. These are called Attendance Check Maintenance. Visit this blog for more details. The possibilities are endless and the benefits are multi-dimensional including a healthy financial return from the increased efficiencies.
Security
Security is another category that has a growing list of use cases. Very simple but powerful uses are to call, or text security by scanning a QR. It is much easier to put up QR codes all around a corporate or educational campus than it is to install phone lines. It makes people on the campus feel more secure and it acts as a deterrent as well. Sign-in at the security desk can be simplified and if there is an onsite need for communication to visitors to the facility, security has the mobile number of visitors on-site at all times. They can be reached by text or phone.
Often the benefits of the use cases of using QR codes in buildings will come in more than one of the above categories. Q
When we are ready to take the next step using QR codes for transforming building operations how do we move forward?
QR codes transforming building operations have many use cases for on-site QR code deployment. What are the obvious and easy use cases that will give you an immediate impact and payback? Prioritize your list. And finally, decide what the right mix is of physical QR codes, like printed ones, versus digital QR codes on screens of all types and sizes
To learn more about using physical and digital QR codes in buildings:
- When to use one versus the other, and
- Getting the right mix
This blog discusses the two points above as well as how to prioritize QR code use cases, and things to look for in a platform to manage the digital QR codes.
