Soundproof booth manufacturer Framery has announced the public preview of Framery Analytics, after a successful four-month trial. Framery Analytics is the next step in the company’s digital connectivity evolution, encouraging brands to utilize current data to have a better understanding of office behavior.
A host of companies including H&M, LinkedIn, and Puma tested Framery Analytics to determine how often pods are being used—a driver for office design, configuration, and budget decisions. “It’s important for facilities managers to understand how much the pods are actually being used, and how their employees are benefitting from them,” said Arto Vahvanen, head of digital offerings and customer experience at Framery.
Currently compatible with the Framery One model, Framery Analytics can be used without any extra equipment, an ideal pairing of technology and product for the workplace arena. “The capability is already there, you don’t need anything else,” Vahvanen explained. “The technology is within the office furniture, which hasn’t been done on this scale before.”
Not only is Framery Analytics ready as soon as the booth is, but the data is presented in a way that is easy to understand. People can review the length of time a booth is used and when, while a heat map shows where a pod is used most or rarely at all. Usage rates can be broken down into hourly or daily segments. Users will be able to benchmark trends or patterns and then assess how these have changed over time.
Most company leaders want to look at single-person pod usage first to determine if more pieces are needed, or if existing products should be moved to different locations in the office. “You want to have an understanding of how each of the one-person pods are being used. What was the average session length? How many people used this pod in the past week or in a month? We provide that key data,” Vahvanen noted.
Vahvanen said that optimum usage is in the 50 to 60 percent range, an indicator that one pod is utilized for short periods at various times, rather than booked for long stretches throughout the day. If single-person options are heavily used, there is a “spillover effect,” with individuals using larger booths, which is not necessarily ideal. “If all of the single pods are used during peak hours, then someone may take a call in the corridor or have a virtual meeting in a four-person pod. That’s why you want the right mixture of different sizes to optimize the experience for employees,” he added.
Once the information is reviewed, managers can take existing stock and place it where it will be effective, without necessarily buying new products. “By balancing the load and moving the pods to the right location, I don’t have to purchase new pods all of the time. I can leverage what I already have, and I have the data to back up that decision,” Vahvanen said.
The pandemic forever changed the way we work, and Vahvanen noted that we have more scheduled meetings, not less. Colleagues and clients are often in different locations, both in the office and off-site at any given time. Tools like Framery Analytics can help users stay agile, which is key to thriving in a competitive market. “We know that the amount of virtual calls has increased, and that was happening before the pandemic. In the majority of meetings today at least one person is online, so there are different technology needs now.”
However, many users still want solutions that allow them to focus on a particular task or take a break individually, without having to reserve a conference room or pod in advance. “There is definitely ad hoc use. If you have a phone call or want to take 15 minutes for yourself, you can step in and recharge. The smaller pods are catering to that particular user,” Vahvanen noted.
Vahvanen said that customers have requested Framery Analytics compatibility with all of the pods in the line, and that’s expected in the near future. The goal is to create products that give employees more flexibility and streamline the experience at work. “What’s the most convenient way to find an available pod in the office? That’s a problem that we’d like to solve, and we’re working on that as we speak,” he added.