Smart locker and Smart Working: Copernico’s winning experience with WIB and Ricoh
- 23 July 2019
- Elena Federici
Even in Italy, albeit with some delay compared to the rest of Europe, “smart working” is becoming increasingly widespread. It is based on working methods that are more flexible than in the past, with greater autonomy and accountability for results and which, to encourage these methods, often also involves a rethinking of work spaces.
In this way, smart working guarantees numerous benefits, such as greater individual satisfaction and better performance on a personal and organizational level.
Today, all you need is a computer, a telephone and an internet connection to be able to do a lot of work, but in order to be able to do it at its best, the workstation and the work environment are also fundamental.
In this sense, an increasingly popular solution is that of coworking spaces, workplaces where it is possible to rent for a certain period of time (which can range from 1 hour to months and months) one or more workstations (up to entire offices) in spaces equipped to accommodate more people, with the sharing of spaces such as meeting rooms and recreational areas and services such as reception and the like.
Throughout Italy there are almost 700 coworking spaces (as reported by the website Italian Coworking), but even in this area there are realities that have distinguished themselves more than others for the quality of the offer, coming to open and manage a multitude of spaces under the same banner.
Among these stands out Copernico, the network of workplaces, flexible offices and Smart Working services born in Milan and that, in a few years, has opened twelve locations in Italy and abroad, offering in many of these also coworking spaces.
The success of the proposal of this reality derives from its attention to propose an experience that goes beyond the basic supply: Copernico’s spaces become a place for networking, meeting, discussion and training, thanks to numerous initiatives that are proposed periodically, with an important – and decisive – work of organization behind. In this way, Copernico facilitates the business development of its customers.
In the constant search for solutions to facilitate the daily life of the guests of its spaces, Copernico, with the support of WIB and its partner Ricoh, has already introduced Smart Lockers, currently used as Parcel Lockers.
Through these devices, now present in the Copernico Isola for S32, Copernico Martesana and Copernico Blend Tower locations, the delivery of packages for individual guests has been completely revolutionized.
In the past, deliveries for the guests of Copernico centers were taken care of by the receptionists, who notified the guest on duty by email or phone and kept the parcel waiting for collection behind the reception desk, with the difficulty of having to manage an increasing number of parcels every day, losing a lot of time even at the time of delivery.
The system made possible through the WIB Smart Lockers used as Parcel Lockers has improved this process on several fronts: the courier deliveries are in fact inserted in the special bays of the Smart Lockers by the operators who select the recipients through the practical touchscreen interface present on the device itself.
After closing the door of the bay, the system automatically notifies by email (although it is already possible to integrate the alerts with any app and related push notifications) the recipient, who can come for the withdrawal at any time, even after one or more days.
To pick up the package, simply scan the QR code received with the email or type the unique code on the touchscreen: this allows you to open the bay and conclude the procedure with the withdrawal of the package.
This new procedure frees the reception staff from the need to be present at the pick-up and spend time identifying the recipient in order to make the delivery; moreover, it allows to proceed even at a distance, while in the previous management mode there was the serious problem of the safe management of uncollected packages.
“Since we implemented WIB Smart Lockers to date, more than 10,000 pickups have been made, without a single incident,” says Federico Andrea Lessio, Chief Experience Officer at Copernico.
“We have successfully integrated this innovative solution into our current system,” continues Federico, “allowing us to offer our customers a modern, functional and secure experience. All this is also thanks to the willingness of WIB, which understood our needs even in a new service area and developed a solution in line with Copernico’s style and features.“
These are many new features that, on closer inspection, share a single denominator: to increasingly facilitate the overall experience of Copernicus’ centers and spaces.