The digital wayfinding signage and kiosks are gaining huge momentum in UAE. Businesses and organizations form various industries are increasingly deploying wayfinding kiosks all around the country. A good digital wayfinding kiosks coupled with advanced wayfinding software can offer great many features while helping your customers and visitors easily navigating the large building, facilities, outdoor areas, parks, shopping malls, and government buildings. Here in UAE a lot of population consists of expats, who are mostly unfamiliar with several facilities, furthermore the tourism is flourishing as well which means the country welcomes millions of tourists annually. Furthermore constructing large and multistory buildings is a common practice. These all reasons compel businesses, organizations and facility management companies to offer receptions and on-site staff to welcome and guide the customers and visitors.
Traditionally the wayfinding was limited to printed or painted maps, physical signs and clues. However, with the rise of technology infused business practices, innovation and needs of modernization, businesses and organizations started deploying interactive self-service wayfinding kiosks with advanced features, which runs on a specialized wayfinding software application. In this blog we will discuss what a wayfinding software is and what makes it so important for modern businesses and facility management.
What is wayfinding software and why is it important?
What is Digital Wayfinding?
The digital wayfinding is simply a combination of tools and data information systems which help customers and visitors to navigate through a physical space or a constructed environment. Businesses mostly used digital wayfinding kiosks for their customers and visitors however, utilizing it for employees is also common in medium and large offices. When it comes to digital wayfinding, there are two parts of it, one an interactive self-service kiosk or signage and the other part is the wayfinding software. The wayfinding software is basically a server-side application which is loaded with the 3D/2D maps of the floor plan. Whenever someone comes to the wayfinding kiosk, the kiosk highlights them where they currently are and it let them look up for their destination, then it points out the route to their destination. There are several different types of digital wayfinding kiosk offering different types of maps. Basically a digital wayfinding software is an advanced form of the interactive directory software. It can offer:
- 2D Maps: The floor plan converted into a flat map highlighting all available locations
- 3D Maps: The entire floor plan is converted into more detailed 3D animation of the real facility
- Virtual Tours: A full-fledged 3D video illustration of each and every detail
Furthermore there are certain features which also help classifying different types of wayfinding kiosks. Majorly all digital wayfinding software are the same however, there are certain features which makes them different. For example, businesses can have a directory searching facility, where they can provide the contact person’s name, phone, timing, etc. In case of a shopping mall there could be business name, phone number, timing along with additional information about their business such as their products, etc. and so on. All these different features are designed for different business and help them achieve their unique goals and objectives.
See Also: What are the advantages of Digital Wayfinding Signage?
What is Digital Wayfinding?
What is a Wayfinding Software?
A wayfinding software is a specialized software designed to offer various features for digital wayfinding applications. Usually the wayfinding software is a server-side application which is hosted on an online hosting, cloud or it can also be deployed at on-premises hosting. The wayfinding software is connected to user interfaces (UIs) via interactive self-service kiosks and signage. Whenever a customer gives an instruction at the kiosk screen, the instruction is sent to server, where algorithms analyzed it and then the response is sent back to the kiosk. That is how the digital wayfinding software works. Furthermore the integration with IoT sensors, biometrics and various other hardware is also common. Businesses also utilize wayfinding system for attendance management and access control. Employees can sign-in through the wayfinding kiosks which are usually placed at reception, they can get access to certain areas of the facility by signing-in, RFID, biometrics, employee cards or any other type of authentication.
Integration with QR Code and mobile applications is also common, where the interactive maps can be pushed to the mobile phone apps as well. The wayfinding software support third-party system integration which enable them to offer more details for the directory along with updated information, and also enable it to run marketing or promotional content on the large interactive signage or self-service wayfinding kiosk. The ability to customize also enable businesses to incorporate innovative features in wayfinding software.
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What is a Wayfinding Software?
Why Wayfinding Software is Important for Businesses?
Businesses, organizations and facility management companies often have to deploy several employees at the reception in order to accommodate the daily footfall and guiding them for their desired location within the premises. However, in such setup the long queues and waiting is a common sighting. Here are some key benefits of an effective wayfinding software which makes them essential for a modern business:
- Intuitive UIs: The intuitive user interfaces with multi-lingual support help visitors easily interact with the system and find their destination. Furthermore businesses can also update maps and information instantly on wayfinding kiosks which improve user experience.
- Interactive Maps: The interactive maps allow customers to view any area with ability to zoom-in or zoom-out. In case of 3D Maps the users can easily view more details and find landmarks easily which can help them navigating through the route. Real-life photos can be added for each landmark to further improve customer experience.
- Virtual Tour: The virtual tour is a 3D conversion of the entire floor plan where the users can see each and every detail just by interacting through the touch screen. This feature is popular for entertainment facilities and parks which help user checkout more details of the destination.
- Advance Search: Apart from interactive maps, people usually try to look up for the destination with the search by typing in a keyword or key-phrase. The advance search feature offers multiple filters which enable users to easily find their destination.
- Contact Directory: Offering well-managed contact directory can greatly improve customer experience. The contact directory could be different for different application for example, for an office building it would be contact directory and for a shopping mall it would be business listing.
- Integration Capabilities: The integration is a very crucial component of modern day corporate tools and systems. Integrating wayfinding system with several other internal systems such as employee or tenant management system, marketing tools and announcement system can greatly improve the user experience while ensuring up-to-date data on the wayfinding kiosk.
- Central Management: In a typical digital wayfinding setup a business can have multiple interactive signage or self-service kiosks. A central management system is the backend dashboard of the wayfinding software which allow managing data remotely such as maps, information and contacts on every connected wayfinding kiosks in real-time.
- Data Analytics & Reporting: A digital wayfinding software is smart solution which is capable of capturing valuable analytical data and converting it into actionable reports. The data analytics and reporting feature help businesses taking informed decisions and help them improve customer journey and their operational capabilities.
Why Wayfinding Software is Important for Businesses?
These are just a few essential features of a modern day wayfinding software which makes them very effective and impactful. There are several other features such as integrating wayfinding software with the visitor management system while allowing visitors to easily check-in and checkout suing QR Code or secure sign-in methods such as username or Emirates ID scanning, etc. The wayfinding software not only gives the information to everyone but it can also be used to bridge the gap between different independent operational processes while enhancing user experience and raising customer satisfaction. The digital wayfinding helps businesses effectively utilizing their human resource and make operations more productive and efficient. Businesses can also use the wayfinding software to help facilitating employee onboarding while providing them personalized wayfinding experience and much more. Furthermore the wayfinding software also offers intuitive administrative dashboards for the managers and staff. The head office can monitor the statistical and analytical data in real-time from all connected branches which is great in helping them making informed decisions and taking timely actions. A digital wayfinding software offers facility managers more control and convenience while putting user experience at the top and making sure you welcome your customers and visitors with an excellent first impression.
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A digital wayfinding software offers facility managers more control and convenience.
Conclusion
As I have discussed various aspects and benefits of a wayfinding software and digital wayfinding, it is clear that it is not just a navigational aid for the customers and visitors, but it is a full-on transformative tool which can greatly enhance operational capabilities of a modern facility management operations. Businesses, organizations and government sector is rapidly adopting digital wayfinding solutions to improve visitor and customer experience. With the ability to offer multiple maps along with advanced search and virtual tour like features a modern wayfinding software is a very capable tool to overcome various diverse and sophisticated facility management challenges. A modern wayfinding software not only offers navigational help but it can also offer various other features along with high-value business intelligence data. The central management and real-time data update features empower facility managers and also help management making informed decisions. As we are beginning the year 2024, it is evident that the wayfinding software will play a pivotal role in shaping customer experience in our modern cities and facilities. If you want to learn more about wayfinding software or if you want our help to design a customized wayfinding software to meet your exclusive needs, please feel free to contact us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.