Finding efficiencies through analytics to weather the storm
For all the buzz around analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), they’re simply tools. Massimo Gaetano, software programme manager at NEC Display Solutions Europe, investigates how AI and sensor technology offers compelling opportunities for businesses.
It’s a unique occurrence in business: company leaders know that they will soon face the test of economic turbulence, but they have time to plan for it. The challenge of economic recovery gives every incentive to look for new ideas. One key factor will be efficiency. Companies that maintain or deploy tools that free their employees to focus on their main business will find opportunities to not just weather the storm, but to come out stronger.
Analytics, with its framework of AI and sensors, can be a powerful tool in creating efficiencies for businesses and end users. They have real and concrete applications that can drive profits across sectors. To see the difference just look at two widely different applications: retail and corporate offices.
Enhancing the high street experience
In retail, collecting and categorising consumer information quickly can mean the difference between connecting with customers and watching them pass by. For example, using analytics in advertising increases efficiencies in campaign management. Many content management systems can securely and safely collect metadata.
Tracking pixels in the content can provide a record of when an advert played. Sensors in the camera can show how many people watched the content and for how long.
Shoe store managers playing clips of different sports in the window might be surprised to learn that passers-by are more drawn to basketball than football in their neighbourhood, which can help them tailor the content they display.
Sensors can also collect metadata on the viewers themselves, classifying them by gender and age. Our shoe store manager may find that women are stopping for the football clip whilst men are stopping for the basketball clip, and adjust stock accordingly.
The popularity of NEC’s US roll-out of its Analytics Learning Platform (ALP), which helps stores personalise the customer experience through secure data, shows how powerful this tool can be.
IKEA’S recent acquisition of an AR start-up is another example of the power of data. IKEA customers can now see how products will look in their homes without having to visit a showroom.
Due to high demand, NEC’s ALP solution will be rolled out across EMEA in the near future.
NEC Analytics Learning Platform (ALP)
Helping people to get back to the office, post-Covid
As we go back to our offices, we may soon find analytics’ targeted efficiencies being deployed through the IoT. For starters, the near-universal experience of remote working will likely speed up the IoT office transformation that’s been underway for years. Think back to your day-to-day working experience five years ago. You may be surprised to remember how static it was. Rooms had single functions, many more people had offices and most work was done with people in the same physical location.
NEC Room Management Service (RMS)
Now, connected devices are allowing operations managers to improve on everything from energy consumption to security. They can set lights to go off and the heat to lower if a sensor or video conferencing camera indicates the room is empty.
Most importantly, IoT helps managers better allocate their most precious daily resource: space. Booking systems can incorporate information from the camera so a room can be marked available as soon as it’s empty.
They can also notify the front desk if there are items left in the room, if something needs restocking, or if the rubbish bin should be emptied.
NEC’s Room Management Service (RMS) makes it easy to control and monitor workspaces to drive efficiency and productivity.
By quickly identifying underutilised rooms and equipment you’ll be able to right-size room investments, understand technology usage, and optimise operational planning to maximize ROI. All these tools are continuously being improved by machine-learning programmes.
NEC is already working with a partner that teaches cameras to detect and automatically frame subjects so users can focus on the task at hand without worrying about whether they can be seen. Other video conferencing partners are exploring live translation algorithms to facilitate collaboration between international branches.
Find out more about Sharp/NEC’s meeting room solutions.
The efficiencies of targeted information, whether internal or customer/client-oriented, offer businesses a competitive edge during a challenging time. Analytics will become the new gold-standard tool for companies.
NEC is a total display solutions provider. Our strategic partnerships and alliances mean that we can offer our customers a turn-key solution from a single supplier.
By partnering with NEC, you are also partnering with multiple best-in-class solutions providers meaning maximum choice and flexibility.
Talk to us about how you can harness efficiencies through analytics and IoT tools.