Project Watch
Hackney Homes tops event technology for digital votes
Hackney Homes, a non-profit organisation managing council homes in the London borough of Hackney, recently employed Livelnteractive's audience engagement technologies at a three-day staff conference.
Three hundred staff attended the event each day for three days. Individuals were split into thirty groups of ten, each sharing a table with one digital engagement tablet. Full free text feedback can be entered into the tablet, which can also be used for Internet access or viewing digital documents and multimedia files.
All staff were also given a handheld voting ‘palmlet'. This enabled `yes' and `no' responses to multiple choice questions. Having the widest range of tools made full qualitative and quantitative audience engagement possible during the conference, according to Livelnteractive.
The main objectives of the event were to prepare for an Audit Commission Inspection in November and to efficiently communicate the business direction for 2008/2009. Hackney Homes said it wanted to comprehensively capture all feedback, ideas and questions.
The event facilitator used the digital tablets to run group exercises, distribute were then able to upload answers in free text immediately via a touch screen keyboard on the tablet. This allowed responses to be used for instant discussion and debate.
"The audience engagement tools gave the staff more confidence to get involved, resulting in a decent amount of feedback which we used to ensure the event was relevant and informative," said Chine Goddard, head of communications at Hackney Homes." The tablets and palmlets were easy and entertaining to use, helping to break up the day and heighten interest levels. "
“The technology enabled us to feed back immediately to staff and tailor the programme accordingly and consolidated all the notes after the event into a manageable document," said Goddard.
The Livelnteractive technology captures information instantly. Previously note pads and flip charts were used to record data, making it necessary for someone to read and transcribe it into an electronic document. The digital tablets did this automatically and a full electronic report was delivered within
24 hours of the end of the event.
Morrison speeds up checkouts with real-time infrared info
Morrison Supermarkets is rolling out Irisys' checkout management technology in three next six months, in an attempt to improve the `checkout experience’.
The system, being adopted after a successful trial at five stores , involves infrared detectors over checkout lanes, together with detectors counting the number of people entering the store. This information is pooled to give real-time information on numbers and queuing behaviours of customers.
Compared to other options, such as video or beam-based people counting, the special infrared Technology detects customers by their body heat, thus protecting their privacy, and providing more accurate data, Irisys claimed.
During the trial, the technology proved it could reduce customer waiting times and improved `cashier utilisation'. The data from the infrared sensors can be viewed on a PC or mobile device, displaying metrics such as average queue length , wait time, and overall store checkout performance, in real-time.
Cancer Research cuts carbon footprint with hot-desking
Cancer Research UK is piloting a new flexi-working scheme within the IT department at its head offices in central London, using hot-desking to raise its office use efficiency.
Cancer Research is using RNM Systems' desk booking module in its Condeco software suite to enable the IT department to manage desks more effectively.
Staff numbers within the department were, at times, flexing up to 200 to cope with large projects. With no more space available the department needed to expand its work force without expanding its estate.
Condeco's desk booking software ensures that: the desks within the IT department are fully utilised, eliminating the unnecessary wastage associated with empty desks.
Jane Swindle, IS business change manager at Cancer Research UK, said: " Condeco has the potential to allow us to raise office utilisation , reduce our energy bill, reduce our carbon footprint and, in the process, make real estate savings. "