6 common pitfalls to avoid in CRE technology implementation

Selecting and scaling the right corporate real estate (CRE) technology tools is a dynamic process. For example, the successful implementation of a new tech solution into the operations of hybrid work goes far beyond procurement. In the same way that online conference software can’t guarantee a fruitful meeting, off-the-shelf tech tools can’t deliver superior performance on their own.

Companies that aspire to make the most of their tech investments face some common pitfalls in the technology adoption process:

Setting metrics for success that do not touch the core of your challenges will not lead to the ideal outcome. Something like, “Deploying 10 technology applications this year” is not a good enough metric. The sheer number of technologies is not the goal. It is the means to achieve the underlying objective: improve collaboration, enhance culture, increase satisfaction, lower operational costs, etc.

An effective metrics system should address the fundamental problems, accommodate a range of potential scenarios, and maintain flexibility in the constantly changing business landscape.

A passive consumer mindset is one that views technology as a one-off purchase, which is then bolted on to a current workflow. However, this approach may only offer limited value. Current processes need to be evaluated to ensure the new system works well with the existing one.

Successful digital transformation requires a proactive, clearly defined strategy that considers all of the available technologies.

Like hybrid work, many technology implementations involve multiple functions of a firm, including business units, HR, finance, IT, business intelligence, and real estate. Without collaborative planning, companies are likely to face a range of issues, from duplicated or misaligned investments to institutional obstacles, under-utilization, and the inability to pool sufficient resources to introduce a truly impactful set of solutions.

To align changes across multiple business units, leading companies are forming focused work groups (that incorporate all impacted divisions) to set their goals and design strategies together.

Technology solutions are only able to fulfill their promises if they achieve significant employee buy-in and fully replace previous processes, whether these include better information, analytics and benchmarking, reduced time and resources, or enhanced services. Implementing tools that aren’t user-friendly and intuitive (such as workplace experience apps with multiple logins or extensive form-filling) or require technical skills to navigate frequently leads to low usage rates and duplicated procedures or administrative workloads.

Companies must ensure that their adopted technologies are easy to use and accessible to the non-technical workforce.

This problem emerges as a company purchases multiple technologies. Piling up tech tools without holistic planning and effective integration will only result in burdens rather than benefits due to inconsistency. Instead of generating greater synergies, siloed tech tools create even more complicated procedures.

Companies should build frameworks that integrate siloed data assets, software platforms, and other digital tools to enable automated processes.

Companies make big investments to capture as much data as they can, like installing sensors and building databases. Nonetheless, there is a big gap between collecting data and effectively using it to automate processes or support decision-making. It is not uncommon to see large amounts of data collected only to remain untouched.

It’s imperative to select products that provide analytics functions and build a pipeline to incorporate insights into decision-making processes.