Proptech Firm Sharry Adds Building News Feature
People get the news when they come into the building, so people working from home don’t receive notifications they don’t need.
Sharry, a European proptech company that specializes in “touchless access” and “reception management,” and which recently partnered to offer electronic badge access available to all working in a building in Chicago’s Fulton Market District, has added a new feature: what they call location-based news.
Rather than depend on lobby signage, whether traditional or digital, to provide information to office workers, property or workplace management that uses Sharry’s systems can “schedule timely building and office related news and updates to be received by users at the moment when they enter the building and tap their badges at turnstiles,” the company writes.
People who are working from home, traveling on business, in some other remote location, or on vacation don’t receive the notifications because that would require being physically in the building.
“With Lobby News, employees get real-time information about their workplace, allowing them to effectively plan their days and use all services of the building,” the release quoted Josef Šachta, Sharry co-founder and CEO.
The “news” can be anything, whether notification of an event being held in the building, a special in the cafeteria, an all-hand meeting for anyone present, or an alert about some facility like an elevator being unavailable due to repair.
But the news delivery is customizable, and administrators “can decide which users will see the updates and when they are displayed,” depending on the needs of the facility or organization. For example, it might be that people normally working from home need to know about some change in normal building access and operations before they make an uncommon trip into the office. They can even be reminded to book desk space if on a hybrid work model.
There are two major systems that Sharry offers. One is Sharry Building for Landlords. It’s a white-label solution for hybrid and flexible workplaces, which means it’s not identified as a third-party company. There is support for mobile access, visitor management, tenant engagement, and parking.
The other system is Sharry Workplace for Enterprises. It also has mobile access, visitor management, and parking, but also includes support for hybrid work, including booking desks, meeting rooms, and amenities. There are also real-time office occupancy and workplace analytics.