Tech-Hub Tenants Can Now Talk To Their Building
Business tenants can now talk to their building via āchatbotsā in what is believed to be the first initiative of its kind in the UK.
A chatbot is a programme that automates processes on command. People already widely use chatbots in their everyday lives via Siri on iPhones or Alexa on devices such as Amazon Echo.
Now occupiers at technology and engineering hub The Base on Dallam Lane in Warrington can interrogate the buildingās bespoke chatbot, nicknamed the BaseBot, to find out information related to their use and occupancy of the building.
Sylvie Morton of Langtree, which manages the building on behalf of owner Warrington & Co, explained: āThe BaseBot allows occupants to identify basic information such as whether any mail has been logged for them. This is proving particularly popular in light of the COVID emergency as people can check information remotely if they have to work from home.ā
The system could go much further, helping tenants identify their latest energy usage, rent and rates payable ā even current broadband speeds on the buildingās super-fast fibre network.
āBaseBot is designed to give as much control to our tenants as possible,ā added Ms Morton. āWeāre adding to its functionality and itās already proving very popular, with more than 50% of tenants logging in regularly.ā
The system has been developed by Base tenant Chatbot Labs. Earlier this year, the firmās boss Chris Bain predicted a productivity and jobs revolution in the North West from uptake of new chatbots.
A chatbot is a programme that automates processes on command, interrogating the hostās multiple data sources to find the answer to any question. The command can be verbal or written. Mr Bain predicts that soon all businesses and buildings will be using them.
He said: āItās great that Warrington is leading the country on this innovation. Weāre developing BaseBot as we go but any company can adopt the principle. If you run an accountancy practice and want to review a clientās file you can ask the chatbot to find the information for you. Factories have had robots for decades and now offices will soon have digital robots.ā
The system is now being developed to allow more sophisticated queries that will allow tenants to get a much more rounded view of their occupancy needs and uses.