A conversation with The Dataloog - Part 2
Read the second part of the conversation about how we set the bar high in access control with our cloud-based access control software SALTO KS between hosts Lex Knape, Walter van der Scheer and Clay’s Managing Director Bart Klaver.
If you didn’t read the first part yet, you can find it here.
So you apply predictive maintenance. Based on the collected data, what are the top 3 predictions you have?
One of the top predictions we have is actually to see how successful an installation will be. After the installation, we rate it so we say on a scale from 1 to 10 how successful the installation actually is. You can't say an installation is a 3 or a 4 just by taking a quick look, but you can rate the success of an installation based on a week of data collection. That prediction is based on the communication between the lock and the Edge device.
Often when the door opens, it is an opening that we call 'online', which means there was an active connection. It could also mean there is an 'offline opening'. In that case, the lock itself had to determine whether to open or not. That is one of the several indicators to determine whether the installation was successful. An ‘offline opening’ and the corresponding access rights are stored in the lock. The ‘online opening’ is the connection with the Edge device (IoT device). When there’s an ‘offline opening’ this means that the communication was not established and the lock has been determined to provide access based on the offline data. But we want to avoid that scenario as much as possible.
Are there other variables such as bad weather conditions that you include?
We have not linked location data and customer data to our own data. We handle this information very carefully. We can't say ‘hey, this lock is mounted there in this particular location’. But of course, in which climate the lock is installed is a factor we need to include to assess a successful installation. SALTO’s hardware is therefore tested in their own factory and has all the certifications to handle all kinds of weather conditions.
What is the ratio between a digital opening and using a Tag (key fob)
About 15% of our total openings are digital. So still 85% works with a Tag. Digital openings exist for a shorter period of time which explains this number. We offer digital openings for about 2.5 years now. And we see that it is also a psychological thing. People often think that if they lose their phone someone else can open their door. But actually, your phone is much more secure than your key because your phone has a 2FA (Two Factor Authentication). We definitely foresee a major shift in digital vs. physical openings. We also introduce new features in our application to encourage this, such as the widget that allows you to quickly swipe to the left or to the right on your iOS or Android device and there is an ‘open door’ button. All you have to do is tap it and hold your phone against the door. In the future, we can offer NFC or keys in the Apple wallet.
So actually you are now laying down the foundation for new possibilities that are not feasible with traditional forms of opening doors. It sounds like this is just the beginning of what will be possible in the future…
Definitely! We focus very much on digital access, so also PIN access (a lock with a PIN pad), for example, or a remote opening which means I press a button on my phone and the door opens from wherever I am in the world. That is a command I sent from my phone to the lock to open. As a building manager, for example, you don't always want to (or are able to) physically hand that person a Tag. You want them to see when they booked a meeting room and they can go in. They take their phone, see the booking, and open the door.
We work a lot with technology partners who are active in different industries such as coworking, coliving, retail, and hospitality. Within each industry, you have a different user experience that we want to accommodate. We help these technology partners by allowing them to use our access control platform so they can easily provide access to their own users through those back-end systems. So they no longer have to work as an administrator to give someone access, but just use their own booking software and in the future, you just give that option to your customer. So someone enters a coworking space and sees there are still 5 offices available, so he or she books this office, or desk. Because we can adjust the access in real-time, that person can immediately start using that booking. So they can book and pay immediately and get access depending on the booked time. For operators of coworking spaces, for example, this is a really progressive application. You can extend this to all kinds of facilities such as gyms for example or another place where there is a reception. The word 'self-service' comes up a lot here and you actually want to apply it everywhere. For your bungalow, for your gym (think of lockers), everywhere you want to be able to arrange everything yourself
How will you include the installer network in this entire data story?
This is currently a major challenge for us to ensure that the installers can interpret that data in a good way. We already offer 24/7 support to help if a lock doesn't work. We also offer our self-build application we call the ‘commissioning application’, that allows us to guide installers through the whole installation. We will also include the data there so that we can see how successful an installation is, how well the latest installation has performed, and if something doesn’t seem right, what suggestions we have to improve the installation.
Who is guiding the customers on what integration they need to optimize their customer experience?
Within SALTO we have ‘Solutions Architects’ worldwide who think along with our clients about the software integration, so it actually shifts from a hardware installation to what it will mean for the customers. It is not necessarily the installers who cover that part, you need a totally different profile, these Solutions Architects understand the customer side and can translate it well into how software can help to improve the customer experience.
So, we actually offer the infrastructure on top of all applications that are possible. We then take on the role of an advisor instead of ‘just’ a technical supplier of the access systems. That has been a very big shift for us as an organisation. For years we have been focused on how we are going to install locks as best as possible and ensure that access is provided as well as possible, but much less on what else you can do such as implementing Digital Key, which is just a tip of the iceberg.
There are many large suppliers in the ‘smart building’ industry, do you reach out to these companies?
Yes, for example, we work together with Edge technologies here in Amsterdam. They are the main supplier in the field of smart buildings. There are use cases to combine the locks that we market as smart locks with data such as temperature in the room, and light preference. For example, when I open the door, I would like it to be a bit lighter but someone else prefers a bit darker meetingroom, or maybe blue for extra focus. These are all things that we want and can combine which is amazing.
IWG or Regus are also big clients of SALTO. They have around 8000 offices worldwide in 40+ countries and we supply the smart locks to those offices. They have great numbers of bookings every day and want to keep that data in their own back-office system. This is all passed on to cloud-based access control to ensure that you can open the door the next morning.
Once we provide that technical infrastructure we can roll it out anywhere, so it doesn't matter where in the world our customers are as long as there is an internet connection. Because we can offer software and hardware, and operate on a global scale this type of organisation benefits greatly.
If we look five years ahead, where does Clay stand?
We would be very involved with customers but more on the side of the customer experience. Much less focused on the piece of hardware. By that point hardware just has to come out of the box and work. Our job is to optimise the customer experience. We will work on supporting customers to make their own mobile application that they can access. Have their customers book and pay for a meeting room as easily as possible. That is our focus. Less hardware, more software, and therefore much more value. And of course, hire a lot more people :)
You are working on this platform with over 55 people called ‘Bricks’, where did this come from?
Well, there are many myths about this, but in the end it boils down to the foundation of the company. Bricks apart make great paper weights but Bricks put together make a solid foundation. Remove one, and the foundation is not as solid as it was before. The Bricks all rely on each other, our culture really breathes that together we are working on awesome solutions that are changing the world in many different ways. We are as good as our colleague's best work, so we help each other out and share the passion for great technology. This vision is also engrained in our company cor values.
Who does what ?
We focus on an agile way of working. Our POs focus on the stakeholders on the business side and determine where we want to go. We use the roadmap process to think ahead. You can imagine we work on a global scale with many different countries and industries. We need to say ‘no’ a lot, which is actually a big compliment. There are just to many possibilities that are all in demand! There are many teams that work on the back-end systems, on the mobile applications, and teams that ensure that the edge devices are as smart as possible, so that they can receive new data and respond as quickly as possible. These devices additionally need to support all new lock types because SALTO often comes with new hardware releases. Think of wall readers, PIN locks, escutcheons and cylinders for instance. Obviously we want to be able to offer all of these to our customers in a seamless way. This makes it very interesting to work at Clay. The combination of software and hardware. Because, at the end of the day, when that lock doesn’t open, there is no business.
We are recruiting and expanding in all areas, mainly on the back-end and data side. If you are interested in working in a fast-growing company that leverages data go to Clay’s careers page and apply today! We can’t wait to meet you and pick your brain!
Clay Solutions - A SALTO Group company is the daughter company of SALTO Systems. A lock hardware manufacturer based in Oiartzun Spain. While Clay builds the cloud-based software that allows users to tap their locks open with their phone, SALTO provides the hardware, the locks that are enabled to communicate with the software. This website functions as a platform to showcase our company culture in our office in Amsterdam, the way we build our software, and why and who the Bricks are. Feel free to browse around, head over to SALTO to find more about the hardware, or apply if you see a job you think you are just perfect for.