Ideally located in scenic rural Daventry, Bragborough Hall Business Centre offers serviced offices, a conference centre and meeting spaces to start ups and small businesses, through to large organisations and multinational corporations. After a period of sustained growth, Business Centre Manager Libby Parratt knew the centre had to expand. Work was undertaken to double the space available, and Sharp was called in to fit out the entire site with innovative audio visual devices, managed print services, and air purifier technology.
Future-proofing the whole site
For Business Centre Manager Libby Parratt, the main challenge was ensuring the office was future-proofed and ready for any eventuality. She says: “We offer serviced office space, meeting rooms and a large conference centre that can seat over 80 people. We needed to make sure we were catering to modern needs, people are video conferencing so much more now. A key consideration for us was securing the longevity of our business with technology that could facilitate this.”
Libby also wanted to bring in technology that would help with keeping clients safe. She says: “Events over the last few years have led people to have very real health concerns. When we were in the planning and construction phase of our site it was incredibly important to us that we helped anyone entering our business feel safe. We wanted to protect people for wellbeing reasons, but also to show potential new clients that we took wellbeing very seriously.”
Furthermore, Libby says: “From day-to-day we’ll be managing the site and tending to the grounds, making sure clients have everything they need to do their own jobs, or seeing to visitors. We don’t have time to manage the equipment or wait for a service provider, we needed a service we could rely on, someone that would just take care of it.”
Lastly, Libby says: “As well as a service we could rely on, when we were looking at technology for the fit out we wanted cost-effective dependable devices that would protect us from the uncertainty of recent times.”
The latest audio-visual and health tech
Sharp’s solution began with a site visit to find out Bragborough Hall’s exact needs and requirements. After a brief consultation it was decided that four BIG PAD Interactive Touchscreens would future-proof meeting spaces and support the demand for video conferencing.
Three 65” screens were to be installed in meeting rooms across the main building and conference centre, and an 85” screen in the large conference centre space. Independently adjustable cameras were also proposed on the screens, as well as a multifunction printer to provide staff and clients with a robust device capable of handling the rigours of daily use.
Furthermore, to help create a safer work environment, Sharp proposed a Plasmacluster air purifier and an Optimised Visitor Management (OVM) system. Firstly, Plasmacluster is scientifically proven to clean the surrounding air by passing impurities like bacteria, mould, viruses and odours through its triple filtration system, and releasing the clean air back into the space as water vapour. To aid with health and safety, OVM would allow Bragborough Hall to monitor who was on or offsite at any given time, and would help keep people safe with contactless sign-in options.
Next, to alleviate service concerns Sharp proposed enrolling Bragborough Hall onto its managed service. Delivered with a person-centered local mentality, Sharp’s service is proactive with preventative maintenance measures to keep devices working year-round. Unlimited training and support is also offered as standard, so Libby could rest assured that the centre was in reliable hands.
Lastly, Sharp proposed all devices be provided as an easy monthly billing option to keep costs low and manageable whilst uncertainty remained. Print management software was also installed onto the print device to help Libby track and monitor print spend.
Robust, reliable technology solutions and service
Since the BIG PAD install Libby says: “Our clients use the touchscreens all the time, some use them for small meetings, others have 5 to 10 people in the meeting space and around 150 dialling in so they’re massively helping with collaboration and teamwork.
“We have regular non-clients that come and use our conference centre specifically for the screens, they love them. Our clients have grown to love them so much that they’re constantly asking for one in their own office, they set us apart from competitors in the area.”
When talking about the printer, Libby says: “It’s never once broken, it runs exactly how it’s supposed to. We use it for welcome packs, scanning accounts directly to folders and for client printing. The print management software has helped us reduce waste and save money.”
Libby continues: “Plasmacluster is a great visual aid that shows clients and visitors just how seriously we take wellbeing and safety. It’s very neat and compact and makes little to no noise. It makes people feel safe to be at work because it reduces 99% of bacteria. I personally love the pollen setting – I switched it on and had none of my usual symptoms!”
“The OVM sign-in system is perfect for health and safety”, Libby says. “If there’s a fire I can check an app on my mobile phone and instantly see who’s still onsite. We can also upload delegate details prior to a conference so that everyone gets a welcome message when they arrive, and a badge to wear. So it’s helped with event security too. I know our clients really love the guest pre-registration functionality that lets them know their visitor has arrived. It makes everything smoother and more professional.”
Libby concludes: “We’ve been impressed by Sharp’s attentiveness and added value. I can pick up the phone and someone is always there, they’re a great safety net. Pricing was competitive and payment is monthly, it’s so easy. Support is delivered when we need it in a way that everyone understands, I couldn’t ask for more.”
