4 Experiences Coming in Smart Cites of the Future

The concept of a smart city is about as old as the printing press. Every science fiction writer knew that future technologies would somehow connect homes and city services together in ways we cannot imagine.

But now that a lot of technologies have matured over the past decade, here are four experiences that might be just round the corner:

A Truly Paperless Workplace

In 2025, software companies have been very good at tailoring custom-built sofware - for other software companies. But 70% of the economy involving outdoor work such as construction and hospitality has been waiting for apps that truly match their busy workflow.

In the very near future, updating progress on tasks, signing a digital timesheet or accessing digital training on the phone will become as easy as a consumer app.

But having all simple business apps in one place will simplify other parts of the work-day which are still tricky today without an expensive custom setup:

• Employees will be able to scan their digital work pass and enter the parking lot automatically

• Logging hazards during the workday will be made a breeze with a digital portal

• Aspects of the employee experience such as no* of PTO days remaining and employee rewards will be updated digitally, removing the need for paperwork entirely

Physical Queues are Gone

Whether a busy restaurant, VIP bar or zoo, standing in a physical queue is still the norm.

In 2025, large venues such as disneyland may have custom virtual queuing apps to reduce this, but there has not been one standard method of joining a virtual queue that works in a couple of clicks at any venue.

In the very near future, visitors will be able to open their digital membership pass and skip the line entirely by joining a virtual queue for VIPs. This will mean 30 minutes of extra time per visit enjoying the rest of the city and spending on nearby businesses.

Loyalty cards go Digital

Loyalty cards are a nice gesture, but there is no evidence that they really work in making customers come back. Paying for 5 coffees to get one free is not enough of a push, and there is so much more that small businesses compete on to improve the customer experience.

In the very near future, most digital loyalty cards will be digital membership cards with all the features of a regular app, including displaying offers to the customer that the business can update quickly to match the season. This will mean:

• Opening the parking barrier or turnstile automatically to access VIP areas

• Displaying the latest offers available to the customer for their visit

• Including functionality such as virtual queueing and customer service chat in one place

Getting Hired Becomes Easier

When applying for a new local job within the city, businesses have to weigh the effort of training and setting up the new hire with their IT and access to company projects.

With most business apps still disconnected, and video training in an LMS still limited to the desktop, this still adds friction for the job-seeker and employer.

But in the very near future, onboarding the new employee will be as seamless as adding the candidate directly into the business software, preparing them with access to the right training plan all the business apps they need in their role.

Just like having a digital customer pass for your favourite local attractions, this will mean having a simple digital employee pass that provides access to all work tools in one place. This will mean:

• Scanning the parking barrier in the morning and reserving your parking spot

• Scanning the turnstile to access your area of the workplace

• Accessing your training digitally on the phone at any time

• Interacting with tasks, files and other business apps in a cloud business portal

• Seeing your employee rewards and PTO update following a positive performance review with your line manager

OnePal makes these three futuristic experiences a reality, but it will take time to expand awareness. To most businesses, the concept of a plug-in-and-play cloud hub that connects your business together is still quite new, and convincing every business or employee will not happen overnight.

Before asking us to set up OnePal for your business, we would recommend browsing our features and requesting a call to discuss your requirements. OnePal is your business portal, and should be tailored to how your specific team likes to work together.