Indoor Positioning Systems (IPS) typically are put in place with the idea of helping end consumers navigate a space – such as patients in a hospital, shoppers in a mall or drivers in a parking garage – but to fully leverage an IPS installation it’s worth exploring what other business functions can benefit from the IPS.

When one of our shopping mall clients implemented its indoor positioning system they had two constituencies in mind: shoppers and staff. Whereas the shoppers enjoy benefits like finding the right store, localized notifications with product news and limited offers, the staff use the same IPS system for a different set of benefits. In this case, a second app was developed for the facility management staff to report faults – everything from graffiti tags to broken escalators. In the staff app, the location of a reported fault was pinned to the map. In this way the facility management could easily keep track of what was needed to keep the mall tidy and clean, while providing the precise location of where the fault was located.

The shopping mall example is not a novelty; rather, it is part of a larger trend for IPS across both front-facing and internally-facing user groups. As awareness of indoor positioning spreads, more and more companies look beyond the most obvious use cases and discover a trove of applications internally.

Here are some other typical staff-use case scenarios for IPS:

• Tracking medical devices that require regular maintenance so staff can find them and ensure they are fully operational when needed by medical staff
  
• Mapping routes for emergency staff to locations where they are needed most
  
• Helping new staff members learn the best routes for navigating a hospital or medical facility space
  
• Helping staff members navigate the most effective route from staff parking to their work location
  

• Alerting maintenance to restrooms or areas in the mall that need tidying
  
• Helping staff locate items within the store or storage rooms
• Allowing store or mall management to create promotions activated within a geo-fence
  

• Helping staff better navigate their way through large, maze-like structures
  
• Tracking locations of equipment, such as forklifts, trams and more
  
• Alerting maintenance staff to problem spots, such as a bathroom with an overflowing toilet
  

There’s no doubt that customer-facing solutions like mapping are great at showcasing IPS’ value, but getting the most out of an IPS system also can mean looking at behind-the-scenes applications that empower staff members, too.

When considering an IPS solution, try to look outside the marketing department and see if other departments can benefit from a system that provides a location indoors. What workflows can be improved by knowing the location of something?