wireless tech

 

We’ve all heard the stories and predictions that NFC technology will overtake major payment methods in the future. It’s already overtaken the use of chequebooks, so it’s just a matter of time until every store comes with contactless payment equipment as a standard and everyone uses their phones and cards to pay for goods. However, what about the office? Does NFC technology have a place in the office, or is it just technology that’s destined to be used by retail stores alone?

 

It absolutely has a place in the office too. You see, NFC doesn’t just refer to payments or money. It’s a wireless and contactless technology that has many different applications in the office. Here are just a couple of ways that contactless technology can improve the efficiency of your workplace.

 

Identification Cards

 

Many businesses use traditional methods to sign employees in and out of work. It’s important to keep track of these times, especially if you decide to pay employees an hourly rate instead of a fixed salary. But this is also important because you want to keep track of where your employees are, what times they were at work and other statistics in case there’s a dispute or case that requires that information to be shown.

 

NFC Direct is one of the many companies that can offer your workplace identification cards with built-in NFC technology. They can be used as cards to clock in and out of work, unlock security doors to different departments or even open up the office if they’re the first one to work.

 

Accessing Information

 

This is a unique use for NFC, but it’s extremely useful for businesses where the employees have to regularly access different sets of data on mobile devices. For example, let’s say you have employees that work as drivers. If they need to pick up orders, stock or other items, then you’d traditionally tell them what they need to collect, give them the location and then see them off. With technology, you can send them the information on a dedicated application or via an email, but both of these take time, require interaction and can sometimes be sluggish.

 

Instead, you can set up a terminal with NFC technology by the exit of your building. With some clever engineering, you can link the NFC terminal to your office network so that it automatically uploads relevant information to the terminal. Your employees can simply swipe their phone across the terminal, receive coordinates for pick up locations, inventory and so on, and they can continue on their way. There’s no communication required and your drivers can get on with their jobs with no bottlenecks to slow them down.

 

Security Concerns

 

It was mentioned before that NFC technology can be used to access restricted areas, but there are other security uses for contactless technology as well. For example, it’s common for workplaces to have some kind of secure WiFi network for employees to access. The most common way for employees to log into a secured network is with a WiFi password, but this has to be changed on a regular basis to keep it secure from potential intruders and hackers.
Instead of passing around a secret password to your employees, opt to use NFC technology that automatically authenticates and connects your employees to the network without having to memorise a password or wait to receive one from the technology department.