Salto KS

At SALTO KS, we strive to improve your experience with our iOS, and Android apps. The following blog post will walk you through our latest developments in achieving this. 

We value your feedback on our solution. This is why we have been working on new features to enhance your user experience, including a comprehensive Settings page, extensive options to ‘Edit Your Profile’ and other improvements to Key settings, Lock and IQ options. 

This week, the new versions of the SALTO KS Mobile App will be available in stores for iOS and Android versions.

Below you can find an overview of improvements and fixes within the iOS and Android apps, respectively:

1. Settings page

Now, you can find all the settings related actions (Tag settings, Lock options, and IQ settings and options) under the Settings Page. This makes for a more holistic view and way of managing settings in your app. 

2. Edit Profile

By clicking on the profile details, the user is guided for the required actions to edit details like Alias, Profile Picture, User Role, Tag, phone number and email address.

 

3. Key settings (Tag)

The new updates allow you to Block, Replace or unassign a user's Tag and manage its Offline access settings.

 

4. Lock options

Under Lock options, you can change settings for Remote opening, Easy office mode, Manual office mode and Override Privacy Mode permissions of a user.

 

5. IQ options

All the IQ-related settings and options are grouped under the Settings tab, where you can Configure a new IQ, Generate a code from an IQ, or Change or remove PIN of an IQ.

 

SUMMARY OF WHAT’S NEW IN IOS AND ANDROID VERSION 6.1.2

 

Features and Improvements: (*same for both apps)

The Settings tab has been created with information about:

• The logged-in user, in the header of the page. (First name, Last name, Alias, Email, Role, Part of Pod, and Phone). The user can edit his/her profile.

• Key settings (Including Digital Key, Tag, and PIN).

• Lock options (Remote opening, Easy office mode, Manual office mode).

• IQ settings (Configure new IQ, Generate code, Change or remove PIN of an IQ).

• App settings (Enable fingerprint scan, Allow push notifications).

• About Section (About Digital Key widget, About SALTO Systems, SALTO legal section, Help & support, and Log out).

Bug fixes for iOS version 6.1.2

• Fix for the switching sites issue, where the previous site’s incidents are still shown on the new one. Now the customer lands on the Locks screen when they switch sites. 

• Fix for the status spinner getting stuck when changing sites on the Site switch screen. 

• Fix for the issue where the Digital Key widget and push notifications stop working after logout and login. 

• Fix for the incorrect state of an IQ when the activation process is complete.

• Fix for the user profile page where first name, last name, and email address fields are still editable even after the user completed the registration. 

Bug fixes for Android version 6.1.2

• Fix for the missing separation line in IQ settings and options.

• Fix for the issue where the calls coming from Comelit intercom cannot be answered while the app is running. 

• Fix for being unable to delete a Pod guest from a Site. 

• Fix for the image shown when a user does not have an entry to show on the user detail page. 

We value your opinion. Contact us if you have any concerns or suggestions regarding the above updates or visit this page for FAQs; we are happy to help!

To find more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

As the Coworking industry continues to expand and develop at a rapid pace, it is important to zoom out and observe the state of the industry. This is why we reviewed the most representative data of industry leaders and gathered results in this infographic which will guide you through key insights in Coworking, specifically its members, locations, sizes, challenges, and profitability.

By providing this infographic, we hope to incite reflection while provoking thought on the industry’s future and its potential.

By providing this infographic, we hope to incite reflection while provoking thought on the industry’s future and its potential.

The use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers.

 

To kick-off our 2020 Think Tank Partners, we present Cutwork. The multi-faceted studio, co-founded by Antonin Yuji Maeno and Kelsea Crawford, draws inspiration from cities we live in and the space between inhabitants. Cutwork is an award-winning team of architects, designers, engineers, and researchers, who devise innovative solutions surrounding the interactions and usages of space. Coliving and Coworking are among their solutions and together they design architectural concepts, interior spaces, and furniture for pioneering companies who reimagine how space is shared.

Cutwork believes that architects and designers need to shift perspectives on how to conceive and build space differently. As a result, sustainability, cohabitation, technology and urban development are among their main priorities on which they put their creative (and aesthetically satisfying) spin. SALTO KS was lucky enough to have the studio elaborate on their values and vision for the future. Read on to find out more about Cutwork and their forward-thinking design solutions for better communities.

On your (amazing) website you make the statement 'Together has changed.' Could you please elaborate on what this means?

Thanks so much! Yes, so as architects and designers we recognized more and more how our cities were built for a world that no longer fits with the ways people live and work today. We’ve seen a huge rise in lifestyles that are defined by independence, mobility, collaboration, decentralized networks, community, and sharing—yet our spaces and furniture have gone largely unchanged, stuck in outdated models of life.

The more we researched, the more we understood not only how fundamental these changes were, but how essential even more radical change will be to overcome some of the greatest challenges of the 21st century: How do we sustainably accommodate 1.2 billion more people on the planet by 2030? How do we avert a housing crisis when 70% of the world population is crowding into cities, driving even higher rental costs? How can architecture and design help overcome the current epidemic of loneliness and help build better communities?

Cutwork was founded to design spaces and innovative solutions to help overcome these challenges. To us, shared space is essential. Hence, our focus is not just on designing for how lifestyle has changed, or how work has changed, but for how ‘Together has changed.’

What motivated you to design for coliving and coworking spaces?

Coliving and coworking are emerging as two of the most promising solutions to help overcome these incredible challenges. We believe the future is built on shared space. Not only do they have awesome economic, environmentally sustainable, and community constructive potential, but more broadly, coliving and coworking are on track to be the most disruptive things to happen to real estate since the modern office tower and apartment block.

As architects and designers, this is a really exciting domain to work within. These kinds of shared spaces are largely uncharted territories. The norms and typologies of these spaces haven’t been highly defined yet, so there is a lot of room to innovate and design unconventional solutions that support these communities in more specialized and impactful ways.

Your studio determines the way people work and live in the coworking and coliving scenes respectively by designing the spaces and furniture. In what way has the relationship we have with working and living changed since you started out?

Work is becoming more and more decentralized but increasingly networked. We’ve had a close eye on how technology and access of knowledge continue to empower the rise of freelancers. In reaction to this explosive growth, the number of global coworking spaces has doubled since we’ve started. One of the key results we’ve seen from this wild competition is that spaces are differentiating themselves more and more specifically. In this regard, freelancers, startups, and remote workers have more options than ever to pick a space that fits and fulfils their own specialized needs. Thus, from the growing diversity of workspaces, work is getting easier and enabling success for this workforce.

In regards to changes to the ways we live, since we’ve started, we’ve seen coliving grow from a niche, self-organizing idea to it becoming a commodified service and lifestyle choice for millennials and the younger generations. Although it is only just emerging as a market, it is gaining momentum quickly. Coliving spaces will inevitably need to differentiate themselves from this incoming competition, and the range of options people will be able to choose from; supporting particular kinds of communities, or appealing to specific lifestyles—will only become more diverse and pronounced as well.

Are there a lot of requests for the implementation of technology in space design for coworking and coliving?

Yes! Technology is only becoming more and more integrated into our behaviours, decision-making process, navigation of space, and moment-to-moment lives. This is a common request and increasing necessity for players in the coworking and coliving markets, especially when it comes to using everything they can to help build their communities and integrating seamless interactions and usages of space.

What is your hope and vision for the future of coworking and coliving? Do you see SALTO KS in that future?

At this stage, coliving is still in its infancy—more of an experimental way to live and a market test than a proven scalable model for housing, sustainability, and urban development. Our work (and hope) is dedicated to designing these spaces in ways that will help unlock the full potential of this movement and enable it to become a primary model of housing in the years ahead.

In the long-term, we envision fully integrated inter-generational cohabitation spaces that maintain a careful balance between healthy, stable communities and relationships, but that is elastic enough to enable mobility and circulation of perspectives and chance encounters.

What are your plans for the next couple of years? How will you expand, changing the way we live and work even more?

Right now, we are focused on several shared space projects, scaling our team, and conducting one of the first Global Coliving Surveys to measure the impact coliving has on individuals, communities, and society. All current surveys are studying real estate finance and market competition, so we are going right to the source to give a voice to residents and understand what’s driving this movement. Our aim with the report is to advance the discussion around coliving and empower founders, thought leaders, legislators, and community builders to unlock greater potential of the movement. It’s exciting times, to say the least!

For more on the work of Cutwork, take a look here and don’t miss their Instagram.

Thank you, Cutwork Studio for collaborating with us on this edition of our Think Tank Partner series and we look forward to what the future of design in space has in store!

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Freelancers are known to have more independence and flexibility, yet very often, there can also be a lack of control over one’s work environment. If you’re a freelancer, there are ways in which you can improve your experience, by opting for a coworking space with effective and seamless integrations. This enables you to make optimal use of your working environment.

A coworking platform that integrates with the right technology can transform into a self-service community, thereby providing you with a dependable workspace. This can save time, energy and money: Positively influencing relationships between coworkers and increasing productivity. Such spaces can benefit by using tools ranging from finance and CRM software to smart thermostats and electronic signatures, enhancing your overall experience.

These integrations are possible through cloud-based access control which can allow endless possibilities for coworking spaces to improve and optimize the customer journey; thereby transforming your work experience and the environment as a freelancer.

With cloud-based access control, data can be extracted in real-time to display occupancy rates, leverage community engagement and centralize management. For a coworking space, SALTO Keys as a Service is such a solution. By integrating SALTO KS with existing management tools, coworking spaces can scale to provide more efficient operations and user-friendly space experience.

This also encompasses customizable actions, which can dramatically amplify the coworking experience through the use of coworking tools. For instance, customized welcome messages can be sent to first-timers, extended bookings can be automatically invoiced, and access can be granted to guests depending on the usage of rooms.

The following list contains 5 benefits of smart workspaces, which every freelancer should keep in mind when selecting a coworking space:

The following list contains 5 benefits of smart workspaces, which every freelancer should keep in mind when selecting a coworking space:

With this integration, you may book meeting rooms online well in advance using booking calendars or apps which allows for both flexibility and independent work. Additionally, you are no longer required to an email asking if rooms are available nor need to worry about forgetting to notify the receptionist if your meeting ran late. If the booked meeting room is occupied longer then reserved for, you are automatically charged accordingly.

With this integration, you may book meeting rooms online well in advance using booking calendars or apps which allows for both flexibility and independent work. Additionally, you are no longer required to an email asking if rooms are available nor need to worry about forgetting to notify the receptionist if your meeting ran late. If the booked meeting room is occupied longer then reserved for, you are automatically charged accordingly.

For a freelancer, time is money. The right technology can ensure that you never have to wait for mundane tasks such as printing or scanning. You only need to present your Digital Key or scan the app after which your documents will be waiting for you in the printer.

For a freelancer, time is money. The right technology can ensure that you never have to wait for mundane tasks such as printing or scanning. You only need to present your Digital Key or scan the app after which your documents will be waiting for you in the printer.

Coffee is essential for a coworking space and can be the factor which distinguishes the quality of one workspace from another. In a smart coworking space, you can, for instance, be given access through your Digital Key or app which is presented to the machine-reader. The machine will then charge you automatically and the coffee-credits can be viewed in your app or platform.

Coffee is essential for a coworking space and can be the factor which distinguishes the quality of one workspace from another. In a smart coworking space, you can, for instance, be given access through your Digital Key or app which is presented to the machine-reader. The machine will then charge you automatically and the coffee-credits can be viewed in your app or platform.

It is vital to know that your workspace of choice has a solid security system and software in place, no matter the amount of time you spend on the premises. Furthermore, camera integrations can be a valuable asset. This is especially crucial considering traffic rates with members and the increasing risks for modern workplace theft. Surveillance accompanying access control can allow real-time footage to be retrieved, elevating security systems entirely and giving you a more comfortable and reliable experience.

It is vital to know that your workspace of choice has a solid security system and software in place, no matter the amount of time you spend on the premises. Furthermore, camera integrations can be a valuable asset. This is especially crucial considering traffic rates with members and the increasing risks for modern workplace theft. Surveillance accompanying access control can allow real-time footage to be retrieved, elevating security systems entirely and giving you a more comfortable and reliable experience.

With these facilities in place, a coworking management system can be integrated to know if and how long a meeting room has been used, and therefore might not need cleaning. This can guarantee your workspace is hygienic and organized. Ultimately, cleaning contracts get optimized and costs are reduced, and the coworking space of your choice is sustainable and smart.

There you have it! Look out for these 5 factors when searching for your next coworking space, and you can guarantee a smart workspace.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

We are excited to announce a new blog post series on SALTO KS: Spotlight on a Cloud Team. This series was inspired by the incredible KS Cloud champions/teams working together around the globe with only one common goal: To make this world a key-less one! In this series, we shine the spotlight on these teams across the world in order to showcase their daily work and motivation behind cloud-based access control.

For our very first post, we feature our KS cloud team down under, at SALTO Systems Australasia, i.e. Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands. We interviewed Channel Manager, Steven Strang, who gave us insight into their cloud team, and their journey with cloud-based solutions.

What are three words you would use to describe SALTO KS?

Cloud = the future

Which successes with SALTO KS are you most proud of? What is your favourite KS project?

My favourite project was my first one at the HWT Tower in Melbourne with IWG, it was my first KS project and I did the commissioning of the site, a very proud moment.

What is your favourite thing about working in the cloud team of SALTO?

What I love about the Cloud team is there are no glass ceilings, you can pick up the phone to anyone in the team at any time (benefits of global ☺️) and everyone steps up to help, whether it’s to close a deal, fix an issue or investigate new possibilities.

What can be a challenging aspect of selling SALTO KS?

Waiting for reality to catch up with the possibilities that are being presented daily in the market.

Which cloud product would you like KS to be integrated with, and why?

Smart Building Software helping to streamline and automate the environmental controls of a building in conjunction with access control. With the access control linked to lighting, power, air-conditioning and general servicing, I believe having them on one platform will greatly enhance the experience for the end-user. This would be in conjunction with providing a simple, powerful and efficient management tool for the building manager. This would enhance the KS engagement with existing and potential clients in balance with today’s (and tomorrow’s) IoT world.

At the Clay office, we have SALTO KS installed on our main door, meeting rooms and storage, so the Clay team uses SALTO KS on a daily basis. Are you also a regular user of KS, besides demos at sales meetings?

At the Australasian offices, we have SALTO KS installed on our main door, meeting rooms and storage, so the team uses SALTO KS on a daily basis along with functional integrations with Eagle Eye.

We would like to thank Steven and the entire SALTO Systems Australasia team for featuring in our first Spotlight on a Cloud Team blog post and for sharing with us their thoughts and experience as a KS cloud team!

Follow SALTO Systems Australia and New Zealand on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and keep track of this ambitious team. Go to their website for more information or to get in touch!

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

SALTO KS has proven to be a game-changing access control management technology in many verticals such as Coworking, Coliving / Student Housing, Retail and now also Hospitality.

Besides the regular timeframes, the KS development team started working on the feature that will help out many hotel managers and landlords that want to go beyond their guest’s expectations without having to download any app.

This feature lets you elevate the short stay guest experience: Short stay providers and marketplaces for long term rentals are now able to define a check-in and check-out date and time for their guests in an easy manner.

“Hotel and hospitality guests today expect automation and solutions that allow them to control when and how they check-in, check-out, and access a guest room. By delivering the hospitality industry another method that gives guests more control over their stay and experience, SALTO helps improve and streamline operations while also boosting overall customer service.” - Aznar Sethna, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer SALTO Systems.

Below we showcase only the tip of the iceberg of benefits that the brand-new Check-in and Check-out feature holds, from back of house to the front desk:

Smart reception

Quick service has become more important than ever. Bypassing the front desk has become a mandatory service. Where the traditional way of checking in, results in increased waiting time at the front desk and therefore frustrated guests a.k.a. ‘bad guest experience’, this technologically enhanced way of checking in, where your guests don’t need to pick up or return any key, you avoid extra work. Your guests are able to just walk in and out, according to the pre-set timeframe they booked.

To give a real-life example; When you own a short stay apartment company. Your guests will arrive on 29/10/2019 at 17:00 and leave on 05/11/2019 at 13:00 and you want to give them access for this specific timeframe. Just select the ‘Check-in Check-out’ timeframe option. You can select this from anywhere in the world for any location you have equipped with the SALTO KS cloud-based access control solution.

Great(er) guest experience

For an even more efficient approach, the guest can check-in themselves upon arrival. When they check-in at the designated check-in station for example. By checking in, the access control system gets notified the particular guest arrived in the space and can even choose to be welcomed by one of your moderators in case they have additional needs. This way your guest feels more in control of their own booking and your moderators have more time to give the warm welcome your guest deserves.

By integrating your hotel Property Management System (PMS) with SALTO KS, a door opens for many possibilities that can make your short stay accommodation stand out. Like the check-in stations we mentioned above, automatic access to lockers or the gym and you can even think of a build-in 24/7 chat service with your moderators for the ultimate guest experience.

Monetize

With the collected data from the SALTO KS access control solution, you collect important details that can help you perfect your operations. With this exact way of knowing how long a guest has been in the space, it gets easier to define your billing cycle, understand when your busiest times are and when it is the appropriate time to, for instance, organize a complimentary event that builds your community.

Show people who are staying in your accommodation (of course in consultation) and let your guests network in the common space(s) by integrating SALTO KS with your own hotel property management system (PMS), you could even show a picture of the designated moderator who will welcome your guest, or even let your guest choose themselves. After the check-out, a notification could automatically be sent to the moderator who could wave your guest goodbye and notify the cleaning staff the room is free for thorough cleaning.

With a little help from cloud-based access control technology, you are able to provide exceptional service in your short stay apartments and gain more time to divide your full attention to your guests and building a community of guests that after checking out will soon want to check-in again (and again).

Want to know more about the check-in and check-out feature or see if the features SALTO KS has to offer are suitable for your business?

Curious if the hardware will match your interior? Read more about MyLock, the customisation tool that allows you to choose and see potential door configurations prior to the final project.

Reach out to us, we are happy to take you by the hand to guide you to a tailor-made solution.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Andcards is a Coworking space automation platform that connects the world’s best apps and services in access control, payments and customer communication to save time and automate routines like managing your (multiple) coworking space(s) on the go.

Because we are always interested in a good background story especially when it comes to our KSConnect partners we asked andcards a few questions.

Read along with us:

What is the story of andcards foundation? How long are you on the market?

Andcards got its first customers in Seoul, South Korea. The capital of one of the most innovative countries in terms of the economy (according to the 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index.) Much like everywhere else, the coworking industry is booming in Korea. As coworking businesses mature, they want to reinforce their brands and add value.

Working at a coworking space, we learned a lot of their challenges and needs and used our energy to help take coworking businesses to a new level. Since July 2018, we’ve expanded our operations to 11 countries of Asia, Europe and America.

Why did you choose the coworking niche? Do you believe that the future belongs to workspaces for remote employees?

Coworking spaces have personality and diversity. In pursuit of differentiation, coworking businesses open workspaces for startups, broadcasting studios, gender-oriented coworking spaces, coworking spaces in the countryside for employees on workstations etc. You can always find the one that’s right for you.

Another thing we love is the flexibility for fast-growing companies. I don’t need to worry that my team will quickly outgrow the room, as I can always add more space or move to a larger room, all without over-the-top long-term leases or obligations. Along with great advantages, throughout our coworking experience, we have discovered challenges to operational efficiency and accessibility of coworking services. So we embarked on a mission to make coworking spaces cooler and more efficient.

Instead of building an “all-in-one solution” like other businesses, andcards focuses on integrations. Why do you believe it’s a better way to cater to your target audience's needs?

We want to minimize success gaps and build a great user experience, which is the reason why andcards focuses on integrations. Everybody knows that replica will never be as good as the original. For instance, instead of building our own invoicing mechanism, we chose to integrate with the best invoicing tools such as Stripe or Xero. These products are the best in their niche and are able to satisfy your business invoicing needs to a higher degree.

We found that workspaces around the world already use many great apps that they love, and don’t want to give up. So we help them continue using those apps, synchronizing the customer data between their apps, and giving them one central place where they can consolidate all information to have a bird’s eye view of what’s going on in their business.

What does digital innovation such as SALTO KS can do in this field?

As we mentioned in the andcards blog, access control system advantages include enhanced security, more positive and cool workplace culture, and higher efficiency of coworking space services thanks to 24/7 operation. All these coincide with andcards mission, and we believe are important to any growing workspace. Not only SALTO KS access control solution technology helps transform workspaces into online service hubs, but it also drives forward this transformation globally due to SALTO KS availability all over the world.

How do you see the coworking industry development?

With all the remote work and flexible office culture trends we observe right now, I think the future will have 3 kinds of workspaces with clearly defined target audiences.

With all the remote work and flexible office culture trends we observe right now, I think the future will have 3 kinds of workspaces with clearly defined target audiences.

In all three cases, we believe the workspace will not be just rooms and desks, but rather a hub of various value-added services.

Thank you andcards for giving us insights on your way of working and your view on the future of Coworking.

More KSConnect partners? Find them on the KS integrations page.

Read how to scale your coworking space with these five great tools.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Last month, we introduced a brand new blog post series on SALTO KS: 'Spotlight on a Cloud Team', in which we get the opportunity to introduce the champions behind KS cloud-based solutions to you. We will feature Cloud Teams in several countries, who share the same mission of creating a key-less world.

For our second story, we did not have to go very far to find an inspiring team. In fact, we went one floor upstairs to our neighbours, and interviewed the KS Cloud Team at SALTO Systems Netherlands!

We interviewed Technical Project Manager Michael van Anen, who answered some questions on behalf of his team and organized a fun photo-shoot which is so good we decided to feature it throughout this article.

Read below to find out the daily work and motivation behind this team and what they believe drives the world of cloud-based access control.

What are three words you would use to describe SALTO KS?

Functional - Flexible - Fancy

Which successes with SALTO KS are you most proud of? What is your favourite KS project?

Actually we have two projects we are most proud of. The chocolate king with the best chocolate in the world “Tony’s Chocolonely” have been using KS for a few years now! They even upgraded towards the end of 2019 to BLUEnet locks and are using Digital Key on a daily basis.

Also, a magnificent state of the art project in Amsterdam, Edge Technologies uses KS in their Edge Olympic building since mid-2018.

Edge Technologies stands for a smart building concept where KS fits in perfectly, and even their new smart office building Grand Central Berlin is going to be equipped with KS; an awesome KS project in a very cool environment.

What is your favourite thing about working in the cloud team of SALTO?

The diversity of projects on a daily basis and working in a fast-growing tech access control environment does a lot with your daily “go to work vibe” in a positive way! With of course the amazing and crazy colleagues within multiple disciplines (Bernt & Bjorn in Techsupport, Pascal in Marketing, and Michael in Project Management).

What can be a challenging aspect of selling SALTO KS?

There is a variety of many access control manufacturers and they all want to be at the top of the food chain. Luckily we work at SALTO which introduced the first in Cloud access control years ago and are still evolving strong! That makes it easier for a customer to choose between all those companies knowing that SALTO is the manufacturer that proved itself throughout the years by developing solid design hardware together with functional and easy-going software.

Which cloud product would you like KS to be integrated with and why?

We see strong potential with Mews, especially for Hospitality which is an open and fast-growing market at the moment. Mews offers a great PMS opportunity and if we can integrate with them it will be a “next level” solution.

At our SALTO KS office, we have KS installed on our main door, meeting rooms and storage, so the team uses our product on a daily basis. Are you also a regular user of KS, besides demos at sales meetings?

ABSOLUTELY! We have it all around our brand new office in Amsterdam Nieuw West and some of us also use it at their homes. So yes, multiple times a day we use our Digital Key to enter the office or our home.

We would like to thank Michael and the entire SALTO Systems Netherlands team for being an amazing guest on this edition of Spotlight on a Cloud Team and for sharing with us their thoughts and experiences as a KS cloud team!

Be sure to follow the team on LinkedIn (Bernt & Bjorn in Techsupport, Pascal in Marketing, and Michael in Project Management), or get in touch through their website for more information.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

On a recent trip to Switzerland, we visited 3 installation companies who all have one thing in common: they offer smart security solutions and in particular, deal SALTO Systems and SALTO KS to their respective clientele. The reason for our trip was our series, Spotlight on a Dealer, where we aim to find out about the businesses and people behind the sale of access control solutions; For instance, the first from our Swiss trip, Quincaillerie du Léman.

In this blog post, we will take you behind the scenes of Zaugg Schliesstechnik AG which has its head office located in Luzern, Switzerland. Here, we met Managing Director Ronny Zaugg and spoke with Head of Marketing and Executive Board Member, Dario Zaugg, who gave us insight into sales of cloud-based solutions, the advantages and challenges behind selling a product such as SALTO KS, and the evolution of the locking industry.

Zaugg even shared with us exciting new market demands and future integrations customers would like to see.

Read on to find out more about Zaugg Schliesstechnik AG in this Spotlight on a Dealer!

What were some of the early day challenges with KS when it was fairly a new product for small and medium-sized businesses?

It is not that easy to pre-configure the SALTO KS system for the customer. A lot of the detailed installations are possible to configure when the system is fully released to the customer. This is sometimes not easy to handle. Especially when the business is located at different locations.

Pictured above: Ronny Zaugg (Managing Director) and Dario Zaugg (Head of Marketing)

How was it for you to embrace selling a cloud solution like KS, vs. server-based or other solutions?

Actually, that is the huge advantage of selling SALTO KS. Most private customers or small businesses do not have a server-based IT ready to install. A lot of the clients nowadays are ready to change to a cloud-based solution and are willing to have such a solution for the future.

How do the sales of KS and other cloud solutions compare to your other non-cloud solution sales for access control?

Demand is rising. Not only in the private sector, but also more and more in the business world. An important point of sale is the simple operation and reprogramming in the web application. In addition, a simple subscription should not be too complicated.

What are the challenges you face when explaining/selling SALTO KS to a business?

I think the most effective way is to be able to show it by means of running a demo of a sample plant/application. The biggest challenge, however, is the installation on the different door types. Each door has to be clearly discussed in detail. Customers often do not have the technical knowledge to distinguish an electronic fitting from an electronic cylinder or an electronic wall reader. However, this is important because otherwise they expect something different with great probability and are not completely satisfied with the result.

How do you see the locking industry evolving with the new market demands?

Nowadays, the customers want to have simple solutions, easy to configure and still on the highest security-standard.

What made you decide to become a SALTO KS dealer?

We have been SALTO PPP-Partner (Premium Plus Partner) for several years and had been among the first to start with SALTO KS and make that our first experience. The hardware is working, and the integration with SALTO KS makes it even better for new features in future.

In terms of cloud-based access control, how progressive do you think Switzerland is?

In a small country like Switzerland, I think we are very open to new technological developments. For example, cloud-based access control. Customers can see the advantages and possibilities of a cloud-based access system. On the other hand, we probably have one of the highest standards in mechanical lock-key systems. So that doesn't make it easy to convince customers of a new electronic locking system.

What is your favourite function of SALTO KS?

Definitely the remote opening via the SALTO KS app.

What new features or integrations would you and your customers like to see in a cloud-based access control system?

The Integration of other booking platforms (such as holiday rooms, meeting rooms, premises, etc.) and automation of key release in one platform.

We now have the finger and face-ID. Will it stop at eyeball-ID or do you think the authentication methods will keep evolving in the access control industry?

It is very difficult to predict which technology will ultimately prevail in the access control industry. Fingerprint ID has been around for several years, and from my point of view has not been able to assert itself (too susceptible). Other biometric solutions like hand veins or eyeball-ID I could imagine might replace this in the future.

Thank you Ronny, Dario and the rest of the team at Zaugg Schliesstechnik AG for these insightful views on the future of access control and (selling) cloud-based solutions.

For more information or to get in touch, contact Zaugg through this contact form.

Want to find out how SALTO KS can help you scale your business? Contact us and we'll be happy to show you!

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

As we continue to evolve and grow as a team, we found ourselves needing a new home. In February 2020, the SALTO KS team officially moved into a brand new office in Amsterdam Nieuw-West! The premises were carefully selected: Every employee visited a number of properties and voted for the space that suited the company values and our future needs best. We landed in an office in Nieuw-West, 5 minutes from the famous Vondelpark and almost double the size of our current space.

Read on to find out more about our new home and an additional special announcement:

Much like the turn of the decade, the new offices have been designed and laid out to give employees and visitors a taste of Clay's history and the progression of the SALTO KS future. One example of this is a deliberate mix of refurbished and recycled furniture from our current space mixed with modern, new purchases to represent a more mature scale-up and sophisticated products. Vintage & Sleek, Nostalgia & Anticipation for things to come...

‹

›

The practicalities of the project

The new offices have been designed by an amazing architect firm, Optie A. Well known for their sustainable work with names such as Patagonia. This team worked with Wilma Georgeson, SALTO KS Office Manager, who supervised this entire project to ensure the space realizes it's full KS potential.

The floor we are renting were stripped back, decorated and fitted out with calm, tactile and practical installations with some fun additions which we now finally get to unveil!

‹

›

›

- Wilma Georgeson, Office Manager at SALTO KS

Office opening party

On February 14th, (Valentine’s Day), we hosted an office opening party to officially toast to the new office and all the hard work and dedication that has gone into making this dream a reality. Most importantly, we got an opportunity to officially thank Wilma as a team on the day for pouring her heart and soul into this project and show all family and friends of the KS team the new space. Swipe through the galleries below!

‹

›

‹

›

Special Announcement: SALTO KS Winter Sports Trip (#BricksInTheSnow2020)

Along with the excitement of the new office, we have also been patiently awaiting the annual SALTO KS Winter Sports Trip and now it’s finally here! The trip is a tradition for the #bricks and this year we will all venture out as a team to Kaprun, Austria. This will give us some time to unwind from the whirlwind of our office move, recharge, bond as a team and be back better than ever for our fight against mechanical keys.

Please note, the Bricks will be out of the office from March 5th until March 8th! In the meantime, be sure to follow us on Instagram (@saltoks) to see all our fun in the snow.

Kaprun, here we come!

A special thanks to Shania O’Sullivan for taking great shots of the Office Opening Party.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!