Customer story · 9 February 2023
CatMarina — modern office and coworking space in Lahti
CatMarina coworking space runs a book–pay–access flow powered by Bitwards Mobile Access and the Asio booking system. Jenni Mattila, responsible for sales and for access accounts, explains how it works.
CatMarina — a top-notch office and coworking space
CatMarina started in the furniture business in the 1970s and has become a major real estate player in recent years. It has, among other projects, opened a large indoor sports arena in Hollola. It also builds floating villas and saunas.
Heimo Hälikkä, the founder and CEO of CatMarina, has always been innovative and curious about new ideas and technologies. As the idea of opening an office and coworking space developed, CatMarina focused on creating a safe and user-friendly experience for all, which implied that access to the premises should be controlled and manageable.
A perfect answer to the coworking space challenge
The initial thought was to provide traditional keys to customers. However, the idea of managing the keys for 22 meeting rooms felt obsolete in such a modern space. As Mattila pointed out:
“We should have employed someone full time just for handling access authorisations, handing out keys and keeping a log book to track users or chase forgetful customers — not to mention having to order expensive service to replace all the locks because of lost keys. We started to look for alternatives.”
Security first
From a security point of view, the company understood that mobile keys were the safest option. Doors to the building stay closed, and only authorised individuals can open them. Once inside, everyone can move freely between the rooms when granted access.
“Security is essential for us. Bitwards Mobile Access ticked all the boxes concerning security and safety, as it allows controlling the flow of who is accessing the premises at all times, making it a safe environment for our customers to work in, because we know that keys cannot end up in the wrong hands. We can deny access if deemed necessary.”
The answer to all access-related issues
Says Mattila: “We chose Bitwards because Bitwards could deliver fast and accommodate our needs. They also had an integration with Asio, which provided the online booking system that our customers now use to reserve meeting rooms. Customers, staff, cleaning service crews and occasional visitors could immediately access the premises by downloading the app.”
CatMarina could also appreciate Bitwards’ customer service: “We experienced a minor issue at the beginning, which Bitwards did not cause, but customer service reacted immediately nonetheless, found the cause and solved the problem in no time. It’s comforting to know that if bigger things arise in the future, we can rely on prompt, responsive and competent customer service, which is so rare nowadays.”
Who would you recommend it to?
“I recommend implementing Bitwards Mobile Access in any office with more than one employee. It is unquestionably worth the initial investment. For example, we will never have to go through any costly key replacement operation,” describes Mattila.
“The system works; employees don’t have to make an appointment to meet customers to hand out keys or to remind people to return them. I would also recommend it to Airbnb owners: customers book and pay online and are granted access to their app in a few minutes. Suffice it to say we are so pleased that we are considering Bitwards Mobile Access for future bookings of our floating villas and storage rooms.”
The book–pay–access solution, step by step
- The customer books a room or a space at the time they wish, in the Asio web service.
- The customer pays for the booking using an online payment service such as Paytrail.
- Asio authorises the Bitwards Mobile Access service to give the rights to the customer.
- Bitwards sends the rights to the mobile application.
- The customer can access the booked space at the selected time.
Asio is a Finnish IT company specialising in booking management programs and online booking for environments such as schools, cities and municipalities, restaurants, business parks, parking halls and lodging services. The booking system is designed for spaces, rooms, classrooms, parking lots, devices, times, events and other resources. Because of the existing API integration between Asio and Bitwards, the solution is effortless to implement.
Text: Katariina Benedetti. Graphics: Bitwards / Susanna Määttä. Originally published on bitwards.fi, 9 February 2023.