Japanese Internet service company Kayac has developed a mobile app called Biru-Tomo that facilitates networking within office buildings. Kayac developed the app after noticing the lack of tools available for people working at different companies within the same office buildings to networking with one another and foster a broader sense of community.
Biru-Tomo literally means "Building Friend" in Japanese and the app works by connecting users to people working at different companies within their office building. Users can easily sign up by using their Facebook profiles and registering the office building at which they work. Biru-Tomo then allows workers to easily interact with one another and to coordinate community events within the building.
The benefits to the app are not only limited to its networking capabilities between different companies, as Kayac suggests that the app may even help users "find drinking buddies after hours in the same building."
The office networking app is currently available for download for both Apple and Android users.
Multi-Office Networking Apps
The Biru-Tomo App Helps Connect Friends Within Office Buildings
Trend Themes
1. Multi-office Networking - Biru-Tomo app allowed different company workers in the same building to network with each other and helped them coordinate community events, creating disruptive innovation opportunities for better work relationships and collaborations.
2. Community-based Apps - The rise of community-based apps, like Biru-Tomo, offers disruptive innovation opportunities for companies to build and foster a sense of belongingness among employees even in shared office spaces.
3. Social Media Integration - Biru-Tomo integrates social media tools such as Facebook profiles in its app, which opens disruptive innovation opportunities for other companies to adopt similar integration in their networking and community-building apps.
Industry Implications
1. Tech - Tech companies can explore disruptive innovation opportunities in creating more office networking apps to connect different companies working in the same building and improve collaboration and communication.
2. Real Estate - Real estate industry players can take disruptive innovation opportunities in presenting office networking apps as add-on perks to attract potential tenants and add more value to their properties.
3. Hospitality - Hospitality companies can look into disruptive innovation opportunities in partnering with office networking apps such as Biru-Tomo to offer special deals during community events within a building, increasing their visibility, and boosting revenue.