On Wednesday, March 15th, we will release Version 1.5 of our EdgeMobile and Adamas Edge software, and it includes an exciting new module called “Tours”. To support Tours, we have also made changes to our Desktop software and expanded the “roles” list to include a new designation: “Security”.

At its simplest, Tours allows sites to set up specific checkpoints or locations along a route. Using a combination of QR code and the GPS capabilities built into iOS devices, Tours tracks staff as they move from location to location, thereby ensuring individual rounds are executed appropriately and on time.

While Tours is perfect for security applications, it has applicability for any work that has a need for a checklist, text and/or photo documentation, data capture, problem reporting, and more. For example, a cleaning person can be provided with a list of duties for the day. As each item is completed, the user can check it off on the list, and the time and place recorded. If there is anything needing attention, it can be reported through the Tour application with notes and/or a photo. Also, when the item is completed, it can be documented with a photo.

Tours is architected to capture information specific to a particular location, such as a checklist of items to be confirmed there (e.g., “gate locked’, “lights out”, “temperature setting”). This way, you not only know that personnel traveled to the specified locations at specific times, but you also can get confirmation of specific tasks to be performed at a location. The App allows up to 6 items per checklist, and you can add an unlimited number of additional checklists if you require more than 6 items.

Even more, Tours has the ability to vary the route or tasks at each station to make each round less predictable. That is, management can indicate whether a station or task is required anywhere between 10% and 100% of the time.

Tours makes use of discreet, coded location tags. To facilitate finding the tags — always a problem when the tags are discreet, Tours allows location-specific help that ranges from a short text description to a complete PDF document including photos. As a result, no tag should ever go undiscovered, even by a first-time user.

Tours is designed for indoor and outdoor work, remote work where cellular is a problem, or when using devices without cellular connectivity. While an internet connection is required to start and finish a Tour, connectivity (WiFi or cellular) is not required during a tour itself.

Perhaps most exciting is the license plate scanner option. This allows the user to verify that vehicles are authorized to park at a specific station. Coupled with the newly improved PTE (Permission to Enter) module, visitors can be granted parking permission on a daily basis, and Tours will recognize based on the license plate whether the vehicle is authorized — all without the necessity for issue parking passes or stickers. Tours captures an image, the plate number, and the approximate GPS location of any unknown or expired vehicles for management’s follow-up.

What ever the purpose of the tour, the completion of the tour is documented automatically. If anything is not completed, that item appears as an exception on the summary report. Likewise, any additional information collected during the tour or as a problem report, that information is also flagged in the summary report.

The app is free as is the Tours functionality for any Edge by Melinx or Adamas Edge customer. This version requires iOS 15.6 and is planned be the last major release supporting iPod Touches. Going forward, we will require devices capable of running iOS 16 or later and that have a larger screen size.

In 2022, Edge by Melinx processed 278,031 items — an all time high as the number of active sites and the volume of package and other deliveries grows.

Our world-class system and app enable greater processing efficiency. It’s important to keep in mind that to processes 278,031 items, the staff had to handle each item at least two times: once to receive it, once to give it to the resident, and sometimes an additional time if the resident defers the deliver (such as having their hands too full to take the package at that time).

In addition, the end-to-end tracking all but eliminates lost and miss-directed packages, while our delivery research tools enables the Front Desk staff to quickly find packages without leaving their desk to dig through the package room. This not only saves the staff an enormous amount of time searching for lost packages, but it also eliminates one of the largest sources of resident-dissatisfaction.

Already today, concierges are processing items, and Edge by Melinx continues to provide the support they need as the total volume in 2023 is expected to surpass 300,000 items.

Work orders — we call them “Service Orders” — have been a central component of the design of Edge by Melinx from day one. Today, we are pleased to announce that we have simplified and upgraded the capabilities to make it even easier to implement, use, and support work orders for your property.

Elements of a Work Order

Let’s begin by reviewing the basics. A good work order does the following:

• It is easy for both residents and staff to create an order.
• It captures the description of the work that needs to be done. It also includes who made the request and when the request was made.
• It serves as a tracking document to record and inform the resident and management about:
  • to whom the order is assigned
  • the current status of the order (whether it is being worked on, on hold for some reason, or completed)
  • the progress of complex orders so that information can be shared among those working on the request
• It provides the data for analytical analysis to help the maintenance team and management answer questions like:
  • where and how often have we seen this problem before?
  • what kind of problems are we having?
  • how well are we doing resolving these problems?
  • are we addressing problems before they become visible to residents or affect them?

Improvements

To better address these requirements, we have made major improvements to the work order component of Edge by Melinx. Let us touch on the highlights.

First, we redesigned the traditional data structure of a work order into three simple facts:

• Location – what is the unit or home address that needs the service.
• Request – what is it that needs to be done? Examples are “Clean/Wash”, “Repair”, and “Unclog”. By couching the order in these terms, it is easier to grasp the type of effort required.
• Item – what is the “thing” that needs to be addressed? Examples are “Ceiling”, “Sink”, “Door”, and “Road”.

Secondly, we simplified the routing structure. Previously, management had to indicate a fixed hierarchy based on a staff member’s position for routing, assigning, and closing work orders. With the new design, anyone with proper role authority can view, assign, and complete the orders. This expands the use of the work order feature of Edge by Melinx to sites that many not have a full time on-site super or management.

Third, we upgraded the image support so that both residents and the maintenance team can add photos to document the problem and the work performed.

Fourth, we added a feedback component that allows the reporting resident — or anyone in their unit or home — to provide feedback on their overall satisfaction with the work. This information helps both the maintenance team and management to identify top performers as well as areas of individual exceptional competence.

Fifth, we added work order reporting and tracking to our self-service app. Now a resident can make a request from their phone, tablet, or desktop; include pictures of the problem; track the order’s progress; provide additional information if needed; and provide feedback on service quality once the order is complete.

Analytics

But we didn’t stop there. We are also introducing a new feature called “Analytics” that builds on the real-time analytics that have always been a part of Edge by Melinx. The new Analytics feature helps the maintenance and management teams identify trends so that they can get out in front of problems before they adversely affect residents. It also helps track staff performance.

Availability

We are very excited about the new capabilities we’ve added. For existing Edge by Melinx and AdamasEdge clients, the new features will be available starting November 7th.

We have just released our latest enhancement to our Permission to Enter (PTE) process. Now, when residents use Edge by Melinx’s self-service application to grant permission to enter, they can receive a QR code that they can forward to their guests. By showing the QR code at time of entry, guests can expedite their entry because the QR code automatically links to the PTE’s on file.

This feature is particularly helpful for gated communities that need a way of restricting and tracking guests’ entries into the property but wish to eliminate the burden to always contact the resident before letting in a guest. Optionally, a guest parking sticker can also be generated for placing on the dashboard of the guest’s vehicle.

The PTE process still retains the option that the resident can request that the guest not be permitted into the property until the resident has been notified and granted approval at the time of the entry.

See the sample email below:

For those waiting to start your Beta tests of the Keybox by Melinx, we want to provide you with an update.

Like many manufacturers, we’re being affected by supply chain shortages. One of the most important has been the difficulty sourcing the two circuit boards that control the function of the Keybox. The result is that our Beta shipments have been delayed by about a month.

There’s good news here, though. Although this shortage has introduced a delay, we are pleased to report that our engineers were able to source and implement a higher-function processor and also eliminate entirely the second circuit board from the design.

With the new processor, we will also be offering WiFi connectivity (in addition to the Bluetooth Low Energy) on day one. The space within the Keybox devoted to the digital electronics has also been reduced by about 50%.

While awaiting the new electronics design, the key fob team has also been developing what we nicknamed the “Magic Bar II” fob design. The new fob is more robust and secure, and we’ve simplified the process of attaching keys. To make key access easier for the user, we’ve reduced the number of fobs per box to about 100 while keeping the footprint of the Keybox the same.

We know you are eager to get your hands on the Keybox. We’re equally eager to ship it to you. Stay tuned. We’ll provide additional updates later this month.

We’re so excited that we thought we’d give you a little peek as we prepare for the early trials next month of Keybox by Melinx — the world’s smallest computerized tracking system for fobs and keys.

Take a look at the picture above. We just snuck this Electronics Module out of the factory so that we could show it to you. The pen in the photo is to help you estimate the size of the module.

What is the Electronics Module? It’s the arms, legs, and brain of Keybox by Melinx. In a space that’s a smidge more than two cubic inches, we’ve packed all of the electronics and mechanicals of the key box. The electronic latch — it’s in there. The latch sensors — they’re in there. The processor (which is usually a whole PC for our competitors) — it’s in there. Permanent memory in case the power goes off — it’s in there. Bluetooth communications — yup, it’s in there, too.

Since making the key box as compact as possible is one of our primary goals, we created a design that stuffs all of the workings of the key box into a tiny cube. But that’s not the only reason for packing everything into the module.

While a single, small module means more room for keys, it also means that if there would ever be a problem with your key box, you simply pop out the old Electronics Module and insert a new one — and your key box is new again. Plus, we will be pricing the Electronics Module so that it makes economic sense for you to keep a spare on hand. That way, you can make the replacement yourself in minutes.

When acquiring an electronic key tracking solution, “key storage density” is frequently overlooked. By “key storage density”, we mean the total number of keys that can be stored per cubic inch of space.

The overall key tracking system — the container for the keys and their fobs and any peripheral equipment, such as a dedicated PC — should be small enough to be located at the Front Desk. Otherwise, anytime a key is issued or returned, the Front Desk staff has to leave their post to go to the location of the key system. During that trip, they are no longer able to monitor traffic in and out of the building or to greet and interact with people who may need to speak with them. That creates security and service issues.

Although in small buildings, the required size of current key tracking systems may be small enough that the systems can be located near the Front Desk, aesthetics and safety are still an issue. Is the system visible, does it dominate the desk, does it take up important desktop or counter space, and is it located at a convenient working height?

The Keybox by Melinx has been designed with these considerations in mind. A primary design element is our “Magic Bar” fob. This fob is about the size of a disposable pen’s cap and enables each pair of keys and a fob to be stored in a space that is less than 0.8 cubic inches.

A small fob means a small “pocket” for each pair of keys, which means a smaller “footprint” for the Keybox. In fact, our latest version packs about 140 pairs (280 total) of keys, their fobs, and all of the required electronics into an area smaller than 1.5 reams of paper. That’s less than 1/10th the space required by our competition.

Having this extremely high key storage density means that the Keybox by Melinx can easily be located at the Front Desk — even in very large buildings. In fact, in buildings with under 140 units, the entire system will fit inside a desk drawer (with room to spare), where it is secure, convenient to access, and kept out of sight — leaving the desktop and counter unencumbered. Where the number of units is more than 140, multiple systems can be linked together to control access to over 1000 pairs of keys.

We are preparing the release of the patent-pending Keybox by Melinx this fall. In the meantime, keep watching this blog for updates.