One App To Rule Them All (At Work)

One App To Rule Them All (At Work)

The CapitaStar@Work mobile app can help you do everything at the workplace, from learning about and registering for community activities, reserving shared amenities and spaces in selected CapitaLand properties, to enjoying exclusive deals and privileges from our retailers. Our Community Engagement intern, Erwan tried it out for the first time this past week; here are some of his honest thoughts.

If you’re a CapitaLand Workspace tenant or a frequent shopper at our malls, you’d know that there are plenty of rewards and services available to you.

One example is the CapitaStar@Work mobile app, which is designed specially for tenants working in CapitaLand Workspace properties to provide them with an integrated and rewarding workplace experience.

We could tell you all about it, but we’d like to show you instead—we got Erwan, a new intern working at 79 Robinson Road to try out the app for a week. From signing up for community activities to discovering quick and easy lunch options, here’s how Erwan’s week with the app went, in his own words.

Monday

10:00AM — I settled in at my desk, downloaded the CapitaStar@Work app from the App Store, and signed up for an account, which took me just three minutes. I also took a couple of minutes to create and link my CapitaStar account within the app, which one of my colleagues highly recommended I do to get a bonus of 5,000 STAR$ (equivalent of $5!). I also received an additional $5 eCapitaVoucher for being a new user of CapitaStar. Looks like I’m off to a good start here!

P.S. If you’re new to CapitaLand’s retail rewards programme, STAR$ are basically points rewarded when you make purchases at participating retailers across all CapitaLand malls. These accumulated STAR$ can then be exchanged for eCapitaVouchers and/or exclusive deals on the CapitaStar app.

12:00PM — It’s sweltering outside, so I decided to try out ‘F&B Orders’ for lunch. I scrolled through the listings on the app and ordered a bowl of vegan salad from Grain Traders, with a mere few taps. While waiting for my food to arrive, I explored the app further and found myself thinking about how handy it is. It's easy to sign up for activities (virtual or otherwise), book an event space in one of CapitaLand’s buildings, and even browse some of the deals and offers available in CapitaLand retail stores. As I’m still relatively new to the area, the Retail Directory in the app shows me the list of retail outlets nearby at a glance. I think I’ll try out Pepper Lunch tomorrow!

12:50PM — My food arrived and I enjoyed my lunch while reading the articles on the app’s bulletin page. The variety of topics available is really quite impressive. I managed to learn a few new things about bouldering, which I’ve been meaning to try. And my salad was delicious. I’m glad I didn’t have to brave the heat for it.

Tuesday

9:30AM — Missed my alarm this morning so my dad offered to drive me to work. I explored CapitaStar@Work in the car and learnt that I can actually access parking availabilities and hourly parking rates at all of CapitaLand’s retail malls and offices in the CBD in real-time, through JustPark. Apart from that, drivers can also apply, pay for, and cancel season parking through the app. (Maybe I should ask my Dad to let me drive his car to work!)

12:00PM — After my wonderful experience with F&B Orders yesterday, I decided to use it to order lunch again today, and surprise, surprise—I got a discount with an in-app promo code. Yeah! I also got to know a few new colleagues while eating at the pantry and encouraged them to download the app. Now that they have the 5,000 STAR$, perhaps I can ask them to buy me a bubble tea to thank me for this ‘lobang’!

2:00PM — Just shared with my supervisor about my app usage so far, and she told me that I could even enrol for facial recognition to enter the office. This contactless and card-less mode of entry is definitely a plus point! Registration was very simple and straightforward, and all I had to do was take a selfie on my phone and enrolment was instant.

Wednesday

10:00AM — I received a push notification on my phone informing me that there’s a deal at Fun Toast where we can redeem a free hot coffee/tea through CapitaStar@Work. Maybe we’ll redeem one after lunch with my colleagues.

1:00PM — We walked into Fun Toast and there were others in front redeeming the same deal. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long. When it was our turn, we simply showed the deal card on the app to the staff and she easily entered a 4-digit pin for us to redeem our free drinks. Love it!

And because I enrolled for facial recognition access yesterday, I didn’t have to fumble around for my access card to enter the office, as my hands were full carrying the drinks!

Thursday

9:00AM — On my way to the office this morning and while checking my calendar, I learnt that some of my colleagues would be coming into the office today. Since our weekly team catch-ups are held every Thursday, (and they’ve been held virtually so far), I thought it would be easier for us to go into a meeting room together to take the call with my other team-mates dialing in.

Booking meeting rooms via CapitaStar@Work is so handy. I was able to use the filter function to search for a space according to my needs (e.g. timing, capacity) and booked it with a few taps — and all commuting! At where I work, access to meeting rooms is via QR code, so upon receiving an email of my booking details which includes a calendar invite, I simply forwarded it to my colleagues for them to access the room for our meeting later.

I also learnt that I could use the app to invite my guests to selected CapitaLand buildings for in-person meetings, thus saving them the hassle of registering at the concierge first before coming up to our office.

Friday

12:30PM — The weekend always gets me feeling restless and itching for a break. I then recall seeing an Events tab on CapitaStar@Work, so I whipped out my phone and started browsing the list of upcoming events. I came across a virtual event called “Your Latest Gadgets Today = Tomorrow’s E-waste”. It says that the amount of e-waste Singapore generates annually is equal to everyone throwing away 70 mobile phones annually. I shared this event with my colleague over lunch since climate change has been a frequent lunchtime topic, and we agreed to sign up to learn something new together. It took us just a few taps to register and we were confirmed a slot each for the talk. When scrolling through past events, I noticed the frequent events happening each month, so I made a mental note to regularly check back on the app to see what other upcoming events might be of interest to me.

4:30PM — My colleague and I were talking about heading out for dinner together after work, so I volunteered to look up good dining deals we can redeem with our STAR$. I found a good deal for a $5 eVoucher at 4 Fingers at Plaza Singapura for 4,500 STAR$, and shared that deal with my colleague using the app’s inbuilt share button. She approved of my choice and I immediately redeemed the eVoucher using my STAR$. My colleague says I’m now more familiar with the app than she is, and I can’t agree more!

Final thoughts

I’ll be honest—I was skeptical about the app before the week started because I didn't expect it had such extensive features, but I was pleasantly surprised. I especially love that there are exclusive deals and activities that pop up on the app frequently (most recently I saw a code for 50% off your next booking at The Gym Pod), which makes my work life more fun (who doesn’t love surprises!). The F&B Orders function is also quick and easy to use on days when I’m feeling lazy to step out of the office for lunch.

It’s also pretty much a one-stop-shop as the Bulletin section makes for easy lunchtime reading while the Shop tab offers lots of retail options at the tip of your fingers. Plus, it’s free to download and sign up for an account, and the mode of registration is convenient and a breeze.

I’ve recommended CapitaStar@Work to some of my other friends who are interning at other CapitaLand Workspace buildings in the CBD and in the Business Parks. They love it just as much as I do, and I think you’d enjoy it too. Why not give it a go? You can download CapitaStar@Work on the App Store and Google Play.