Matterport Indoor Navigation brings marketing success in Schorndorf
-85%
Appointment delay
+70%
Relief reception
3 months
Full occupancy MVZ
The Challenge
After taking over a spacious, four-story residential and commercial building in downtown Schorndorf, the Schorndorf Clinic Center faced a massive logistical and organizational problem. The building was to be converted into a modern Medical Care Center (MVZ) with affiliated administrative departments, therapy centers, and medical practices and marketed accordingly. However, since the property had originally been designed as a classic residential and commercial building with various shops, offices, and labyrinthine corridors, the layout was extremely complex. Patients and visitors were confronted with a confusing structure of multiple staircases, different elevator shafts, and seemingly endless corridors when entering the building. Many of the thousands of patients seen weekly, a high proportion of whom were elderly or had limited mobility, became disoriented in the building. This led to significant delays in the everyday practice routine: appointments were missed, doctors had to wait for their patients, and the staff at the central information desk on the ground floor were constantly occupied with giving directions. A conventional physical signage system quickly reached its limits, as room layouts and responsibilities changed flexibly during the renovation and establishment phase. Any change would have required the costly replacement of physical signs. Dissatisfaction among patients and staff increased, which also negatively affected the center's image and the marketing of the still available practice spaces.
Our Solution
The solution for this complex challenge was provided by FotoEstate through the implementation of an innovative, digital guidance system based on a highly precise Matterport 3D survey. First, our technicians captured the entire building, with a total area of over 4,500 square meters, using high-resolution Matterport Pro3 cameras. This scanning process produced a millimeter-accurate point cloud and a detailed virtual 3D model of the entire complex. Based on this, we developed an interactive indoor navigation system. The 'digital twin' of the building was equipped with a dynamic routing system. Visitors can now virtually enter the building via the clinic center's website before their arrival and view the route to their specific practice in advance. On site, QR codes were placed at strategically important decision points such as the main entrance, elevators, and corridor intersections. When a patient scans this code with their smartphone, the indoor navigation opens precisely at their current location, and a visual path guides them step by step directly to the desired treatment room. Additionally, interactive 'information points' (Mattertags) were integrated into the scan. These provide further information about the respective doctors, opening hours, links to online appointment scheduling, and important behavioral instructions. Due to the cloud-based structure of the system, the clinic center can adapt changes in room usage within a few minutes directly in the system without having to replace physical signs.
The Result
The introduction of the digital Matterport guidance system by FotoEstate led to an immediate and measurable improvement in all operational processes at the Schorndorf Clinic Center. Already in the first month after full implementation, the number of delayed or missed appointments due to disorientation dropped by a spectacular 85 percent. In surveys, patients praised the intuitive and stress-free navigation via their smartphones, which raised patient satisfaction to a record level. For the reception staff, this meant enormous relief: employees had to leave their desks far less often to guide lost patients through the building, thereby regaining several hours of valuable work time for administrative tasks every day. The marketing of the remaining practice and commercial spaces in the building also benefited massively from the innovative system. Potential tenants and partner physicians saw the modern, digitalized infrastructure as a clear location advantage. Within just three months after the relaunch of the guidance system, all remaining commercial spaces in the residential and office building were fully leased to specialized therapists and medical service providers. The project has since been regarded as a showcase for digital accessibility and modern real estate management in the Schorndorf region.
Project Deep Dive: Process & Details
The initial situation: A demanding marketing
The Schorndorf Clinic Center planned a significant expansion of medical services in the region through the acquisition of the centrally located residential and commercial building. Schorndorf, as a growing district town in the Rems-Murr district, urgently needs a consolidation of medical specialties to meet the increasing demand from the population for outpatient care. The selected building theoretically offered ideal conditions with its central location and the generous area of 4,500 square meters. The vision was to establish a comprehensive Medical Care Center (MVZ), in which general practitioners, specialists, physiotherapists, and a pharmacy work hand in hand under one roof. Administrative offices of the clinic center were also to be integrated here. However, the structural reality of the property proved difficult. Originally built as a mixed commercial and residential building, the property had a very confusing architecture (a problem often complained about, which in smaller scale can be resolved through floor plan staging as in Forchheim, but here required an active wayfinding system). Staggered levels, subsequently inserted firewalls, various elevator shafts, each serving only certain floors, and convoluted accesses to the residential areas made the building a labyrinth. The challenge was to structure this architectural complexity in such a way that strangers – often in a stressful situation before a medical appointment – could immediately find their way without external help. A classic paper- or sign-based wayfinding system proved insufficient in the planning phase, as the room allocations continually changed with the step-by-step settlement of the practices.
The hurdle: Overcoming uncertainty in potential customers
Before the introduction of digital navigation, everyday life in the partially opened center was characterized by hectic activity and frustration. Patients wandered helplessly through the floors, desperately looking for the correct entrances, and often arrived stressed and late for their appointments. This disrupted the tightly scheduled timetable of the medical practices and led to long waiting times in the waiting rooms. The staff at the central information desk in the foyer were physically and mentally overworked, as they had to give directions almost every second. Many elderly patients complained about the lack of accessibility in a figurative sense: although there were ramps and elevators, visual orientation was a barrier they could hardly overcome. These problems spread quickly in Schorndorf, which made marketing the still available practice spaces to new doctors extremely difficult. No one wanted to rent an expensive practice space in a building where patients arrived frustrated or got lost. The rental activities stalled, and the clinic center had to fear being left with unused spaces while the operating costs for the entire building were already running at full capacity. An innovative, flexible, and future-proof solution had to be found in order to regain the trust of tenants and patients.
The concept: Visual excellence and attention to detail
The concept developed by FotoEstate tackled the root of the orientation problem directly. Instead of relying on static, physical signs, we proposed creating an interactive, digital twin of the entire property, which was to serve as the basis for a dynamic indoor navigation system. The concept envisioned that the patient would receive a link at home along with their appointment confirmation, leading them directly to the three-dimensional view of the building. This way, they could visually practice the exact route from the underground garage or bus station to the practice door on the third floor. For on-site use, we developed a system with QR codes. These were to be placed visibly at all entrances and elevators. After scanning with a smartphone, the system opens in the patient’s web browser—without the need to download an app, which drastically lowers the barrier for older people. The current location is marked, and an animated path guides the user through the corridors. The routing was to be detailed enough that steps, elevators, and accessible transitions could be explicitly displayed and selected. This concept promised not only maximum orientation but also high flexibility for the clinic center, as the digital model can be updated in the background at any time.
The Implementation: Technology Meets Craft
The technical implementation of this large-scale project required the highest precision and state-of-the-art equipment. Our experts scanned the entire residential and commercial building over two consecutive weekends to avoid disrupting ongoing practice operations. The Matterport Pro3 camera, which was specifically developed for large indoor and outdoor areas and delivers highly accurate measurement data thanks to its LiDAR sensors, was used. A total of over 450 scan points were taken to capture every angle, corridor, elevator lobby, and connecting pathway completely. From the generated raw data, a coherent, photorealistic 3D model was created in the cloud. The next step was the digital programming of the navigation. We defined the path network within the 3D model by linking all walkable areas together and excluding barriers such as locked doors or employee-only areas. At the most important nodes, we added the so-called Mattertags. These not only contain text descriptions of the practices but also direct links to the respective websites for online appointment booking. Finally, the QR codes were generated and linked to the specific coordinates in the 3D space. The entire system was comprehensively tested on various smartphone models and operating systems to ensure absolutely smooth and error-free presentation in everyday practice operations.
The result: A flawless marketing success
The result of the implementation was a fundamental transformation of the Schorndorf Clinic Center into a state-of-the-art, barrier-free service center. The stress factor for patients and staff was reduced to a minimum. Since patients now arrived at the practices on time and relaxed, the entire appointment process noticeably calmed down. The receptionists were able to fully focus on their actual tasks again, which massively improved the quality of patient intake. Digital accessibility became a much-noticed topic in Schorndorf and the surrounding area. The clinic center was able to use this technological advantage excellently for marketing purposes. In negotiations with new doctors and therapists, the digital twin served as a convincing argument. Potential tenants immediately recognized the enormous added value for their patients and the professionalism of the location. Leasing of the available spaces gained momentum rapidly. Within a few weeks, contracts were signed with a speech therapy practice, a medical supply store, and an outpatient care service. The building reached full occupancy in a very short time. This case study impressively demonstrates that the Matterport indoor navigation is not just an orientation tool, but a powerful economic lever for increasing value and successfully marketing complex commercial properties.
What our partners say
"An ideal addition to our physical offer. Absolute professionals at work."
"The virtual twilight pictures (Day-to-Dusk) are an absolute click magnet."
"Reliable, fast and creative. We don't do a project without FotoEstate anymore."
"FotoEstate's 3D renderings far exceeded our expectations. Our new build project was 80% sold before breaking ground."
"Thanks to the virtual tours, our clients can comfortably view properties from home. This saves us a massive amount of time and filters out tourists."
"The LiDAR scans from FotoEstate form the perfect basis for our digital facility management. Millimeter-accurate and extremely reliable."
"An ideal addition to our physical offer. Absolute professionals at work."
"The virtual twilight pictures (Day-to-Dusk) are an absolute click magnet."
"Reliable, fast and creative. We don't do a project without FotoEstate anymore."
"FotoEstate's 3D renderings far exceeded our expectations. Our new build project was 80% sold before breaking ground."
"Thanks to the virtual tours, our clients can comfortably view properties from home. This saves us a massive amount of time and filters out tourists."
"The LiDAR scans from FotoEstate form the perfect basis for our digital facility management. Millimeter-accurate and extremely reliable."
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