Month: March 2022

Spike Global Partners With TLJ Access Control to Offer Convenient, Touch-Free Keyless Entry

Post author By Jonny Wootten
Post date 30 March 2022

Leading resident engagement and property management software provider Spike Global is pleased to announce that it has joined forces with global expert TLJ Access Control to offer the option of touch-free, keyless entry via its Spike Living portal. Tenants in a building enabled with the new technology will be able to access their own front door through a single smartphone app bringing a host of user benefits, including:

No need for physical keys – unlimited digital keys on a single app
Multiple doors can be controlled under the same account, for example building main entrance, lift or stairwell, apartment door, gym and even car park barrier
Dynamic and convenient – keys can be added, amended and revoked remotely
Digital keys can be issued to guests, visitors and family members instantly and securely via the Cloud

Not only does keyless, electronic door entry offer convenience for residents, it also has benefits for property managers – not least through relieving them of the burden of dealing with the fall-out from lost, stolen or damaged keys and keycards. In addition, it offers a streamlined way to deal with amenity bookings. For example, if a resident has booked the use of a communal facility such as a cinema room or meeting space, it will remove the need for a member of staff to unlock the facility or be available to hand over a key. Instead, access can be granted via the app, and time limited to the specific booking.

By integrating TLJ’s electronic access control systems into the Spike Living portal, there is no need for residents to have two separate apps if their building has keyless entry, making it quick, convenient and user-friendly. And, of course, in the unlucky event of a smashed or stolen phone access can be speedily controlled or cancelled on another device.

The lack of physical keys, especially plastic key cards or fobs, also helps with the property’s ESG commitments – an increasingly important consideration for developers and operators alike.

Luke Martin, TLJ’s Chief Technical Officer, said: “What Spike Global and ourselves have in common is the desire to make life as simple and intuitive as possible for our customers, so working together makes perfect sense. Keyless door entry is convenient, hygienic and secure, giving peace of mind to residents that only authorised people can gain access to the building. Accessing it through the familiar medium of the Spike Living portal means that everything residents need is always at their fingertips.”

Jeremy Heath-Smith, CEO of Spike Global, adds: “We are delighted to be working with TLJ, which, like us, is a forward-thinking company that aims to make everyday life easier through smart technology. With many developers now choosing electronic door entry for its all-round ease and convenience, the ability to integrate this into a single resident engagement portal, accessed via a single app, will be an attractive option to building management teams.”

The Spike Living portal is perfectly tailored to each individual building and its facilities, providing residents with one simple, intuitive app that allows them to communicate with the management and with each other – making life easier in a multitude of ways. From booking laundry services, reporting a maintenance issue or checking if the concierge has received a parcel, the app makes routine communication quick and easy. Not just for the practical things in life – Spike Living can also help new residents to meet each other, make friends, find activities and get to know their local area by receiving targeted offers and discounts from nearby businesses. With the additional option of integrating electronic access control systems, it is now more useful than ever.

Insight

Are Your Residents Suffering From App Fatigue?

Post author By Jonny Wootten
Post date 3 March 2022

The average person now has over 100 apps on their smartphone. It’s likely you already have an app to book your gym class, various apps to communicate with family and friends, along with a whole host of apps to report maintenance issues, access discount codes, and to keep up to date with the latest goings-on in the neighbourhood. By being exposed to so many different communication channels, are we at risk of feeling overwhelmed and ironically less connected as a result? This may certainly be the case when it comes to providing technology for residents.

We are all living increasingly busy lives and so are always looking to be smarter with our time. Consumers and residents are no different, we want to be in charge of our decisions and self-serve. Gone are the days when we want to be restricted to opening hours or being placed on hold waiting for someone to answer at the end of the phone.

Residents also value their time too much to live in properties that don’t cater to their needs. Properties lacking sophisticated amenities or requiring a multitude of apps and portals are turning residents off. Equally, if amenities aren’t easy to use, potential residents won’t want to pay a premium for apartments. If management does not nourish the feeling of exclusiveness by providing branded resident portals and apps, residents know they can get it in a different community.

Enhancing Resident Experience

Single-purpose apps are no longer the way forward. Vertically integrated software and the spaces they support must blend harmoniously. Interoperability is key when running a development, especially when residents now expect a seamless journey, starting from when they are searching and selecting an apartment online, reserving and completing all the necessary paperwork, to moving in and managing their daily lives. Imagine the hassle of residents having to go into multiple apps or places to manage amenity bookings, resident messaging, reporting maintenance issues, and managing delivery requests. Fractured interactions with multiple apps leave residents feeling detached from the unified brand a building may be trying to cultivate. And app fatigue is a real problem for active people. “If these applications are not all integrated into one platform, you are not providing technology as an amenity to your residents, you are providing a massive headache,” states IoTforAll.com’s James Calder.

To keep residents happy, one multi-purpose management app is a necessity. “This one-stop-shop philosophy implies that customers would only need to install one app, sign up once, add their credentials a single time, and then enjoy multiple applications at their fingertips right away, all-in-one,” Dr. Fardad Zand claims on Entrepreneur.com. And once a building transfers to one multi-purpose app, residents find single purpose apps a nuisance. Besides being inefficient and time-consuming, single purpose apps also have negative effects on resident phones. Devices with multiple apps lack performance and drain batteries faster. And who really wants to remember which app you clicked on to do one of ten different things?

Spike’s resident engagement portal, Spike Living, allows residents to virtually manage every aspect of their lives from a single app. From being notified when a package is ready to be collected from reception, booking a slot at the gym, hiring a private meeting room, interacting with other residents via forums and clubs, or learning about the local retailers in which they can support, Spike Living allows residents to build budding friendships with neighbours and get the most out of their buildings.

Furthermore, by providing residents with easy access to frequently asked questions, appliance guides, and safety procedures, as well as the latest news from the wider community, having all this information readily accessible means that more often or not, residents can find the information they need themselves, whenever they need it. This reduces the workload on property managers and saves them from repeatedly responding to the same questions.

What’s more, important documents like signed contracts can also be stored centrally and securely ensuring that paper-based copies do not get lost. This makes contracts and vital information easily accessible, and notifications can be sent to residents whenever there are newer versions needing to be reviewed and signed, allowing for full traceability.

Digitalise Your Property Management

Property managers are also demanding a single place to manage a resident’s entire journey. Having a central place to store key information on each resident, such as notes and reminders on the little things that can really help set a development apart, like a resident’s birthday or moving in anniversary.

A centralised app also allows property managers to easily communicate with residents which enables them to be more proactive. From notifying residents when a lift is out-of-service, promoting onsite events, or more importantly, sending out an urgent push notification informing residents within minutes about an immediate danger, such as a fire in their block, so they can take the necessary action such as evacuating the building.

One of the most time-consuming parts of a property manager’s job is the handling of maintenance issues, with minor tasks easily turning into major ones if they aren’t dealt with quickly and efficiently. Without an easy and simple way for residents to report maintenance issues, they can often go unreported. Mobile apps speed up the communication in these instances and allow residents to quickly provide your maintenance staff with better details about the task ahead. By using Spike Living, all enquiries and defect tickets can be logged centrally, as well as being tracked and shared between teams, keeping the resident informed at all times.

Having a single resident app that can be perfectly tailored to the facilities and services they offer also makes sound business sense. Spike creates white-label versions of its Spike Living software, meaning that each portal is personalised for every client, so it is always tailored to the specific requirements of both the management and the building. As well as connecting residents with the amenities and services available onsite, it can also be linked up with external partners to provide additional services, from bedding packs and weekly cleans to pizza delivery and beauty services, which could provide an added source of income through commission if desired.

Summary

Given that 92% of residents prefer digital communications, offering a single place to connect digitally to property managers and their surroundings should no longer be seen as a luxury but a necessity. We are all living increasingly busy lives, and by providing a central place to manage all activities, whether that’s handling package deliveries, booking the onsite gym, or raising maintenance issues, having an easy way to enable these services is key. With an average engagement rate of 87% across its portals, Spike Living is proven to help residents truly live their best lives

Insight

Spike Global Forms Strategic Alliance With Select Ireland to Accelerate Adoption of its Leading Property Management Solutions

Post author By Jonny Wootten
Post date 2 March 2022

Spike Global, the leading property management and resident engagement software provider, is pleased to announce that it has formed a strategic partnership with Select Ireland, a specialist business consultancy company based in Ireland.

With more than €5.5 billion invested in the Irish property market in 2021 according to real estate agent Savills, the partnership will enable Spike Global to benefit from Select Ireland’s in-depth market knowledge and strong ties with leading real estate companies to help accelerate the adoption of its solutions.

Speaking of the partnership, Spike’s Chief Commercial Officer, Tim Butchart, comments: “It is a pleasure to be partnering with Select Ireland. Its unique understanding of the Irish real estate sector will ensure that investors, operators and developers alike will be able to benefit from using leading technology to improve and enhance residence experience, whilst at the same time reducing operating costs.”

Spike’s resident engagement portal, Spike Living, can be white-labelled and completely tailored to the needs of each development, enabling residents to enjoy the spaces they live in and form meaningful connections. Whilst its end-to-end tenancy management software, Spike Lettings, enables operators to seamlessly manage its tenant journey starting from initial enquiry, through the reservation stage, all the way to moving in.

Spike’s solutions have provided a safe online space for residents and students to communicate with each other and become familiar with their neighbours, through forums and real-time chat rooms. Unlike social media, Spike’s software can also be building-specific, enabling residents and other newcomers to meet like-minded people, without being at risk from scammers and strangers.

Additionally, Spike’s solutions can provide a much-needed lifeline to the local high street, whereby residents are encouraged to use the services available to them on their doorstep. For instance, developments can offer residents a guide to all the places around them, and by partnering with local businesses, can offer exclusive discounts, encouraging residents to fall in love with their independent chains.

Susan Barrett, Founder and CEO, Select Ireland, comments: “Fundamentals of strong economic growth, increase in population and ongoing imbalance between supply and demand continues to fuel growth in Ireland’s residential investment sector. As we enter this post-pandemic era there is a real need for Spike Global’s smart solutions within the Irish market.

Working across the residential sector, including build-to-rent, build-to-sell, purpose-built student accommodation, co-living and later living, residents today are increasingly demanding more from the spaces they live in. Spike solutions help engage residents leading to a safer, better informed, and more compelling community environment for all. Having access to easy-to-use resident portals such as Spike Living, residents can not only communicate and report issues to their landlords directly and promptly, but also get to know their neighbours and integrate into the local area, which will undoubtedly lead to greater tenant satisfaction and retention.”

From an operational perspective, Spike’s cost-effective solutions not only enhances the resident experience but also greatly increases operational efficiencies creating a win-win situation and competitive advantage for the growing number of real estate companies worldwide who have already successfully adopted Spike’s Solution.