September 2022 - Spike Global

Industry-leading property management and resident engagement software provider, Spike Global, is pleased to announce it has formed a strategic alliance with Quadient, a major global parcel locker operator and leading customer communications technology provider, to streamline the delivery of packages via its award-winning Spike Living portal.

With global online retail sales expected to reach £515 trillion by 2023*, and an increasing volume of packages now being delivered to homes, this forward-thinking alliance has been formed to simplify and enhance delivery to residents.

Parcel Pendin g by Quadient lockers provide a secure, contact-free way for residents to collect their packages. Whether they are working from home, commuting, or running errands, parcel lockers make packages available 24/7 so they can be collected at a time that suits the resident.

By integrating Parcel Pending by Quadient lockers into the Spike Living portal, there is no need for residents to have two separate apps if their building has lockers installed. Instead, residents will receive a notification through the Spike Living app with a unique code to gain access to their parcel, giving them peace of mind that their package is secure.

Not only do parcel lockers offer convenience for residents, but they also provide benefits for property managers – not least through relieving them of the burden of dealing with the fall-out from lost, stolen or damaged parcels. Deliveries are made directly to the parcel locker by a shipping carrier agent, eliminating the need for intervention by a staff member – saving time and cutting operational costs. As the recent rise in the volume of packages being delivered to homes shows no signs of slowing down, mailrooms are at risk of being overwhelmed. Having lockers in place can reduce the need for large mailrooms, with the space being put to better use.

Jeremy Heath-Smith, CEO of Spike Global, comments: “The alliance with Quadient will help streamline the delivery of packages for residents across the country. With the backdrop of growth in the e-commerce industry, we are thrilled to be working with Quadient to offer this service to our clients.”

Ian Caminsky, SVP & MD Parcel Locker Solutions, Quadient, adds: “People grew accustomed to ordering items to their homes during the pandemic, and it’s proving a permanent shift for many of us. The strategic alliance streamlines the process for residents with a unified solution, simplifying and enhancing package delivery. This minimises the amount of digital clutter to give the best possible experience to residents picking up their parcels.”

The Spike Living portal is perfectly tailored to each individual building and its facilities, providing residents with one simple, intuitive portal 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, the portal 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 parcel lockers, it is now more useful than ever.

Property managers spend their days constantly prioritising, and then re-prioritising their ‘to do’ list, with tasks ranging from planning new resident arrivals, dealing with maintenance and safety issues, organising onsite events, to performing a variety of administrative tasks, such as handling parcels and managing visitors. All of which contributes to the overall resident experience.

The changing expectations of residents

Although digitalising your resident experience can often be overlooked, it can help increase the value of the development.

92% of residents prefer digital communications – a massive 81% of millennials find having to make phone calls very stressful.
90% of millennials would consider paying higher rent for better amenities or better property technology.
81% of residents say that it is either important or very important for them to be able to access their resident portal from a mobile device.  
64% of residents signed their current lease online in some way, and given the choice, 58% of residents would rather pay rent using a resident portal mobile app than a property website via laptop/desktop.

As the data shows, residents desire a digital experience which is no surprise given the demographics of occupiers. A recent report released by The British Property Federation, Dataloft, London First and The UK Apartment Association has revealed that the most common age band for residents in both BTR and the PRS is 25 to 34 years old (both making up over 40% of all residents).

Digitalise your tenant onboarding

With 91% of all residents likely to use a mobile device the next time they are looking for somewhere to live according to research by Revel, it’s imperative that property managers ensure prospective residents can easily find and browse their property portfolio online.

By digitalising the applicant journey, prospective residents can view the progression of their tenancy in real-time, communicate with the lettings team, sign contracts, and even make payments, all online. Being able to see where they are in the process can also help to manage expectations of how far along the journey they are.

With every tenant following the same automated onboarding process, end-to-end tenancy management software like  Spike Lettings can also provide examples of accepted documentation and a clear indication of which documents still need to be produced by the applicant, saving hundreds of admin hours having to chase for the right documents and speeding up the onboarding process. As well as having the potential to handle all reservations in-house rather than relying on an outsourced lettings agent.

Make reporting issues and booking amenities easy

One of the most time-consuming parts of a property manager’s job is the handling of maintenance issues, with minor issues 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.

Resident Portals like Spike Living speed up the communication in these instances and allow residents to quickly provide your maintenance staff with a clear picture of the task ahead, with residents even able to attach photos of the issue so maintenance staff can diagnose the fault ahead of time, increasing the likelihood of fixing the issue in their first visit.

Similarly, with onsite gyms, games rooms, dinning spaces and a host of other amenities becoming the new norm in residential developments, having an easy way for residents to book and interact with these spaces without requiring staff interaction increases the probability of them being used. Being able to open an app and book a room turns what could be an archaic process into a seamless experience, encouraging residents to spend more time enjoying the spaces, and not having to worry about the stress of gaining access.

How to Get Started on Your Digital Journey?

As the data shows, digitalising the resident journey and experience is no longer a ‘nice to have’ and more of a ‘must have’ for those developments wanting to attract and more importantly retain its residents. In an age where self-service and digital interactions are being the new norm, property managers need to ensure they adapt with the times.

Spike’s tenancy management solution, Spike Lettings and award-winning resident engagement portal,  Spike Living, is proven to not only enhance resident experience but also streamline and improve the operational efficiency for property managers.

Want to learn how our solutions could work for you? Request a one-to-one demo below!