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Spike are #EmbracingEquity this International Women’s Day 2023 

“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of it’s women, and deprives itself of the contribution of half it’s citizens.” – Michelle Obama

It’s International Women’s Day 2023, and with this year’s theme being #EmbraceEquity, tying in with the UN Women’s theme of “DigitALL: innovation and technology for women”, we’re celebrating and spotlighting all our Spike women!

IWD 2023’s call to ‘embrace equity’ suggests an active willingness to accept, adopt and support gender equity across wellbeing, employment and technology. Following this theme, the United Nations Observance of IWD recognises and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology.

According to the UN, bringing women and other marginalised groups into technology results in more creative solutions, and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. According to Tech Nation, nearly three million people, or 9% of the UK workforce are employed in the UK tech industry. But women only make up 26% of the tech workforce. Many are driven out of the industry through burnout, gender biases, toxic aspects of “bro-culture” and a lack of work-life balance. A recent PwC study also indicates only 3% of women say a career in technology is their first-choice career.

So, what have we done to embrace equity at Spike? 

  • We’re encouraging transparent communication and encouraging our female team to voice their thoughts, and ensuring we always get their perspective, including them in high level discussions or 1-to-1s.
  • We’re accommodating those who have family commitments, ensuring there is no fear of penalisation, through enabling flexible working patterns for those who need it, and staying open-minded and educated when it comes to female health.
  • Encouraging retention and recruitment, giving equal opportunities to women from a variety of backgrounds, encouraging them to bring their own flair to the team.
  • We’re actively creating social opportunities through office socials, where both men and women have been given equal opportunities to make suggestions and play active roles.
  • We’re offering mentorship and support in every role.
  • We’re encouraging all staff to express their creativity through imputing into enhancing the workspace and in celebrating special events.
  • Continuously learning and understanding the best ways to support the needs of women in our team.

Summary

We hope to see more inclusivity within the technology industry, and we encourage everyone to consider gender equity within their workplace. As a company who value community, we endeavour to promote equality and put measures in place to enable women to thrive and develop within the sector alongside their male counterparts.

Thank you to all of our incredible women at Spike who add so much to the team as a whole – bringing their drive, flair, creativity, and much more!

Keep an eye out for our #IWD Spotlights across on our social media channels where we will be showcasing and celebrating our female team!

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The role tenant engagement plays within BTR Developments 

Tenants who are engaged with their local community are often happier than those who are not, so connecting tenants to one another and allowing them to form meaningful relationships with their local community has now become a necessity rather than just a luxury. 

It’s also far more cost-effective to retain happy tenants. Average turnover costs for an apartment within the industry is around £1,200, however this number can often be significantly higher, depending on a wide variety of factors specific to the property.  

Although turnover to some degree is inevitable, in many instances, developments lose tenants because the living experience falls short of their expectations. Property managers should be striving to encourage tenants to consider the entire building as their home instead of limiting the idea to just their apartment. 

While it’s relatively easy to provide trendy amenities, great designs, and flashy décor, what really attracts tenants to a building, and keeps them staying year after year, is creating a sense of community and belonging that supports their wellbeing.  

Why engage with the community?

When a new tenant moves into a building, they may be unfamiliar with the surrounding area. Connecting them with others in the building, local shops and services, or details that can bring convenience to their lives is a great way of ensuring tenants feel engaged from the offset. Many of our clients team up with the local businesses to offer exclusive discounts to their tenants on anything from cleaning services, dog walkers to local restaurants.

Holding regular social events is also an important way in allowing friendships between tenants to blossom – whether that’s online or in person. Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a tenant has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their tenancy. Without any friends living in their community, tenants only have a 29% chance of renewing. That number jumps to 38% if they have 1-3 friends, and if they have 7 or more friends, there’s a 47% likelihood that they’ll renew. Facilitating safe and easy communication among members of the community allows people to get to know each other more easily.  

The power of community

Investing in developing a community not only enhances the tenant experience – it can also lead to better outcomes. Tenants are more likely to behave in a way that benefits the collective good if they feel an attachment to the people, place and community in which they live. 

Although the link between a sense of community and pro-environment behaviours is an under-researched area, there is evidence that supports these observations. Fostering a sense of community and attachment to a place and to others increases the effectiveness of behaviour change campaigns in relation to both energy saving and recycling, for example.  

This is because when individuals feel that they belong to a community or want to fit in to that community, and their identity is partly attached to it, they are more likely to act in a way that benefits the collective good. 

The role technology can play in engaging tenants

Tenant engagement portals such as Spike Living can help to foster a sense of community and attachment, as well as empower tenants by providing relevant, relatable information. Research highlights that the presentation of data in terms of direct energy units such as kWh or in terms of CO2 emissions is difficult for users to understand. 

However, a tenant engagement portal that can present usage information in relation to others, demonstrate impact and employ gamification techniques to motivate tenants is more effective at creating engagement and driving change. Whilst a tenant might look at their smart meter and not grasp what a kilowatt-hour is, showing that they are using more energy than their neighbours will make them instantly better informed. Examples include the amount of energy used compared with others living in a similar sized apartment in the building, the amount of carbon used in a 10-minute shower, or how much energy is saved by turning the heating down by one click.  

Furthermore, having the ability to send out personalised, weather-appropriate tips to help tenants reduce consumption, as well as keeping the community engaged with useful information, can make cutting their carbon footprint seem like a positive achievement rather than an enforced misery. This mixture of education and competition creates a feedback loop of positive reinforcement that will keep the issue front of mind. 

At the end of last year, Spike Global, ASK4 and Utopi released Changing Behaviours, a joint research report highlighting how working to change the behaviour of tenants can reap significant rewards. For example, strategies that tap into the natural human instinct to conform to social norms – such as providing feedback on consumption and comparison with others – can result in behaviour changes that reduce carbon emissions in the region of 7%-35%. And that’s just according to some more conservative estimates. 

The report also explores and investigates the reasons why tenants, despite good intentions, behave in ways that are often at odds with these values. The reasons why tenants often fail to follow up on values with concrete actions are many and varied – ranging from feeling powerless to making a difference (especially when others around them are not doing the ‘right’ thing), a lack of comfort, a mistrust that their accommodation provider is genuine and authentic in their sustainability efforts. A lack of information on personal consumption in comparison to others also plays a crucial role. 

Summary

As the BTR sector continues to grow at pace, tenant engagement will play an increasingly important role in retaining tenants as well as driving down carbon emissions.   

You can learn more about the role that community can play in achieve net zero and other sustainability targets by downloading our Changing Behaviours Report below.

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Insight

Spike Global and Utopi join forces to help residents go green

Spike Global, the leading property management and resident engagement software provider, is pleased to announce that it has formed a strategic partnership with IoT and Data Integration SaaS provider Utopi to increase visibility and access to building performance data.

With the demand for strong ESG performance, coupled with a greater focus on creating more sustainable buildings, developers are increasingly seeking ways to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.

At the moment there is a lack of transparency when it comes to understanding how a building is performing, which makes it difficult to establish a baseline or monitor sustainability improvements. This new partnership will put key information into the hands of those with the power to make sustainable changes – whether that’s building managers or tenants themselves.

Through the use of specialist smart devices and API integrations, some of which were developed in-house, Utopi is able to collect live and actionable data from managed residential accommodation. This data is then available real-time via the UtopiConnect software platform, which can be integrated with other cloud-based products such as Spike Global’s market-leading resident engagement portal, Spike Living.

By partnering with Utopi, Spike’s clients will have the opportunity to understand their building’s performance and identify areas for improvement. In addition, the information can empower individual residents living in that development to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption by prompting them to reduce their impact, and enabling them to compare their performance with other anonymised residents within their building.

Developers and operators will also be able to use this data to set targets for reduction in consumption and spot outliers and poor performing residents, allowing them to offer advice and support. This leads to vast improvements in ESG scoring, and could also support the introduction of fair usage policies to counter ever-increasing energy costs.

Speaking of the partnership, Utopi’s Co-Founder & CMO, Ben Roberts, commented: “We have been very keen to get the building data we collect into the hands of the residents for a while, we know it has a major impact on a building’s sustainability performance, as the residents are the ones in control of their consumption. Partnering with Spike was a no-brainer and the integration of the two platforms was seamless. We are really looking forward to inspiring communities to take action against the climate crisis.”

Speaking of the partnership, Spike Global’s CEO, Jeremy Heath-Smith, commented: “Our clients are increasingly concerned about the climate emergency and not only need to understand their building’s performance but want to use that information to actively engage and encourage residents to reduce their CO2 output and energy consumption. By partnering with Utopi, we will be able to make this information readily available via our Spike Living portal, encouraging everyone to make a positive change.”

Spike Global will be exhibiting at this year’s UKAA BTR Expo being held on 28th April at the London Design Centre, where attendees will be able to learn more about the new partnership with Utopi.  

Contact us to arrange a meeting.

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Spike Global partners with TLJ Access Control to offer convenient, touch-free keyless entry

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.

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Spike Global forms strategic alliance with Select Ireland to accelerate adoption of its leading property management solutions

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.

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Resident Software – Six tips for a successful launch

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Covid-19 has accelerated the uptake of resident software and PropTech in general. To remain competitive many operators are looking to implement new resident software platforms to best serve their residents’ needs.

Operators are looking to increase building management efficiencies whilst also growing resident engagement and community. Our Client Success Team share six valuable tips on things to consider throughout your implementation journey.

THINK BEYOND COVID-19 – HOW WILL RESIDENTS USE THE SOFTWARE ONCE THE PANDEMIC ENDS?

It might be hard to imagine, but the Covid-19 crisis will pass and the world will go back to a version of normality. Although, people’s attitudes and priorities may have changed. Therefore, it’s important to consider your residents needs after the virus passes. How will your new resident software work post Covid-19, and what are all the different touch points you need to consider?

This could mean a variety of different things: a better booking system for hot desks to facilitate more flexible working. A solid, instant communication platform to ensure your residents feel supported and safe, or simply more community engagement initiatives so help residents get to know neighbours. It’s vital to prioritise these needs and build them into your strategies moving forward. 

WorkflowsUSE THE LAUNCH AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO RE-EVALUATE WORKFLOWS AND PROCESSES.

If you’re looking seriously at implementing new software, it’s probably a great time to audit your workflows and processes. Are you doing things the most effective way, or is it just the way you’ve always done things?

Survey your staff and listen to their needs and concerns. Furthermore, ask your new software suppliers for any recommendations, they’re usually very happy to help and are full of wisdom from other implementation projects.

UTILISE THE CUSTOMER SUCCESS TEAM.

Reputable software providers will offer support in implementing your new systems. Ensure you setup a meeting with the Customer / Client Success Team as soon as possible to discuss your launch and implementation strategy. The team will be full of ideas for the long-term success of your resident software. They can usually help with everything from technical implementation to content and event ideas.

 

PLAN A LAUNCH EVENT (EVEN IF IT’S REMOTE) AND HAVE A LAUNCH STRATEGY IN PLACE

Your new resident software is going to benefit both your staff and your residents. In order to maximise the potential of the software you need to get both groups excited, and on-board. At Spike we recommend planning the launch in advance and having some sort of launch event, even if restrictions mean this has to be remote. Take this event as an opportunity to showcase the benefits of the software and how it’s going to make their lives easier.

LISTEN TO YOUR RESIDENTS, EVALUATE THE DATA AND IMPROVE.

Once your software is live it’s easy to think that the work is done, however it’s important you continue to listen to your residents and adjust your strategy accordingly. Resident Software is a fantastic tool for listening and gathering data. Use these insights to continue improving and get the most out of your investment.

phoneinhandCHOOSE THE RIGHT SUPPLIER.

When you’re looking at new software it’s important you consider more than just the technology. Does the company have the on-going support you need? Are they flexible and willing to help you problem solve? What do their customers say about them?

You’re going to be working with your chosen company for a long time. It’s important the relationship is the right fit for you and your business. 

How could Spike help your business?

Spike Global delivers industry-leading software that connects people and properties to create attractive, efficient and engaging places for living, working and playing. 

Working across residential and commercial sectors, our unique market insights help us consistently achieve industry-leading results that maximise occupancy, revenue & profit.

We understand what it takes to make resident software successful. We have a proven track-record of delivering real, tangible results with more than nine years experience in launching and operating property software worldwide. 

Want to find out more about Spike Global? Get in touch and a member of the team will be in touch shortly.                                                                          

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Resident Engagement – 5 Tips to Strengthen yours

resident engagement

As Spike’s Community Manager, I’ve pulled together five simple things PRS operators, property managers, asset managers, developers and home builders should consider when putting together a resident engagement plan. These actions will boost engagement levels and ultimately help you nurture content, loyal residents who want to occupy your spaces for longer. 

COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our lives. For many this change has provoked a priority shift and attitude change. In order to stay competitive, businesses must adapt to these changes and support their residents through these uncertain times. 

Resident Engagement Tips

1. Think beyond traditional face-to-face events.

Six months ago events were likely a large part of your resident engagement strategy. Even with restrictions lifting, residents and staff will be cautious of mass gatherings. Despite restrictions we’ve seen some fantastic innovation with community engagement initiatives. These examples prove it’s still possible to rally together as a community, even from a safe social distance. Moda Living for example hosted a pizza night for their residents, which was launched through their Resident App, My Moda. Moda partnered with a local Italian restaurant to deliver a pizza to each resident who’d signed up, as a treat from Moda. This small act of kindness supported their local community and made residents feel less alone and supported. In the midst of lockdown this was a real boost for their community. 

2. Establish open lines of communication between your staff and residents.

On-site teams play an important role in nurturing your residential community, even if they’re not onsite all the time. Residents need to feel comfortable in approaching staff about problems and/or worries, and feel issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently. After all, happy people make happy spaces and feelings of dissatisfaction can be very disruptive.

Some of our client’s have chosen to set up ‘I’m happy’ and ‘I’m not happy’ forums in their Resident Apps. Residents can then post issues or praise accordingly. Although this might sound risky it gives operators the right to reply to any complaints as a result, and keeps the problem contained. Moreover, it offers residents complete transparency which then translates into trust and loyalty. 

3. Empower residents to socialise outside of organised activities.

Although organised activities and initiatives are important, there will be residents who prefer to socialise with neighbours on their own terms and in their own time. It’s important to give your resident’s choice in how they interact. Since the start of lockdown in March we’ve seen an incredible 700% rise in social interactions across our resident portals. These interactions include comments, likes and messages on social forums and clubs. We’re now seeing these digital interactions  transforming into face-to-face friendships. What is even more encouraging, for instance, is that residents are now creating these forums themselves, creating micro-communities. We’ve seen everything from charity bake-sale forums to poker clubs being created as a result. 

4. Listen to your residents.

Many make the mistake of assuming they know what their residents want, and create a strategy around these assumptions. As a result these efforts are often wasted. Invest in really getting to know your residents. This can be done in a number of ways; Fizzy Living created a service where residents can reach out to their buildings managers to book an hour slot to discuss their life at Fizzy. Building managers then come away with actionable insights to implement moving forward and residents feel heard. Another simple way to do this is by tracking and analysing data from your resident portal, identifying popular subjects, events, discussions and pain-points. 

5. Plan, Track, Analyse, Plan 

Despite the ever-changing landscape it’s still important to plan ahead when it comes to resident engagement. Our in-house Community Engagement Team put together a monthly engagement plan with our clients to map out key activities. Following this, the teams meet at the end of the month to analyse data, spot trends and make changes accordingly. This approach is instrumental in the success of portals. As a result this allows our client’s so stay one step ahead.

To find out more about how Spike could help improve your resident engagement, retention and reputation, get in touch and a member of the team will be in touch shortly. 

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