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Automate Your Property Management

The property sector has traditionally been slow to adopt technology, however, the pace of innovation has increased dramatically over the past year, largely driven by the challenges brought about by the pandemic. There will be more change in the next decade than there has been in the last 50 years, and as we enter a new era, property managers will feel the impact the most.


Working as the lynchpin between the property owner and the tenants, property managers handle all tenant-related issues, acting on behalf of the landlord, carrying out key tasks such as:

  • Communicating with tenants and owners
  • Maintenance and repairs
  • Keeping to budget

Below are a few areas we believe technology will have the most impact on property managers now and in the future. 

Real-time access to information

As with the way of the world, we’ve come to expect immediate gratification. We want answers to questions instantly, without having to wait for a response. Residents are no different. Gone are the days when they are prepared to walk downstairs to reception or pick up the phone. Mobile resident portals like Spike Living gives property managers an opportunity to promote a whole host of content that may have previously been provided on request. From frequently asked questions, appliance guides, to fire safety procedures, as well as the latest news from the wider community, having all this information readily available means that more often or not, tenants 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.


Furthermore, important documents like signed contracts and policies and procedures 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.  

Improved communication

Property management is a people business, with property managers simultaneously having to keep tenants, owners, and contractors happy. Given that research by NMHC and Kingsley revealed that 92% of residents prefer digital communications, offering a way to connect digitally to property managers is a must. Previously, disparate communication between these different groups meant property managers would spend half their time on the phone, typing with one hand and writing an address with another. Using resident apps like Spike Living, property managers can now easily and quickly communicate directly with all parties, allowing messages to be sent instantly and recorded centrally.

Reduced administration work

The Samanage State of Workplace Survey found that workers spend an average of 520 hours a year on repetitive services and tasks that could be easily automated. Reminding residents when their rent is due, when deliveries are ready to be collected from reception or providing building updates are just some of the tasks that solutions like Spike Lettings and Spike Living can take care of.


Then there are the communal areas to think about. Most modern apartments have amenities that can be enjoyed by its residents. Onsite gyms, games rooms, and meeting rooms have become the norm. Being able to open an app and book a room turns what could be an archaic process into a seamless and easy task, encouraging residents to spend more time enjoying their buildings, and not having to worry about the stress of gaining access.

Maintenance management

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. For instance, a leaking pipe that drips once per second can add up to over 13,600 litres of water a year if left unfixed, not only costing money but also potentially causing considerable damage.


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.


The same can apply when wanting to communicate directly with residents. Mobile apps enable the in-house team to be proactive and provide real-time alerts, notifying residents when a lift is out-of-service, allowing them to plan around it.

Better Resident insights

Do you know what your residents really want from their buildings? What do they care about? What amenities are being used the most?

With resident apps, you can understand and gain insight into these types of questions. You can learn what amenities and services residents are interacting with, what queries are being asked, and what content they are most interested in. This enables property managers to provide residents with what they truly want, taking the guesswork out of managing properties.

Summary

Technology is giving property managers the opportunity to work more efficiently, and with the use of resident apps streamlining manual processes, this allows property managers to focus on the most important part of the business: their residents.


Learn how Spike is working with a growing number of customers to drive resident engagement and satisfaction by downloading our brochure below.

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5 Ways Property Pwners and Landlords Can Boost Their Bottom Line By Improving Tenant Retention

Ask any landlord or property owner what the most stressful part of their rental business is, and their likely response will be tenant turnover. Ensuring resident satisfaction can seem like a daunting task, but with digital technologies such as resident portals and mobile apps, they can have a positive impact on your bottom line.


Here are 5 ways in which resident portals can lead to an increase in tenant retention. 

Why is tenant retention important?

Low retention is a problem because gaining new tenants is not a cheap process, and any month without rent is not just a loss of income but a potential expense. Tenant quality also plays an important factor, as poor-quality tenants often result in costs not recoverable from the security deposit alone. When acquiring new tenants, there are a whole host of factors that quickly increases the costs:

  • Advertising – Listing and promoting your property online using sites like Zoopla or Rightmove requires you to pay a fee, and the more properties you have to list, the more that fee will be.
  • Letting agent fees – If you employ a lettings agent, the letting fee can range from several hundred pounds to the first month’s rent.
  • Vacancy time – In reality, you are unlikely to find a tenant that is move-in ready, so on average a property could be vacant for around 22 to 33 days, or even longer. That means one to several months of no rent coming in.
  • Turnover costs – Average turnover costs within the industry come in around £1,200. However, depending on a wide variety of factors specific to the property, this number could be significantly higher.

Prioritise communication

According to NMHC and Kinglsey’s 2020 Apartment Resident Preferences Report, 31% of residents who do not choose to renew their lease are seeking better apartment management. By prioritising communication, you are showing your tenants that their comfort and their issues are important to you. If tenants are always having to chase you down to get an answer to their question or a solution to their problem, the likelihood of them staying around for very long is reduced.


By offering residents a mobile portal, you are providing them with a central place to communicate with you. Rather than being constantly bombarded with phone calls or emails, day and night, you can simply review and respond to all queries that have come through via the portal.


Furthermore, with resident portals like Spike Living, you can also promote a whole host of content, from frequently asked questions, appliance guides, to fire safety procedures, as well as the latest news from the wider community. Having this information online means that more often or not, tenants can find the information they need themselves, without having to disturb you.


Finally, small personal touches go a long way in showing your tenants you value them. For example, by capturing their date of birth, or original move-in date, you can then provide personalised acknowledgments of things like birthdays and moving-in anniversaries, which is an easy way to help your tenants feel cared for.

Efficient maintenance and repairs

Maintenance, repair, and appliance replacement costs are among the main concerns when it comes to increasing margins. Repair costs during a bad month can easily outweigh profits. Having quality tenants who take pride in their space will certainly help keep maintenance and repair costs low, but they can be even lower.


One of the advantages of solutions like Spike Living is that it allows tenants to report issues when they arise and ensures you can respond in a timely manner before they potentially escalate to a much bigger problem. Without an easy way to get in touch, your tenants may leave an issue unreported. For instance, a rattling boiler left unchecked could ultimately mean being replaced much earlier than needed. Mobile apps speed up the communication in these instances and provide your maintenance staff with more information about the task ahead. Spike Living captures all enquiries and defect tickets centrally, so they can be tracked and shared between teams, keeping the resident informed at all times.


Using a centralised communication tool, you can also be proactive when it comes to informing residents about issues within the building. For instance, if you know that the lift is going to be serviced at a particular time, you can let the tenants know in advance, so they won’t be surprised when they see the lift is out of action.

Pre-qualify and screen all tenants

If landlords do not start with a qualified and quality tenant, retention rates will be the least of their worries. Tenant screening is the most important part of the rental process and has a measurable impact on the potential turnover rate. Early detection of tenants who could cause damage to the property, break their lease, or pay rent late will help property owners and landlords to begin the lease with the best possible option.


Spike Lettings provides complete end-to-end tenant management, starting from initial enquiry, through the reservation stage, all the way to moving in. Tenants can view the progression of their tenancy, communicate with your team, sign contacts, and even make payments, all within Spike. We recently partnered with Flatfair to make the tenant onboarding process much slicker, meaning upfront deposits are no longer needed. Tenants can simply pay a one-off membership fee equal to one week’s rent (+VAT) at the start of their tenancy, authorise their debit card and settle bills at the end – similar to hotel’s check-in and out.

Offer online services

Another way to avoid unexpected vacancies is to have a modern approach to tenants accessing the services they want. According to research by NMHC and Kingsley, 58% of renters would rather pay rent using a resident portal mobile app than a property website via laptop/desktop.


When rent is easy to pay, tenants are more likely to pay it. If they have to jump through hoops to pay their rent, the chances of it being late increases. With solutions like Spike Lettings, you can also send out reminders to tenants a day or two before their rent is due and can even automate confirmations to let them know that their rent has been paid. This will also make your life easier, especially if you manage multiple properties. Instead of waiting around for payments to come in or having to chase down tenants across multiple properties, you can easily view the status of each property, what rent has been paid, and what has yet to come in, all via a single dashboard.


If you have onsite facilities like a communal gym or meeting rooms, resident portals can provide tenants with the ability to book themselves. This encourages them to enjoy the facilities, without needing to phone or email anyone every time they want to gain access. Staff can also set limits on the number of people who can use a facility at any given time, ensuring amenities are COVID-secure, and users are adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Community engagement

Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a resident has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their lease. For instance, if they have 1-3 friends, then there is a 38% they’re renew, and if they have 7 or more friends, the chances jump to 47%. With features like clubs and forums, Spike Living allows an easy way for tenants to find others in their building who share similar interests, such as a book or wine clubs, as well as enabling residents to organise their own events to get to know each other.  


Thinking about the even bigger picture, you can also connect residents with local shops and services, bringing convenience to their lives. Many of Spike’s customers team up with local businesses to offer special discounts to their residents on anything from cleaning services, dog walkers, to local restaurants.


It’s also proven that residents who are engaged with their local community are often happier than those who are not, and tend to post positive reviews about where they live on websites like HomeViews. These reviews can help attract new prospects and keep occupancy rates high and having residents as champions is an effective tactic if you want to increase interest in your property, whilst reducing your marketing spend.

Summary

To boost tenant retention landlords must be proactive. This means not waiting until a tenant is unhappy or threatening to leave before taking care of their issues. It also means being accessible, consistent, and flexible. With technology solutions like Spike Living and Spike Lettings, landlords and property owners can ensure tenants remain informed and engaged at all times, and ultimately a happy tenant is much likely to remain a long-term tenant, making it better for your bottom line.


Learn how Spike is working with a growing number of customers to drive resident engagement and satisfaction by downloading our brochure below.

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Fire safety – Are Your Residents in the Know?

resident-fire-safety

Recent research by Building Engines revealed that 75% of real estate professionals feel confident that building occupants consistently receive important information from them, but only 25% of occupants agree. Introducing a resident portal can help to bridge this gap, allowing residents to engage more widely with their local community, book amenities, and even interact with other residents outside of social events, thanks to the likes of online clubs and forums. However, resident portals can also play a much more important and crucial role – ensuring your residents are kept up to date with the latest safety information.


As a landlord or property manager, it is part of your responsibilities to follow fire safety requirements for the safety of your tenants and property. You are also required to show evidence that you have done everything within your power (that can reasonably be expected) to protect your property and tenants. This includes things like fitting the correct alarms and making sure the furniture you provide is safe, but also informing residents of what to do in an emergency, including providing evacuation plans.


resident-fire-safetyMore often or not, this information will have been shared as part of a new resident welcome pack during moving in day, alongside a stack of other paperwork needing to be read, signed and filed. How do you ensure residents have read and fully understood everything, or have filed it somewhere that can be easily accessible if required? And what happens when you want to issue a newer version – do you print and mail out updated copies, or do you send out an email with the latest version attached, hoping it manages to somehow dodge the dreaded junk folder?


Using a resident mobile app, such as Spike Living, this key information can be stored centrally and shared easily with every resident at a push of a button, notifying them that there is an updated version to be read and reviewed. You can also empower your residents to report any potential issues they spot by allowing them to log issues through the built-in ticketing system, ensuring all enquiries are tracked, and dealt with swiftly, keeping the resident updated.


Recently, one of Spike’s customers had a major incident within one of its buildings, and along with other traditional methods of notifying residents, they were also able to send out an urgent push notification informing residents within minutes about an immediate danger, so they could take the necessary action and evacuate the building. They were then able to provide regular updates about the incident afterwards and respond to any queries and concerns that had been raised.


Technology has made communication between property managers and residents much easier, breaking down traditional barriers that had previously existed, allowing residents to become more engaged and informed when it comes to fire safety.  


Learn why Spike is trusted by leading property managers by downloading our brochure below.

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Meeting Expectations – How the Pandemic Pushed Many Property Managers Online

Spike Global’s, CEO, Jeremy Heath-Smith, features in May’s Showhouse magazine where he talks about how the pandemic has pushed many property managers online, and why house-hunters are increasingly interested in what their community is like, who their neighbours are, what support and services are immediately available to them and, by moving into a new home, how their lifestyle can be enriched. 

 

Read the full article here.

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Building Community Engagement – Why a Resident Portal Has Become a Necessity

Fuelled by the rise of social media, where users can create meaningful interactions with members of their local community, connecting with neighbours online has quickly become the new norm. With face-to-face contact limited over the last year, this has accelerated the trend towards increased digital engagement. Developers have found a need to instil a sense of community through resident portals and mobile apps, providing much needed social interaction for residents, as well as access to services.  


It’s proven that residents who are engaged with their local community are often happier than those who are not, and tend to post beaming reviews about where they live on websites like HomeViews. These reviews can help attract new prospects and keep occupancy rates high. And since influencer marketing is becoming increasingly important, having residents as champions is an effective tactic if you want to increase interest in your property, whilst reducing your marketing spend.


Having helpful and friendly on-site staff can play a role in keeping residents happy and engaged, but how do you ensure your staff are interacting with every resident? That’s where online portals and apps can help – enabling your team to offer that ‘personal’ experience to all residents equally.


We outline the reasons why resident portals have become a necessity for driving engagement, rather than just a luxury.

Enhance Your Events

Holding regular social events is crucial in allowing friendships between neighbours to blossom. Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a resident have within their building, the more likely they are to renew their lease. Without any friends living in their community, residents 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.


More often or not, your on-site staff already recognise the importance for residents to connect, and likely already offer regular social events. With a resident app, community managers can communicate the details of the event, and via a bookings tool built into the portal, gain an accurate idea of how many residents to expect.


Resident portals also offer ways for residents to interact with each other outside of social events, thanks to features like clubs and forums. Residents can post their own event announcements with neighbours – we’ve seen residents start their own book clubs, and even arrange communal BBQs and cooking classes. Considering Spike connects more than 200,000 residents with their local communities, it’s highly likely your residents would appreciate their own community mobile app if you were to offer it.


Enable Your Residents to Self-Serve 

Gone are the days where residents have the time (or desire) to pop downstairs to speak to concierge or phone a specific number at a certain time to get the information they need. They want things done when it suits them, without having to involve anyone else. A mobile portal enables residents to complete important life admin, like paying rent, booking the gym or swimming pool, reading the latest community announcements – without having to rely on anyone else.


To some, the notion of self-service increasing resident engagement may seem counterintuitive. However, on-demand services deliver better efficiency for both residents and on-site staff while at the same time providing a more personalised experience.

Improve Communication Between Residents and On-Site Staff

Without a mobile app, when residents want to report an issue with their property or building, they will either need to wait until the next time they pass concierge or send a dreaded email that seems to always go unanswered. This might not be an issue if they are reporting a minor issue such as a light being out, but if there’s a water leak, you want to be alerted straight away. Mobile apps speed up the communication in these instances and 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.


The same can apply when wanting to communicate directly with residents. Mobile apps enable the in-house team to provide real-time alerts, notifying residents when a lift is out-of-service, or a package needing to be collected from reception. 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. 

Connecting Residents With Their Local Communities

When a resident moves into your building, they may be unfamiliar with the surrounding area. Connecting them with shops and services, or details that can bring convenience to their lives is a great way of ensuring residents feel engaged from the offset. Many customers team up with local businesses to offer special discounts to their residents on anything from cleaning services, dog walkers, to local restaurants. If you are already doing this, great, it’s something else that can be housed in your resident engagement portal, so it’s easily accessible to all.


Learn how Spike is working with a growing number of customers to drive resident engagement and satisfaction by downloading our brochure below.

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Spike Workplace to Support ‘Blended Working’

A Changing Approach 

Almost a year into the pandemic, the vast majority of companies have had to adapt to new methods of working. Prior to the first lockdown in the UK, working from home was reserved for freelancers or viewed as a nice occasional perk. According to Property Week’s recent 2020 Power of Proptech survey, just 5.1% of the UK workforce worked primarily from home in 2019, despite improving technology making it a viable possibility. Fast forward twelve months and 82% of office providers and real estate companies are looking to invest in home working and digital meeting tools in the near future, indicating that in a post-pandemic world, a more flexible approach to working may become a reality.

 

With reports that companies like Microsoft are adopting a ‘hybrid’ working model, and some, such as Twitter, telling employees they can work from home permanently, never has technology been more important in bringing people together, helping to connect communities, families and employees while the world becomes increasingly disjointed. 

Promote a Connected Culture 

In response to the ongoing pandemic, Spike Global has launched its new Spike Workplace application. The software helps companies and landlords promote a connected culture while the majority of office-based employees are working from home. The software will also help companies and landlords adapt to a ‘blended’ way of working moving forward, where we see employees cycle between remote and in-office working.


Spike’s workplace portal builds and manages buzzing, supportive communities where users can form meaningful connections. Companies can nurture the office culture virtually through social clubs, forums and events, keep occupants engaged with up-to-date news and articles and ensure they are as settled and supported as possible by offering health and well-being initiatives and support forums. Long-term social engagement to create a sense of wellbeing and identity is a key element of what the software provides.

Portal Success With Portico

Clients already include Portico, a leading guest relations and concierge company with more than 800 staff members dotted across 120 locations throughout the UK and Ireland. The firm wanted to launch an engagement platform linked to its own systems that connected its entire workforce and acted as a platform for communicating company updates, events and initiatives. 


Amanda Baber, Director, Business Development at Portico, said: “We had already planned to launch our engagement app in 2020 prior to the pandemic, which made it even more important for us to connect with our people, who were working at home, in the office or furloughed. In a short space of time, we are already receiving hugely positive feedback from our staff members and real engagement in the forums and social groups, which we have created on the platform. We plan to add additional functionality to our app to further embed a culture that empowers our people.”

Increase Efficiencies 

Spike Workplace is designed to make the workplace more efficient for employees, business owners and landlords, whether staff are currently operating physically or remotely. Company owners or landlords and their employees and tenants can benefit from the flexible, user-centric technology that offers a seamless experience and multiple different functions, designed to connect a ‘blended’ workforce.


The platform makes building management, analytics and reporting easy, while residents can book meetings, meeting rooms and hot-desks, check-in their guests, track their deliveries and book additional services. Senior teams or front-of-house staff can keep employees informed and up to date with the latest workplace announcements, including any change in regulations or restrictions.

With an increasing focus on mental health and employee well-being, users can also use the platform to reach out to their colleagues for help and support, making their busy lives easier and increasing welfare. Spike has also partnered with The Health Concierge to offer further health and wellness support, with users being able to access content directly from the app.


Jeremy Heath-Smith, CEO of Spike, comments: “Since the start of the pandemic, companies have had to make significant changes to the way they operate in order to survive and those who have managed to adapt have been the most successful. It’s great to see our software helping during this difficult time, and while our working and personal lives are brought closer together our goal is to create better places for people to work and live, even when these are .” 


Jeremy concludes: “At Spike, flexibility is key to our success. We strive to understand the shift in how employees interact with each other since the pandemic began and what this means for how they’ll interact in the future. Ultimately, our software improves efficiencies in the workplace. For example, we offer specific COVID-19 forums for each of our clients where users can offer or ask for help from their colleagues. We have an information centre posting COVID-19 updates, sourcing only reliable government links and helpful advice. We have a recommended COVID-19 strategy for clients who use Spike, whilst continually adapting that strategy to the changing circumstances we find ourselves in. As and when we move out of lockdown we’ll help clients adapt to a hybrid way of working, as employees cycle between remote and in-office working.”


To find out more about our Workplace portal, get in touch and a consultant will be touch shortly.C

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Resident Engagement Strategy: 6 things Your Teams Need to Consider

Resident engagement and resident satisfaction have never been higher on the priority lists of property developers, operators and managers. Many teams are taking the disruption of the pandemic as an opportunity to re-evaluate their resident engagement strategies, tools and software. To be successful, theses strategies need to have your resident at their core.

Our Customer Success Team have put together 6 questions to consider when thinking about resident engagement.

Questions For Your Teams to Consider When Thinking About Resident Engagement Strategies:


  1. Are your current tools increasing connections between staff and residents, to increase resident satisfaction?

  2. How do your residents want to interact with your staff? Face-to-face? Instant messaging? Email? Which channel gets a better response?

  3. Are queries being answered quickly enough? Do residents feel heard and supported by your staff? What tools and / or software could be used to support this?

  4. Are your current tools increasing connections between residents? How can they get to know their neighbours? How do they want to get to know neighbours? What social activity are your residents looking for?

  5. From enquiry, to move-in, to renewal, how are you adjusting your communication to make each resident feel valued? How are you delivering a premium service at each stage?

  6. Are you able to get data and feedback about all aspects of your performance to continue to deliver exceptional service? What tools and software could help you with this?

Spike Living and Resident Engagement

Spike Global delivers industry-leading software that connects people and properties to create attractive, efficient and engaging places for living, working and playing. Spike Living has all the features and flexibility you need to delight your residents and empower your staff, with a bespoke residential app and a fully operational management dashboard.


Spike Living consistently delivers market-leading results across key metrics including resident engagement and retention. Our software allows you to streamline building management, deliver a thriving community, drive actionable insights and increase the value of your assets.


To find out more about Spike Living download our brochure below.

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Employee Engagement Needs to Be Top of Business Leaders’ Priority Lists

employee engagement

As Covid-19 continues to disrupt the landscape of work, business leaders are still searching for ways to adapt to the new normal. A year into the pandemic, most workforces are still separated. Businesses are struggling to keep employee engagement high and workforces happy and healthy.


There is little doubt that the pandemic will have wide reaching and long-lasting consequences on the patterns of work. Consequently, businesses have found practical solutions that keep companies running smoothly outside of the office: Zoom, /Teams, Slack. Moreover, some businesses have even seen this disruption as an opportunity to take a new innovative approach to their digital transformation strategies, and will continue to embrace remote / flexible working once restrictions lift. However, where organisations are falling short is employee engagement, employee support and company culture.


In years past, company culture was largely built in and around the office. It was obvious where and who people could reach out to for help, if employees were struggling. Many organisations took great pride in their company culture, embedding their company values and beliefs into every corner of the office. From wellness rooms, to excellent coffee. From desk drinks on a Friday to free yoga and meditation classes. Many organisations delivered a lifestyle to their employees, not just a job.


This changing landscape left many organisations scrambling to maintain a compelling company culture and positive employee engagement.

Effects of The Pandemic and Remote Work

The unexpected transition to remote work was extremely disruptive to company culture and employee engagement. A year on, theses struggles still exist. Many employees feel disconnected from the organisations they work for, as all their support systems were ingrained into the physical office space and proximity to colleagues. Lifestyle benefits get lost in the remote translation. Include also the added stress employees are under due to the pandemic, and the landscape for employee engagement is certainly a challenging one.

Why is Employee Engagement Important?

Early research into the health implications of the pandemic in relation to mental health specifically, suggest employees were reporting reduced motivation, loss of purpose and motivation, anxiety and isolation. All factors which make employee engagement ever more important, and equally challenging.


According to a study by Gallup, employees who are engaged are 21% more productive. This takes into consideration a number of factors including better employee health, happiness and satisfaction. From an organisation perspective more productivity means lower absenteeism, higher retention and better customer service.

What Should Organisations Be Prioritising?

Organisations need to focus their efforts on building a culture of resilience within their workforces. Equipping their staff with the right skills, support systems and infrastructure in order to recover and thrive.


A recent study shows that people with close work friends were 96% more likely to say they felt “extremely satisfied with life”. Marissa King, professor of organisational behaviour at Yale, tells Axios that work friends can even boost our “sense of purpose and our intrinsic sense of motivation”. In a time where face-to-face interactions with colleagues is extremely difficult organisations should focus on digital solutions that connect their workforce socially. Moving forward encouraging employee friendships will be paramount.

Research suggests that employees expect work to be a more social environment when offices do start re-opening. Social engagement will be a big reason people to start to return to the office. Therefore, organisations need to be laying down the groundwork for social connections and friends now. 


Alongside Spike’s social forums and clubs, we have seen customers setup peer-to-peer support groups within their Spike Workplace portals, where employees can offer advice and support to one another. Employees have been using this area to reach out for support and engage with peers outside of work. 


Another important aspect to consider is health and wellness. A recent JLL study finds employees now prioritise work-life balance over a comfortable salary, and three out of four expect their employer to support their health, wellbeing and even nutrition. Organisations should be evaluating how they create a better work-life balance and looking into tools and services which can help.

Furthermore, organisations should be using their company vision and mission as a guide to get employees through these challenging times. Employees need to be reassured that their organisations are making the right decisions at the right time. Forbes notes that employees will be more engaged and feel more connected and motivated knowing that their leaders have a proactive plan to keep the company on track. Consistent, cohesive communication is key and organisations will need to find effective communication channels. 

Spike Workplace and the New Way of Working 

In response to the ongoing pandemic, Spike Global has just launched its new Spike Workplace application. The software helps companies and landlords promote a connected culture while the majority of office-based employees are working from home. The software will help companies and landlords adapt to a ‘blended’ way of working moving forward. Where we see employees cycle between remote and in-office working.


Spike’s workplace portal builds and manages buzzing, supportive communities where users can form meaningful connections. Companies can nurture the office culture virtually through social clubs, forums and events, keep occupants engaged with up-to-date news and articles. Importantly, employers can ensure staff are as settled and supported as possible by offering preventative health and well-being initiatives and support forums. Spike have also partnered with well-being provider Antidote, to offer further well-being services directly from their portal. 


Long-term social engagement to create a sense of wellbeing and identity is a key element of what the software provides.


To find out more about our Workplace portal, get in touch and a consultant will be touch shortly.

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Resident Engagement Series: Transparency & Feedback

Best Practice Resident Engagement

 

To engage with residents, property operators must focus on connecting their communities – connecting residents to staff, connecting residents to one another, connecting residents to the wider local community, and connecting residents to their buildings. However, the key to successful, long-term resident engagement is understanding your residents’ needs, and pain-points and acting proactively.  

Pro-Active Resident Engagement 

To optimise your resident engagement success you’ll need to find ways for your teams to listen to residents. With this information, you’ll want to personalise your approach by predicting initiatives that will be most effective, for example: events, additional services, promotions etc. 

 

Data is key here, as research indicates that 80% of CEOs believe they deliver a superior customer experience, yet only 8% of their customers agree. Indicating a gap between what companies think their customers want, and what they want in reality. 

 

Feedback is part of our everyday lives. Reviews will have influenced your residents’ decision in where to live. They influence your resident’s decision on whether to renew. So to build a compelling resident engagement strategy, it’s fundamental to understand where you stand with your residents at all times. Once you have the data you can identify areas that need improvement, or areas that are working well. Once these areas are identified you can act before they become problematic. This will boost your resident loyalty and improve your relationship with residents. 

Transparency

In our opinion all feedback, is good feedback. In order to keep on top of resident satisfaction you’ll need to hear the negative feedback too. Some of our customers have chosen to host ‘I’m happy’ and ‘I’m not happy’ forums on their Spike resident portals. This gives residents a clearly defined forum to voice their opinion, and gives property operators an area to reply and demonstrate changes they are making. 

 

Even the most proactive operator will have problems and complaints, however it is vital residents have an area to voice concerns and feel they are heard and are being listened to. By asking for honest feedback, your residents will feel they have a voice within your community. An engaged, loyal group of residents are likely to be more forgiving and understanding if mistakes do happen, and decreases the likelihood of these mistakes affecting retention levels.

Increase the Success of Your Marketing 

The benefits of listening to your residents go beyond resident satisfaction and retention. Once you truly understand what’s important to residents you can use these insights in future marketing campaigns to attract new residents, increasing revenue and maximising marketing budget. For example, if you know that the dog walking club within your development is extremely popular, you’d be sure to include this perk in your monthly marketing newsletter or run a marketing campaign focussing on the best dog friendly developments. Research by McKinsey has found that personalising your marketing can deliver 5 – 8 x more ROI on marketing spend.

 

Spike Living and Resident Engagement 

Spike Global delivers industry-leading software that connects people and properties to create attractive, efficient and
engaging places for living, working and playing. Spike Living has all the features and flexibility you need to delight your residents and empower your staff, with a bespoke residential app and a fully operational management dashboard.

 

Spike Living consistently delivers market-leading results across key metrics including resident engagement and retention. Our software allows you to streamline building management, deliver a thriving community, drive actionable insights and increase the value of your assets.

 

To find out more about how Spike could help your business, get in touch and a member of the team will be in touch shortly.E

Categories
Insight

The move towards a ‘blended’ way of working

According to Property Week’s 2020 Power of Proptech survey, just 5.1% of the UK workforce worked primarily from home in 2019, despite improving technology making it a viable possibility. Fast forward twelve months and working from home has become the norm. Although a recent survey found that three in five British employees are itching to get back to the office , many participants say they would like to work from home more often once the pandemic is over. Also, 82% of real-estate companies and office providers are looking to invest in home working and digital meeting tools in the near future, also according to Property Week’s 2020 Power of Proptech survey. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK? 

It’s reported that companies like Microsoft and Google will be adapting a ‘hybrid’ working model of three days in the office, and two days from home. Other companies, such as Twitter, are telling employees that they can work from home permanently, if they wish. What we’ll see once lockdowns lift, is a blended pattern of working. Employees will cycle between in office and at home working. 

The shift towards flexible working, experts say, hasn’t appeared only because of the pandemic. Companies for years have considered adapting policies to suit their modern workforce and better support the work life balance. What has held a lot of companies back in the past, was the flexibility vs productivity debate. A debate which has been largely been put to bed over the last 12 months. 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE FUTURE OF THE OFFICE?

A recent JLL survey of 2,000 office workers in 10 countries shows that while work will change, the office is to remain the bedrock of working life. 74% of respondents want the ability to come into an office, albeit not every day. Interestingly, almost half of surveyed employees expect offices to have social areas in the future. Indicating that they want to spend time with co-workers outside of traditional work. 

CHANGING ATTITUDES

This aligns with the shift towards prioritising employee health and wellbeing, driven by a shift in attitude from employees. According to further JLL research, employees now prioritise work-life balance over a comfortable salary. Three out of four expect their employer to support their health and wellbeing.

Research by employee benefits provider Unum has found 86% of UK employers surveyed are also changing their approach to wellbeing in light of the current pandemic. 95% of employers say it has impacted their need to make people employees feel more protected and supported. Many employers say they are to focus their health and wellbeing strategies on preventative measures, like mental health advice and support.

SPIKE WORKPLACE AND THE NEW WAY OF WORKING

In response to the ongoing pandemic, Spike Global has just launched its new Spike Workplace application. The software helps companies and landlords promote a connected culture while the majority of office-based employees are working from home. The software will help companies and landlords adapt to a ‘blended’ way of working moving forward. Where we see employees cycle between remote and in-office working.

Spike’s workplace portal builds and manages buzzing, supportive communities where users can form meaningful connections. Companies can nurture the office culture virtually through social clubs, forums, and events, keep occupants engaged with up-to-date news and articles. Importantly, employers can ensure staff are as settled and supported as possible by offering preventative health and well-being initiatives and support forums. Spike has also partnered with well-being provider Antidote, to offer further well-being services directly from their portal. 

Long-term social engagement to create a sense of wellbeing and identity is a key element of what the software provides.

To find out more about our Workplace portal, get in touch and a consultant will be touch shortly.

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