Technology has been reshaping both hard and soft services for years, but COVID-19 has accelerated that process. Owners and managers of larger portfolios tend to be early tech adopters—passing the efficiency and effectiveness on to their customers—but in a post-COVID world, SMBs and late adopters are finding themselves moving to CAFM systems to meet new regulations and tenant expectations. While new FM tools and adoption rates will vary from property to property, the overall result will be a bigger injection of digital tools and automation software into the FM toolbox because of COVID-19. Here are the biggest tech trends in the “new normal” of post-COVID facility management.
Workspace Management Systems
Social distancing requirements have foregrounded the need for workspace management. While some workers are eager to return to the office, others are hesitant, fearing infection. Managers from hospitals to highrises are pondering the best ways to keep occupants safe while avoiding costly building redesigns. Workspace management software will be a cost-effective solution to help this process. These specialized apps work with your BIM software to provide an overview of your entire portfolio’s floor plan. More importantly, they let you easily reconstruct spaces and experiment with new seating arrangements and easily identify and upcycle wasted space.
Coworking Space Tools
Hybrid work models are a growing trend in the post-pandemic workplace. In the U.S. 52% of workers now say they prefer splitting their work between home and the office, according to a 2021 study. Coworking office spaces are likely to fill the demand for more flexible, hybrid workspaces that accommodate workers moving in and out of the office. These shared spaces let workers save money by splitting the costs of rent, utilities, equipment and the like. Scheduling software for conference rooms and flexible workstations are essential for efficient resource utilization. Coworkers also need group calendars for planning shared events, and tenants can easily split utility costs by adopting an automated after-hours HVAC booking app.
Touchless Entry
To reduce cross contamination FMs will adopt more technologies that eliminate the touching of shared surfaces. Touchless visitor management systems like scanners, mobile apps or voice recognition help minimize contact with reception and kiosks. Instead of encountering a real person, visitors can scan a QR code with their smartphone or use a sign in app to gain building access. Hosts are then notified via email, SMS or voice call. Concerns around contamination are also pushing adoption of biometrics like voice and face recognition, which ensure more security and accuracy.
Occupancy Management
Occupancy management is a must for ensuring the safety and security of your customers and complying with thresholds. For large portfolios with hundreds of entry points, stationing personnel at entries and exits is costly and inaccurate. Plus, it places them in closer physical contact with others, which defeats the purpose. Instead, FMs are choosing occupancy software to manage visitor flow, which when integrated with touchless entry systems, provides an added value—occupancy tracking. By tracking occupants’ smartphones via bluetooth, FMs can run reports on total occupancy or filter by specific floor, zone or entry point.
Conclusion
Humans are the major “problem” when it comes to spreading viruses and worsening pandemics. Therefore, it’s not surprising that most of these post-COVID tech trends deal with the monitoring and management of human behavior. Yes, improving building ventilation is still important, as is ensuring sanitized surfaces and properly trained janitorial services. But, it’s the management of human behavior, the creation of safe communal spaces and the adoption of touchless tech that will bring the most security and best ROI. Still, monitoring of employees inevitably runs into privacy issues, and push back from unions and advocacy groups is (understandably) expected. To this end, FMs will need to balance privacy rights for the individual with the safety needs of the group in the future.
Tenant satisfaction surveys help you spot problem areas with your properties and services, but some facility managers put off creating and administering them because of time restraints. But it only takes a few minutes to create an effective tenant questionnaire if you follow these steps.
Download Free Survey Template
Building a tenant survey should only take around 15 mins max, and it’s free if you use Google Forms. Here’s a free survey template 7Nox designed specifically for commercial property owners. It contains questions around maintenance, property condition and customer service. But you can customize the template to suit your needs. Here’s how to use it:
Click the link above.
Choose to “Make a copy” of the template.
Open the template copy from your Google Drive (you will need a Google account).
Add your property name and photo (optional) in the heading.
Change, add or remove questions to fit your needs.
Voila! You’re ready to email your customized opinion poll to your tenants and gain some powerful feedback. Here’s a getting started guide if you’re new to Google Forms.
Survey Tips
The more participation, the more accurate your picture of your properties. As with most surveys, people who actually take the time to fill one out are usually either big fans or disgruntled. But getting only 5 stars and 1 star reviews is less constructive than a healthy chunk of middle-of-the-road opinions. So, follow these guidelines to raise the participation rate of your tenant satisfaction survey.
Brevity Helps
Few people enjoy filling out satisfaction surveys, but keeping your survey short increases participation. Add as many questions as you need to get the info you want, but stop there. Combine multiple ideas into one question. For example, ask one question about all your amenities, don’t draft a question for each. If you’re interested in getting feedback on a single amenity (e.g., workout room), then draft a separate survey.
Offer a Carrot
Offering free gift cards or other enticements increases tenant participation. It may seem like bribery, but at some point the value of more tenant input outweighs the cost. That is, if identifying problems and making tenants happy results in at least one re-sign, it will likely be worth the outlay.
Optimize Timing
Schedules vary, but try and survey tenants when they have a little extra time, maybe before a holiday or Friday afternoon. More people will fill it out if they have a moment. Aim for one survey a year, and send it out near the beginning. Also, avoid surveying new tenants and those about to leave. Newcomers have too little experience to be valuable, while those leaving have little stake in the outcome and are less likely to fill one out anyway. Finally, get someone to take your survey before you send it out to tenants.
Art Linkletter summed up professional development perfectly when he said “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out.” Adapt or perish is the mantra for today’s professionals, and so much so for facilities managers who must adjust to a post-COVID workplace, BMS automation and sustainability among other growing trends. Luckily, the internet offers plenty of opportunities for busy FMs looking to expand their skills and adapt. Here are the best online continuing ed resources for FMs in 2021.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn’s relatively new online learning platform, LinkedIn Learning, has enough facility management courses to fill the entire year. LinkedIn Learning is $39.99 NZD per month or take advantage of the free 30-day trial. Here are a two courses sure to be popular in 2021:
“Facilities Management: Social Distancing and PPE”— This course tackles relevant post-COVID challenges like how to change the way people enter buildings, proper placement of hygiene stations and how to avoid cross contamination.
“Leading Projects”— Cross-functional projects involve being able to structure teams and plans effectively. This course teaches how to define the scope, investigate options, select a course of action and execute a plan.
International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
Eco-friendly buildings and sustainability are now an integral part of the FM profession. That’s why we recommend the IFMA’s “Sustainability Facility Professional” certification program for FMs who want to stay ahead of the curve. The online course teaches how to bring more efficiency, data-driven decision-making and sustainable practices to their clients’ properties. The certification is self-paced and has several prerequisite courses, so it’s perfect for IFMA members who are already certified in FM introduction courses. Visit the IFMA site for more info.
Massey University (NZ)
Massey Uni offers two diplomas in facilities management available through distance learning. The Diploma in Facilities Management (DipFM) is built for new FM professionals just entering the industry who want to strengthen their skills with foundational knowledge, while the Graduate Diploma in Facilities Management (GradDipFM) is aimed at professionals holding a non-FM related tertiary qualification, such as engineering, commerce or science. Both courses are one year full-time, but can be completed part-time. Also, both offer the option to exit at Certificate level on completion of four papers.
Vector Solutions
Training site Vector Solutions has an extensive catalogue of online courses to benefit every level of facility management. If you’re looking for maintenance certification, Vector Solutions’ facilities maintenance courses are specifically created for technicians and building engineers, and they have certification tracks for commercial, industrial or both. FMs needing more general professional development resources can find over 220 classes on leadership, finance, compliance, time management, communication and sexual harassment. Check out Vector Solutions full catalogue of FM training courses.
BOMI Webinars
BOMI International has partnered with online education service Lorman to create a series of live webinars for 2021. These e-Seminars get FMs up to speed on current issues “International Business Codes” and Workplace Bullying/” Fees average around $200 and attendees can add a downloadable recording for future reference. Visit the Lorman website for a complete listing of live webinar topics, times and dates.
Whether you’re leasing a small two-bedroom or multi-level high-rise, tenant satisfaction is critical to your bottom line. When tenants are happy, they tend to lease longer. This maintains consistency in your properties and lowers your exit costs. But what really makes a happy tenant? It can be more complicated than you think. Savvy property managers and owners use tenant satisfaction studies, along with their own surveys, to zero in on what’s important to their tenants. Here are three ways to start improving your overall tenant satisfaction straight away.
1. Help Them Become More Sustainable
Interest in green working spaces is growing in tenants all around the world. Surveys show that building sustainability advice is as high a priority for tenants as advice on health and safety. Your renters want to do their part to conserve energy while providing a safe workspace for their employees. Plus, everyone saves money in the process. Here are some things to try:
Keep your tenants informed about new construction and invite their input.
Create a forum on your portal for regular contributions on sustainability.
Make sustainability a regular part of your building meetings with tenants.
Use an automated billing app to give them more control over their energy consumption.
Email them guides on building sustainable office spaces.
Regularly post recycling program reminders to your social media sites.
2. Update Your Tenant Communication Plan
Experts recommend you review and update your tenant communications program every 12 months to ensure it’s meeting your tenants’ needs. To effectively evaluate your plan, ask questions like:
Is the right person in charge of managing the plan?
Is your plan easily accessible by you and your tenants?
Are you updating your plan regularly?
Do you have all the components you need?
Can you measure the effectiveness?
Regular evaluation ensures your tenant communication plan is up-to-date. Take advantage of technology by employing a multi-channel approach that includes email, phone, text and social media. Unprecedented events like COVID-19 have pushed the emergency component of comms plans to the forefront, as property managers work with governments to ensure public safety. Annual plan audits will ensure you’re prepared.
3. Sort Maintenance Requests Fast
Resolving maintenance issues quickly isn’t just good building management, it also makes your tenants happy. Nothing is more frustrating than working around a faulty light, broken door or unreliable internet. While most renters understand that things happen beyond the landlord’s control, that doesn’t absolve you from doing your due diligence.
Even if it’s a small issue, get to the problem as soon as possible—it may not be a “small” problem for your renter. Today, it’s easier than ever to locate one-off contractors and handyman services from online services like Angie’s List or MyGuy. In the long run, hiring a contractor will likely be worth the cost if it results in a satisfied tenant.
These three suggestions highlight two key aspects of tenant satisfaction: information and control. Remember, your tenants have to factor your building management, administration and technology into their own business decisions. Unreliable internet service, late notices about lift outages or a confusing tenant payment process all affect their ability to plan and respond as an organization. Keep better information and more control as end goals in your decision making, and you’ll always ensure that your tenant satisfaction improves.
