Digital technology is changing the way that businesses and their customers communicate with each other, from banking, to high street retailers, to pubs and restaurants.
Here, Anthony Vaz, Director of IT at FirstPort explains how the property management industry must adopt and develop digital solutions to streamline processes and enhance customer experience.
Meeting customers’ expectations
Consumers’ expectations of all service providers are far greater now. Across all industries, there is a growing expectation for products and services to be available via a digital platform, such as a mobile app or online portal, for more flexible, concise and efficient communication, accessible at any time, from any location. Some people may want to contact us while they’re working from home, on their way into work on the bus or when they’ve finished their shift in the evening. It’s all about being where our customers need us to be. At FirstPort, our transformation journey to meet these expectations is really exciting because what we’re doing is truly industry leading. Throughout 2021, we have been rolling out our new platform, ‘The FirstPort Way’ which is focused around four Ps – People, Process, Platform and Passion for Customers. It will enable us to react quicker, be more efficient and communicate better on multiple platforms, with greater transparency than ever before.
Making life easier
Our digital transformation work is about making life easier for our customers. For instance, from an online perspective, our customer portal provides them with the ability to start what we call ‘customer journeys’ themselves. They can log on to our customer portal and tell us about a broken light in the main corridor and we can respond more efficiently, thoroughly and accurately because all of the data we need to fix this first time is at our fingertips. We can tell the contractor exactly which light is broken, precisely where it is located, and provide all of the other information they could possibly need to carry out the work required. Customers can track the progress of this repair, receive automatic updates, and also see any other requests submitted by their neighbours.
People-first technology
We understand concerns around businesses relying more on digital and less on human interaction but in reality, by upgrading and integrating all our systems, information and processes, we’ll be giving more time back to our colleagues to deliver better human experiences for customers. We know digital needs to be complemented by good people on the ground. That’s when you have the perfect combination. At a glance, our property managers and customer service teams will be able to see everything that’s happened with a customer without having to trawl through different files and systems – the customer history will be immediately available at their fingertips. Having all of the data they need in front of them when a customer gets in touch – whether that’s face-to-face, over the phone, or online – means they can provide a more timely and accurate response.
Continuous development
When introducing a new platform, it is vital that a new solution enhances the service we provide, and we will listen to and learn from customer and colleague feedback as we develop new technologies so that they are responsive and cutting edge. We’re creating a digital platform for change, and it will involve continuous integration and development, – just like an app on your phone that evolves. We will continue to drive it forward and pave the way in delivering customer-focused property management at its very best.
