Property owners and operators are finding that they must embrace their tenants’ changing needs, adapt their spaces, and focus on tenant comfort to remain relevant. And it’s becoming increasingly difficult for teams to fully accomplish these goals without the support of proptech.
Technology can specifically help with tenant comfort priorities. Top tenant comfort priorities include supporting:
- Hybrid work models
- Sustainability initiatives
- Safety and security
- Ongoing building maintenance
Continue reading for ways technology can assist in each of these categories.
1. Hybrid work models
As commercial properties continue to transform to facilitate hybrid workplaces, their design and functionality need to adapt as well. Creating spaces that support new tenant needs – including hybrid work models, flex spaces, etc. – is imperative to tenant comfort. If a CRE property does not support a tenant’s direct needs for the spaces they occupy, then they will begin to look elsewhere.
The good news – tenants still need commercial spaces; they’re just rethinking and approaching them in new ways. And they are looking to property teams for guidance as they take on the task of reconfiguring their spaces. It’s time for CRE teams to step in as a partner to help tenants meet their goals and tackle these new trends.
Technology will play a core role in this.
First, teams must have an in-depth understanding of how their properties are being used. This will help inform strategic decisions around portfolio optimization along with the planning and organizing of the space. CRE software can monitor how spaces are being utilized, benchmark this information, and communicate key insights in an accessible way, according to JLL.
Having this data in hand, property teams can now effectively repurpose their spaces and put tenant comfort priorities at the forefront of their building strategy.
Technology for space management.
2. Sustainability initiatives
Fostering spaces that support the safety, health, and well-being of tenants is crucial when it comes to tenant comfort priorities.
There is mounting pressure from all stakeholders in the CRE industry to contribute to decarbonization and more resilient properties. Because for many tenants, energy efficient and sustainable buildings are among the list of priorities they have when looking at spaces. Tenants no longer want to occupy spaces that have issues with HVAC units, indoor air quality, or inefficient lighting.
Tracking energy performance and operational data is the first step in managing building sustainability. Advanced proptech capabilities enable much more granular and automated management of building operations. These include dynamic lighting and heating, predictive space management, and predictive maintenance that can reduce costs and prolong the useful life of a building’s working parts, says JLL.
To provide the best occupant experience while reducing operating costs, it’s essential to implement a modern building operations software platform. With the right proptech solution, buildings can operate more sustainably with improved energy efficiency and air quality. All that leads to a positive impact to overall tenant comfort.
Technology for energy management.
3. Safety and security
Creating a secure environment for tenants that is both physically and digitally secure is more important than ever. Because for tenants, having this peace of mind goes hand-in-hand with tenant comfort.
Building owners and operators can tap into tech offerings to collaborate and connect with their tenants. There are solutions available that monitor building access – enabling tenants to pre-register visitors from any device, capture guest information, and have full visibility into who’s at your property at any given time. Teams can communicate with their tenants if a vendor is doing on-site maintenance, so they aren’t surprised.
This type of communication and transparency goes a long way. And offering tech resources to back it up is even more important. Because making sure that your tenants feel comfortable and secure in your buildings is paramount.
Technology for visitor management.
4. Ongoing building maintenance
Property teams need to be cautious not to fall into a break-fix cycle when it comes to maintaining a commercial space. Proper maintenance helps to preserve the space and market value of your buildings. Failure to maintain and preserve a property not only makes the building unattractive to potential tenants but causes comfort issues to the occupants as well.
The health of a building directly impacts tenant comfort. Tenants aren’t interested in paying for spaces that are outdated.
But maintaining a commercial building doesn’t need to be daunting. There are tech offerings that help teams to plan ahead and keep critical assets running while ensuring unexpected costs remain low. Property teams can standardize maintenance activities at scale by scheduling maintenance for equipment, consolidating data, and tracking issues in real time.
For tenants, the comfort comes with knowing that their space is continuously maintained.
Technology for preventative maintenance.
Addressing tenant comfort priorities
These four tenant comfort priorities are just the tip of the iceberg. There are many ways property owners and operators can improve tenant comfort at their buildings. However, if these four aren’t already being addressed at your property, now’s the time to act.
Technology can help with that.
Technology is improving tenant comfort at buildings by addressing maintenance, sustainability, air quality, and safety issues. If you’re looking for more ways you can boost the tenant experience at your property, watch the on-demand webinar, “Tips to Enhance Tenant Experience & Grow Occupancy in Office Buildings,”.
