The UKAA Innovation Show February 2019
Dwellant was delighted to be invited by the UK Apartment Association to present our findings on package and key management strategies. The sheer volume of transactions we have managed over the last five years and the fastidious manner in which we have retained and analysed the resulting data, put us in a unique position to deliver this workshop to a packed audience of build-to-rent operators.
Whether the building is build-to-rent or built for sale, the overarching themes are the same.
Packages ordered online: 25% year-on-year growth
Since Dwellant’s ‘Concierge HV’ product was conceived five years ago, it has processed 7 million packages. We are seeing year-on-year growth of over 25% at the moment so it is vital for developers and property management operators to act now to ensure they are able to provide the seamless service that rental customers and leaseholders simply expect. Well, what exactly do they expect?
A resident orders a package online, it arrives at the front desk, it is signed for, held securely, notification is given of its arrival, the resident picks it up and takes it home. That’s what they expect.
Online shopping now accounts for over a fifth of all UK consumer sales, with the balance made up of traditional retail transactions. Aside from online food deliveries – which increased by just 2% in 2018 – online purchases are skyrocketing, due largely to the phenomenal success of Amazon and their One-Day delivery service. If it’s in stock, the package will be dispatched the same day as ordering and delivered the next.
THE most important communal facility
A major advantage to living in a building with concierge staff is the ability to receive packages in your absence and leave packages at the front desk for pick-up by a courier. Our research has shown that nearly six out of 10 residents believe that package management is the single most communal facility. And once they have moved in, this becomes over 9 out of 10 residents ranking it the number one service at the building.
So as Britain is a nation of online shoppers – receiving more packages per person than any other European country – what do we need to do to keep up with demand and ensure a smooth and secure service for the resident?
Our solution
‘Concierge HV’ (HV stands for High Volume) is our plug-and-play software and hard solution for the efficient and secure management of incoming and outgoing packages.
Concierge HV was conceived to alleviate the pressure on on-site staff who were stressing out over seeing lengthening queues of couriers and residents at the front desk. And for the benefit of the resident, enjoying secure and digitally tracked deliveries ready for collection.
So how does it work? The package is delivered by a courier who can drop the package off and leave site. Using barcode and QR code scanning devices which we provide, the concierge scans his/her badge, associates the package with a particular unit in the building AND to a particular individual residing in that unit (on a pc or tablet). prints a unique QR label, attaches it to the package and stores it ready for collection.
The resident instantly receives a text or email notification (depending on their preferences) confirming arrival of their package which they can pick up at their leisure. Upon pick-up, the concierge staff will scan his/her badge, scan the QR code the resident received on their smartphone, scan the QR code on the package and the resident electronically signs out the package, takes receipt of it and the loop is closed. The interactions are all logged to protect the courier company, the concierge and the resident. All this takes a matter of seconds and ensures no more lost packages!
Part and Parcel
Feel free to get in touch to learn more about delivery and collection patterns over a typical calendar year or across a representative 24 hour period. The results will help you plan for the peaks and troughs, especially when it comes to storage capacity behind the front desk, staffing and van deliveries. We can advise on strategies for larger schemes with multiple reception areas, ‘off-line’ residents and catering for special needs (e.g. packages delivered directly to the apartment). Talk to us about a bespoke strategy for your build to rent development.
Concierge HV: Part and Parcel of your Build-to-Rent operation.
Elliot Smith is a business development executive at Dwellant and would love to talk about your current processes, and how simple but effective PropTech can revolutionise these building transactions.