Bouwinvest is known for its continuous efforts to improve service to its tenants. In line with this vision, Bouwinvest has launched an innovative pilot for a "digital repair process. We spoke with Desiree Mercan, Advisor Tenant Engagement at Bouwinvest, about the drivers, benefits and initial results of this groundbreaking pilot.

Why a digital repair process?

"At Bouwinvest, we are constantly looking for ways to improve our service to our tenants and make it more efficient," explains Desiree Mercan. "Every year, 58% of our tenants submit repair requests. That's a large number. During our annual tenant satisfaction survey (HTO), we found that there is still room for improvement there. In fact, we scored just barely satisfactory on the repair process: handling repair request received a 6.2, info status repair request a 5.8."

The need for a more efficient and transparent process was clear. "Tenants often reported that the scheduling of a repair request was not clear and the follow-up process was not transparent enough. Despite previous efforts together with the property managers, unfortunately we have not yet been able to achieve the desired level of tenant satisfaction on this."

"Annually, 58% of our tenants submit repair requests."

Benefits of automation

One of the most significant changes within the pilot is the automatic forwarding of repair requests to the contractor without the intervention of a property manager. "Previously, a tenant would submit a repair request. This then came through a task to the property manager. The property manager then had to schedule another appointment with the contractor," says Desiree Mercan. "With Zig's maintenance platform, the repair request is automatically and directly forwarded to the contractor. This saves work for the property manager and there is no time between forwarding to the contractor."

The advantage of this is twofold: "Does the contractor have a question? Then he asks it directly to the tenant via the maintenance platform. Because there is no longer an intermediary, everything can be picked up and set up much faster. So the process has become less cumbersome."

Real-time scheduling module: speed and efficiency

The real-time scheduling module contributes significantly to the speed and efficiency of the repair process. "When submitting a repair request, the tenant can immediately choose a preferred time in the contractor's calendar," explains Desiree Mercan. "This allows the contractor to know immediately when the tenant can and there is no need to discuss this again. Does the contractor still change the appointment? Then the tenant automatically receives a notification of this and can respond to the contractor through this notification."

Improved transparency

Transparency in the process was another key focus. "After the tenant submits a repair request, an automatic process is started. An email is sent immediately confirming what has been submitted and when the appointment will take place. The tenant can also see this reflected in the tenant portal," Desiree Mercan said. "This way, a tenant always knows for themselves what the status of the request is and doesn't have to contact us again about it."

Initial results and future expectations

Although the pilot is still in its early stages and has only just begun, the initial results are promising. "At the moment only 4 tenants have completed the satisfaction survey, so how reliable the results are for now, I don't know yet. The numbers that have been reported do look very good," says Desiree Mercan. "In 50% of the requests, an appointment was scheduled immediately upon reporting the request and in the other 50% within 24 hours. 50% indicated that they felt the information provided during the process was very clear and 50% indicated it was neutral. 100% indicate that it was easy to submit the repair request."

The ambitions of the pilot

The ambitions of the pilot are clear and measurable. "We want to reduce the property manager's workload so they can focus more on providing service. We want to reduce the workload of contractors by allowing them to spend less time scheduling appointments and more time actually performing repair requests," explains Desiree Mercan. "We want to reduce the average turnaround time from appointment to completed and increase the percentage of automated work order forms toward the contractor."

This pilot demonstrates Bouwinvest's commitment not only to innovation, but also to concrete improvements in tenant satisfaction and operational efficiency. With this new approach, Bouwinvest is taking an important step toward a future where tenants feel heard and well served.