During Real Estate Futureproof, the online fair for real estate organizations, Ron (Zig Real Estate) had a conversation with Ingrid Bontkes and Michiel Janssen of Bouwinvest. An interesting session about digitalization, innovation and the impact on the real estate organization. 

From different systems and excel sheets to optimized measurable business processes and a new way of working. What was this like for Bouwinvest?

"We went from customer contact in separate e-mail folders to a central place for all our customer contact. With the customer tracking system, we now have one reliable system where everything comes together."

Ingrid: "To keep up with the times, we had to start digitizing. This was the time to start automating repetitive tasks and serve our tenants even better. In addition to more efficient processes, increasing tenant satisfaction was an important goal. Our customer contact, which was actually organized in various email folders, could also be much better. Previously, once a tenant walked into our office with a complaint, we could no longer find out where the complaint came from or what exactly had gone wrong. Thanks to the customer tracking system, we now have a single source of truth. We now have one central place where customer contact is secured. This is not only useful for our Bouwinvest employees, but also for the (external) property managers. Everyone can immediately see what and how there has been communication. In addition, it is very transparent: the tenant himself also always knows exactly where he stands."

"Institutional investors and property managers see that high tenant satisfaction, has a positive effect on returns."

We see that institutional investors and property managers are increasingly focusing on the customer. High tenant satisfaction, has an immediate positive effect on returns. This is also what Bouwinvest is experiencing. "We focus on both investors and tenants. Investors also find social returns such as sustainability, tenant welfare and tenant satisfaction very important. Digitization and the transition to a new system, ensure that we can serve the clients even better."

"When you all have access to the same data and information, you can serve your customers faster and better."

We believe that you shouldn't just automate, but thoughtfully digitize and improve processes. Working together from a single source has brought many benefits for Bouwinvest.

Michiel: "If you all look at the same information and data, you can help the customer faster and better. For years we were synchronizing different systems. Now we can give property managers easy access to part of our administration and information. It is fairly complex to link different outside parties, but we have been able to do this well with Zig."

Recently, digitalization has gained momentum. As a result, organizations are changing more and more towards a kind of ICT company, because you have to keep supporting your clients as well as possible. What is this like for Bouwinvest?

"A tenant no longer wants to pick up the phone to ask about the status of their request; they want to have immediate insight themselves."

Michiel: "At some point you really can't start sending invoices on paper anymore. The customer demands that you communicate and do business digitally and offer self-service. Nobody wants to pick up the phone and be put on hold anymore. Self insight into what the status of a question or a repair request is, is what the customer wants. If you want to be able to offer this, you have to pull it to you within the organization. If you continue to work with external parties and systems, you yourself will miss the overview. Fortunately, technology has now reached the point where we can organize it properly."

"Even though automation is exciting, employees are now embracing the new way of working."

Some organizations find automation exciting. What about the AVG? And won't I lose control? For Bouwinvest, too, it was a challenge to get the internal organization on board and set up properly. By now, many repetitive tasks have been automated and employees working in the customer tracking system are seeing the benefits of the system.

Ingrid: "The initial fear ebbs away and people really start to see the benefits of the customer tracking system, so they are now embracing the system. It is a completely new way of working. Not only within our own organization, but also in the cooperation with our chain partners. What we see is that it is not just a new system, but that it is also about the internal processes. With a project team, we ensure that new work processes and agreements are immediately part of the new system and the new way of working. Adoption within the organization, is very important."

One piece of advice from Sydney Brewer, an expert on customer experience, is that you just have to do it as an organization. Want to become more customer-centric? Don't hesitate, just do it and follow through. At the same time, we know it can be quite a challenge. Digitizing, automating and optimizing - or rather: the change - brings resistance, both internally and within the chain. How do you get the organization on board, based on the idea that it's going to be better for everyone in the future?

"Internal behavior change and getting your employees on board succeeds when you show victories and make the benefits visible."

Ingrid: "It is especially important to show small victories and make the benefits visible to the teams."

Michiel: "A lot of people do know that in five or ten years' time we really won't communicate on paper anymore and won't answer the phone constantly. Only that we will then have to have a self-service portal for tenants within a year is then again more difficult to see. Despite the fact that, for example, you can no longer just drop by a bank branch and paper statements no longer exist, some employees find it hard to believe that this change within their own organization is a good idea. You have to get over that."

In a few years, Bouwinvest sees itself as an organization already several steps ahead.

"In two years, we expect to be much further along. A tenant just wants to be able to send an app to submit a repair request."

Michiel: "All property managers' systems must be connected in two years. This means, among other things, linking to financial data and information about repair requests. We also need to expand the self-service options as much as possible. We underestimate how much tenants want to manage their affairs themselves with their cell phones. Just send an app to submit a repair request or ask a question without having to call someone directly. I think we are still thinking way too hard about that and the tenant is really ready for that. I would like customers to get full self-service and all parties involved to be directly connected. Submitting a repair request and getting an answer when your problem is fixed should be neatly handled within the environment. It's important that the tenant feels they can resolve issues themselves and that processes run smoothly."

Ingrid: "Although technology is not or should not be leading, it is essential for improving your organization and customer focus. I want to give tenants the choice whether they want to call, email or use the self-service channel. Whichever way they contact us, we have to be able to serve them as well as possible. Convenience for tenants is paramount, with the back end having to be well set up. A repair request must be submitted and resolved as quickly as possible. So the chain partners must also be included in the automation. All wagons must be linked together in order to best serve the tenant."

A change in approach, system and processes has a big impact. How did Bouwinvest experience this? Was it better than expected? Or was it disappointing? And would you do a project like this the same way?

Ingrid: "My answer to that question is yes. It's mostly 'change management.' Some things were better, other things were worse. It is a long process, but if you have a good dot on the horizon with the goal you are heading for and all the benefits, it helps enormously. You really need a vision and principles as an organization before you start doing this."

"Thanks to the automated processes, there is less manual work and more time for other important things that really benefit the tenant."

The customer tracking system ensures efficient processes for Bouwinvest. Ingrid: "Processes are automated and you have less manual work. This applies to both us and the property managers. Both parties are very happy with that. There was a lot of manual work, which actually wasn't much fun at all. With the automation of repetitive work, there is more time left. There is not less to do and there are not fewer assignments, but there is more time for important things. We don't want to cut out chain partners, but we are looking very closely at how we can better connect processes. In doing so, we now have much more insight into data, which is a big win for all parties.

Michiel: "By automating - for the tenant - less important processes and tasks, the property manager has more time for things the tenant sees value in and really benefits from."

We are very curious what Bouwinvest expects in terms of customer satisfaction after all the changes. Bouwinvest has chosen not to go live immediately with all 18,000 tenants, but is working in phases in soft launches. Complete results are still some time away, but will certainly be shared as soon as more is known. We are confident of a successful outcome.