In the modern digital world, the student housing sector is undergoing a transformation that is driven by technology. Mobile apps are at the forefront of this digital innovation. Before COVID-19, there were very few student housing software that offered their customer mobile applications. But as we have transitioned into a more technologically dependent economy it has become more of a necessity to have one.

The utility that these applications provide is significantly beneficial to help facilitate the day-to-day operations of a student housing operator, providing features such as rent collection, receipt generation, digital leasing and rent management among many other aspects. Mobile apps are becoming more of a necessity in today's world than ever before. 

In this blog, we will be talking about how mobile apps can be leveraged by student housing operators. 

Key features of PMS mobile application:

1. Enhance student engagement:  A mobile application that integrates with real-time chat functionality helps property managers in student housing reach out to their tenants, and communicate important and relevant details. Student operators can also post notices to particular individuals. It also provides students in the building the ability to chat with one another to build a sense of community. 

If any of the students have to raise a complaint or want an answer to a query. They can render a chatbot feature. oftentimes, student housing operators have to answer repetitive questions. Having a chatbot trained in such a manner can save him a portion of his time, to then focus on more pressing issues.  

Streamlining Administrative Tasks: gone are the days where rent is collected in cash or transferred using bank accounts. The revolution of payment gateways and payment interfaces across the globe allows us to collect and make using mobile applications. This mitigates the need to travel to the bank and make the payment from the tenant side. It also reduces the need for manual tracking for a student operator. To add to its efficiency there are push notification features that help manage the timely payment of rent, utilities etc. 

With a digital ecosystem that collects all payments, it allows student operators to assess for any discrepancies in the book of accounts which can then be easily identified and rectified because of its digital availability. 

With the help of a Mobile application tenants can raise complaints and tickets more easily than contacting the owner and waiting for their response. Once the request is logged on the application a push notification is sent to the student operator. They assign the work and a timeline to respective faculty members who will try to remedy the issues. 

Improving Security and Safety: Mobile apps can provide their students with a digital key that can open the gate and door to their dorm. This ensures the safety of the students on the premises. Moreover, the mobile app can easily account for people who might come in and move out. This gives a general overview of who might be in the area during that particular period. 

In the event of an emergency, the operator can send out a notification on a high priority that might require the tenants to evacuate the premises. It could be for a multitude of reasons such as a fire, water leak, or even a security breach.

Optimizing Facility Management: Integrating IoT sensors across the coliving sector allows the coliving operator to monitor essential metrics with the help of the mobile application. Temperature, electricity and gas can easily be monitored with the help of property management software. 

From the tenant's perspective, they can use smart control mechanisms to adjust the temperature and lighting in their respective rooms. This adds to their convenience and also allows for data to be captured and processed by the PMS. 

Regarding housekeeping, they can be assigned their work schedule with the help of the mobile application. All tickets can also be assigned to them with the help of the mobile application. To ensure the completion of their work the operator can also request photos afterwards. 

Data-Driven Decision-Making: with the abundance of features already at the disposal of both the tenant and the property manager. It provides a repository of data that can be used for future analysis such as the number of tickets raised, and the number of guests in the coliving space just to name a few. 

Mostly coliving operator looks into energy consumption and how that can be optimised to reduce the costs incurred by the whole building. 

Fostering Community Building:  At the end of the day a coliving space is a social setting. Its main purpose is to provide their guests with a memorable experience. Organising events and extending the invitation to your tenants could be the impending factor between a good coliving space from a great coliving space. 

Most coliving mobile applications provide the ability to submit requests to organise events. They can range from birthdays, festivals and simple gatherings. Ultimately, this is an environment where people can interact with one another. Events cannot be conducted without it being approved by the property manager this is done so there is some degree of approval from the side of the coliving operator. 

Case Studies and Success Stories

MonkSpaces.Ai has had immense success with their flagship “monk circles” application. It has enabled property managers and tenants to have a better coliving experience. For example, the company The Hive had some problems when it came to managing their tickets and their escalation. MonkSpaces.Ai helped operationalise the whole system with the help of their Real estate management application. 

They also provided credits that could be easily enchased for booking amenities. This allowed them to monetize their operation using their mobile application interface.  

Conclusion

With coliving spaces on the rise, there is a growing demand for PMS to fill their operational needs. The use of mobile applications helps facilitate the user experience for both the property manager and further help enhance the tenant's experience. In the near future, we could see most student housing operators offer mobile apps with various functionalities. 

(Why don't you check out our blog regarding how AI 🤖has changed the residential property management software )