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By James Dilgul

Head of Marketing, Fixflo

OTHER FEATURES

PropTech and the future of remote working

Working from home used to get a bad rap. With the phrase mocked as ‘shirking from home’, homeworkers were often seen as lesser employees by colleagues and bosses and penalised accordingly.

A survey by the Office for National Statistics revealed that homeworkers were less than half as likely to be promoted as all other employees between 2012 and 2017, as well as being 38% less likely to receive an annual bonus between 2013 and 2020.

But enter 2020/2021, and the Covid-19 pandemic has changed things dramatically. Now, through a combination of technology and necessity, working from home has become the new normal.

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As we head towards the end of lockdown and consider going back to the office again, many agencies will be thinking of keeping homeworking as an option and wondering how they can do it most effectively. In fact, in a Fixflo and MRI Software survey about the impact of lockdown that we conducted in December 2020, agents listed remote working as one of the biggest challenges they faced.

The hybrid approach

The ONS data indicates that it is in fact a hybrid approach of spending time in the office and working from home that creates the most productive employees. It found that in 2020, those who worked from home to any degree worked more hours (32.3 on average per week) than those who never worked from home (27.7). Consequently, managerial positions are now starting to favour that combination.

The hard work homeworkers are putting in is also finally being recognised. While historically, those who worked from home were likely to miss out on pay rises or promotions, in 2020, homeworkers were paid on average 9.2% more than their office-bound peers because they were able to adapt to working during lockdown restrictions more easily.

The value of PropTech

For letting agents, property management software has been a godsend during this period. From tenant referencing to rent collection, property inventory to repairs and maintenance, cloud-based tools and applications allow repetitive, day-to-day tasks to be accomplished quickly and easily, leaving more time for other vital areas of property management like relationship building.

In a crowded and growing PropTech marketplace, agents may be wondering how to choose which products are best suited to their needs. Regardless of the purpose, here are some of the features we think you should be looking for in any software you choose.

●Cloud-based technology

Cloud-based software is delivered over the Internet; it does not need to be installed on a device to be used. This is perfect for homeworking because it means it can be accessed from anywhere. It also means not worrying about data - that’s all backed up over the Internet too.

●Two-factor authentication

All sorts of private and important data about a business and its clients can be found in the software it uses, and lettings is no exception. One of the best ways to prevent unauthorised access, two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security when a user signs on that asks them for an additional piece of information to prove their identity. This is commonly a code sent to the recipient’s mobile phone.

●Audit trail capability

Staying compliant with regulations and avoiding tenant disputes involves studious record-keeping. Good PropTech will automatically time, and date stamp communications and events so you can easily prove what happened and when.

●Reporting features

Strong reporting capability will allow directors, executives and managers to keep track of progress and can help provide actionable insights for meaningful business improvements. A flexible system should allow the inputting of all sorts of parameters to allow users to see exactly the information they need to see for effective decision making.

With increasingly sophisticated technology connecting workers regardless of their geography, productivity amongst homeworkers has seen a dramatic increase. And where previously the productivity gained from being around other employees and being able to collaborate with and learn from them was unmatched by those working from home, the use of video conference solutions and cloud-based systems like Fixflo means this is no longer the case.

While it remains to be seen whether the positive attitude towards homeworking and its effects will stick, remote workers have made the case that, with the right approach, remote working doesn’t have to be a poor approximation of the office experience.

James Dilgul is Head of Marketing at Fixflo, the market-leading repairs and maintenance management software provider

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