Adoption of robotics technologies
Currently, robots can be used to complement the skills of a human employee. The property manager's service-oriented role requires cognitive and emotional intelligence, and robots don't have those skills - at least not yet. However, they create consistencies and efficiencies with security and automation of manual tasks that allow property management teams to focus on more important value-added activities. These potential advantages continue to drive robotics, despite current challenges.
A proptech world
Along with robotics, other technologies are gaining momentum in property management.
Mobile apps for tenants
An application for mobile devices is a fundamental solution for communicating with tenants. Concierge services, such as dry cleaning, work order requests, or conference room reservations, can be made through an application for mobile devices and facilitated by the property's staff. Office workers can now use applications to control temperature and lighting or to send locations and photos of problems in the workplace, allowing facility managers to provide better service.
Drones
Drones can offer many benefits in terms of safety, construction inspections and space usage. A building owner could use drones for a post-hurricane construction inspection to detect water damage, roof cracks or other problems. They can also improve the security presence of a building with its mobility and the ability to analyze thousands of data and identify anomalies in a space.
Autonomous Vehicles
Mobility changes are expected to affect the commercial real estate sector in both the short and long term. Vehicle sharing is already affecting the way people move, and the rise of autonomous vehicles has the potential to truly transform the commercial real estate sector. Some building owners and developers are already renovating or constructing parking garages in such a way that they can be converted for a different use in the future, if autonomous vehicles make them obsolete.
Blockchain and cybersecurity
Blockchain, often described in terms of its disruptive capabilities, is another technology that has potential use for building owners and managers. As property managers collect data, Blockchain is a secure network that can help to share information within a building. Despite this potential, fully practical applications for the technology are still being explored.
Property management professionals need to be aware of the use of technology and how these new tools will impact their roles, the assets they manage and the increased need for cybersecurity. Today, the most successful property managers are versatile, those who play a variety of roles, from hiring services, tenant services, to building and property maintenance.
The most successful property managers in the future will do all of these things, but they will also have the resources at their disposal to make their days more efficient and productive. They will anticipate the technological needs and concerns of current and future tenants. They will be able to use the latest and greatest tools in office security, building maintenance and more. Technology still needs a face. The human touch is still indispensable.
