Facilitating Tenant Success

Technology and automation are increasingly becoming important aspects of tenant retention. Tenants want the latest, state of the art communication systems, high-speed internet access, and automated tools to communicate with property management and succeed at their business.

Office building managers should cultivate a relationship with a representative of each tenant firm, whether it is the owner, office manager, or another employee.

According to recent studies, tenants are becoming more knowledgeable about the office environment and demanding more requirements regarding flexibility, durability, daylight, views to nature, and good indoor air quality. A good environment allows employees to function in a professional, efficient manner, which helps business performance.  

Technology
Real estate managers can use technology to increase tenant communications and response times to service requests. There are web-based applications that automate tenant request processes and boost customer service response levels, which helps property management retain tenants as well as attract new ones. Streamlining maintenance request processes leads to greater tenant satisfaction by eliminating time-consuming, ineffective, and redundant paper work. These systems enable property managers to speed up service delivery, and tenants are empowered with self-service initiation and tracking of their requests.

Space Planning and Tenant Retention
Another important retention tool is space planning. An otherwise satisfied tenant may relocate to a different building because the current space can no longer accommodate expansion. Years of reliable service are worth little if a tenant has little room to expand. This scenario is less likely to happen if the tenant, building manager, and space planning consultant develop a long-range strategic facilities plan (SFP). This plan attempts to incorporate overall business strategies and forecast a facilities policy that minimizes erroneous decisions about present and future space requirements. For the tenant, SFP helps ensure that facilities are available at the right time, in the right place, at the right cost. For the building manager and owner, SFP helps anticipate and accommodate space requirements of major tenants without lost revenues. Management should provide workplaces that employ recent trends of space planning concepts that support the office worker.