No one could have predicted in September that nine months later, in March 2020, we would be fighting off a pandemic and operating businesses through a government-enforced lockdown where technology has become vital. Looking back, the launch of Grainger’s PRS tech platform, Connect, could not have come at a more critical time for the business.
Connect allows Grainger’s customers to organise viewings, apply and deal with lease agreements on a digital platform and provides a portal for residents that deals with needs such as repair requests, amenity bookings, account queries and connecting with neighbours.
According to group chief financial officer Vanessa Simms, the platform has been “a huge lifesaver” during the outbreak of Covid-19.
The platform means customers can view, sign a tenancy agreement and be in the position to move into a property without having to leave the house. “If you were comfortable to do so, you could take this through all the way to moving in, you wouldn’t have to view the property,” says Simms.
Cost savings
The benefits of Connect have not only been realised under lockdown conditions, Simms says. The business’s operating costs have continued to come down since its launch. Before Connect was introduced, operating costs stood at around 30%, and in Grainger’s latest financial results, this had decreased to 24.9%. “Not all of this is attributable to the Connect programme, but we have definitely seen the benefits in the past year,” Simms says.
Has coronavirus helped to accelerate the development of such a vital piece of technology for the business? Simms says this was “going at quite a pace anyway”, but the main advance Connect has provided has been improving “our communication and interaction with customers when we are not physically present”.
The ultimate aim is for the platform to help minimise costs, drive operational efficiency and support Grainger’s ambition to double the size of its 8,500-home portfolio – and that is where the company’s newly hired chief information officer, Paul Glibbery, comes in.
With more than 20 years’ experience, seven of which were most recently spent at Hewlett-Packard leading the business’s digital transformation programme across the EMEA region, Glibbery will help roll out and develop Connect.
He will be instrumental in helping take Connect to the next stage: advancing and applying technology through the building and development processes.
Fresh pair of eyes
As a new entrant to the property sector, Simms says Glibbery could help bring a fresh pair of eyes, and all-important innovation experience, to Grainger.
“I wasn’t necessarily looking for someone with direct real estate experience, as I had seen the innovation [in industries] elsewhere has entirely surpassed what we have done in the proptech world,” she says. “I was looking for someone who would bring together innovation, IT operations and experience with how to use data to optimise your product.”
Could there be any challenges for Glibbery, as a property newbie, to get to grips with a new sector that is battling with lockdown and to push the company’s technological transformation? Simms believes not. She says that now, when tech is more important than ever, couldn’t be a better time to join the business.
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