Today’s student housing has changed dramatically from decades past. Everywhere you look student housing is evolving with the incoming generation. Of course, creating these greater experiences costs money, time, and careful planning for the future. In response, property managers are actively seeking ways to improve efficiencies throughout their student housing communities that can help to lower operating costs, and technology is a major part of the conversation.
Take a look at some of the biggest opportunities for property managers to boost efficiencies across their student housing portfolio that elevates the living experience without sacrificing profits:
Maintenance Activities
From managing work orders to performing routine maintenance checks, there’s always work to be done to keep your student housing facilities looking and functioning their best. But maintenance activities pose a myriad of inefficiencies, many of which can be overcome by deploying the right software solutions.
For starters, students need an easy way to notify maintenance departments when something goes wrong, be it a faulty stove burner, clogged toilet, or broken light switch. UCLA has implemented streamlined work order requests for students that require less manual input. The new system is said to eliminate a third-party review prior to forwarding maintenance requests to workers, plus it eliminates the need for workers to print requests prior to fulfilling a work order. Students can also track the progress of a request for better insight into the process.
Another opportunity is the ability to improve response times for workers. Automation tools can be deployed to assign requests to workers based on the property and specific asset of the request. Adding the mobile element can also improve response time to fulfill work orders more quickly.
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Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficient lighting is a go-to method of reducing energy costs in student housing, but is it enough? Stanford University found that if every student replaced a 60-watt incandescent lightbulb with a CFL bulb, they could save “450,000 kilowatts of electricity; 220,000 pounds of carbon emissions; and $50,000 in utility costs.”
It’s a step in the right direction, but not the only option. Installing energy-efficient appliances, turning off lights and reducing heating and cooling for areas not in use, and lowering the heat can all drastically impact energy costs when multiplied by the number of students in student housing facilities.
A Better Mailroom Experience
Package tracking software for student housing is an up-and-coming amenity that is adding a new dimension to efficiency. But more importantly, it also contributes to positive student experience.
With the rise of online shopping and package shipping, university mailrooms are stretched beyond capacity. They’re forced to find new ways to save space, store packages, and notify residents, and are turning to technology like Notifii to facilitate the entire process.
With Notifii Track package tracking software for student housing, mailroom workers can scan packages as they arrive and log them in seconds rather than minutes. Once scanned, the software can notify recipients automatically, saving time and resources in writing individual package notice slips. With faster notification, students can pick up their packages sooner to create more space in the mailroom, making for a better, more efficient experience for workers and students alike.
Schools like the University of Southern California are using Notifii to streamline mail tracking processes, which in turn can reduce costs and liability.
Learn more about how Notifii works — schedule a free demo to see it in action!