Every Property Needs a Website

It should go without saying that every property now needs a website. Not only will it serve as information and advertisement for potential tenants, but it is a way for current tenants to keep in touch with property management and submit work orders. Of course, technology is rapidly changing and already, the industry is also adopting property-specific apps that keep tenants connects. According to the Global Tenant Survey from CBRE, responsiveness from management is most important to tenant retention, and websites and apps are the easiest way to ensure management promptly responds to tenant needs.

“Certainly, we are incorporating technology as a company at every level, and definitely at the property management level as well,” Mark Butcher, CPM and managing director at CBRE, tells GlobeSt.com. “We utilize software platforms to ensure that our tenants are connected to the buildings. The best buildings have a website, and each of our buildings has its own website these days. The website should include links to issue work orders or contact the manager, and we are able to process work orders through the website as well.”

Websites are not only a way to keep in touch with tenants, but also a way to provide crucial information to potential tenants and a way to aid the leasing team. “We have space plans available for our open and available office suites,” explains Butcher. “Working with the leasing brokers is part of our day-to-day. We work best as teams to service the client, and so there is collaboration between the different groups working on the building.”

In addition to websites, Butcher’s team is now incorporating apps as well to increase tenant communication. CBRE is developing a proprietary app called CBRE360 for just that reason. “CBRE has a new, out-of-the-box technologies that we are rolling out. CBRE360 is a big one, which is an app,” explains Butcher. “That is a technology that we are implementing on the occupier side that allows our tenants to be connected to building services, concierge and food choices. It is a one-stop-shop to connect the occupiers in our buildings.”

While technology has been focused on enhancing the tenant experience, the company is also developing technology to enhance the client experience as well. “We are rolling out a new technology called Asset View, and that is a dashboard technology for our real estate managers as well as our clients so that they look and get a snapshot of the performance of their property at any time from a financial standpoint or an occupancy stand point,” says Butcher. “Those have been instrumental in pushing the industry toward more technology.”