Spaceflow claims to challenge “the boundaries of what buildings can, and should, deliver.” How is building software changing the ways in which buildings not only are used, but can be used, in novel and creative ways?

For a long time, real estate has been merely a physical thing - when you entered a building, you were surrounded by four walls, amenities and physical utilities. COVID-19 turned the physical aspect of our lives on its head and has increased the speed of digital adoption. Buildings now need to run on an operating system that integrates both physical and digital aspects to create one experience for their occupants. That being said, this all goes well beyond the community. If you are a landlord or building operator, you can digitise every aspect throughout the tenant lifecycle.

What we imagine is the whole process - from the contract, operational and life-in-building perspectives - is digitised. Ideally as a tenant you should be able to sign a contract, get on-boarded, get access to the entire building community, open doors, book a parking spot or other amenities, invite a visitor, monitor your energy and water consumption, easily report issues to the landlord, order cleaning services, pay your rent and even terminate the contract within one platform. The whole journey, your life in the building, all in one place. Just think about how many buildings have none of these processes digitised. We’re helping them to get there.

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What are the various challenges associated with developing a technology that aims to tackle a multitude of tenant and community activities? What have you learned from these challenges about the tenant experience itself that all landlords and operators should be aware of?

The expectations of tenants shift all the time. A few years ago, a decent space with design features might have been enough. Two years ago, occupants started to expect space as a service (SPaaS) as a standard, because they are used to it from their workplaces. Now, tenants expect a digital platform that serves as a controller for the building and a tool to maintain the relationship with other members and the landlord.

At Spaceflow, we have learned that digital transformation is a process and clients need complete support in that journey. The results are oftentimes not visible overnight, but to bring long-term value, you need to have a strong foundation to build from. The same applies to the landlord-tenant relationship. I believe that the foundation for every building, whether it’s an office, residential or mixed-use project, is integrating data, technology and people. So, tenant experience platforms that provide that framework are quickly transforming from a nice-to-have to a need-to- have.

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How does technology like Spaceflow’s app function to enhance the community experience within buildings? Can you also elaborate a bit on your experience working with Gravity in London, and how has it helped Gravity stay connected with its residents?

Like mentioned earlier, it goes well beyond the community experience itself, but the community part is about crafting the right message at the right time. For that, we have our dedicated team and having the same kind of team on our client’s side helps. That partnership is ideal for creating customised programming, through which occupiers build a relationship with their space and their community. Our team then builds template libraries, events, polls, posts, targeted communication and more.

As Rob Birch, Head of Operations at Gravity, put it in Coliving Insights No.2, they invested in tech infrastructure from day one to improve the level of service to their members and have a tool for data analysis. Spaceflow allows for service requests (such as room cleaning), a communication channel, event calendars and information sharing platform. During COVID-19 the platform has been crucial for them to continue a personal service but in a safe operational format and they have seen a 30% increase in its use by their members.

For Gravity, Spaceflow’s community team also publishes timely global posts. This is done in cooperation with Gravity space representatives that are posting regular updates, challenges, polls and events to keep their community entertained, well- informed and connected. We also helped Gravity with bringing in perks from partners such as adidas Runtastic, PureGym, T.M.Lewin and Urban.

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Operators looking to maximise the experience for tenants need PropTech that is both adaptable and innovative. How does Spaceflow integrate user insights in order to improve its ability to deliver these qualities to operators?

The user insight in Spaceflow is fundamental and it comes in many forms, such as analysing anonymised behaviours on our app, feedback collection through interviews/surveys with end users and clients, and also potentially running A/B split tests to understand what features best serve our users.

All these data points form the basis for continuous improvements of our services and features. Thanks to user insight we can continue to provide seamless access to services, amenities, customised solutions, direct communication and innovative solutions such as smart building features that help our clients and their tenants easily navigate their buildings.

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How has your technology evolved - in response to changes in your understanding of user experience - since the founding of Spaceflow in 2016?

Substantially. What we’re building is a tenant experience operating system that empowers connected living properties. From the start, we have been putting emphasis on the community part, and I believe we truly have become experts on activating and engaging communities in the coliving and BTR sectors more than anywhere else. But with that, Spaceflow might still be identified as a “community platform”, rather than an operating system.

In 2020 and today we have been focusing largely on building a back-end basis that allows our clients to integrate all hardware and software functions of the property into one platform. So today we are a truly all- in-one solution; combining that digital heart that gets clients prepared for all the future challenges and use cases, admin dashboard to analyse data and manage the building effectively, tenant experience mobile app and community management.

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Finally, what are your suggestions for coliving operators in regards to finding integrated technology solutions to help manage their communities and building operations? What should coliving businesses be looking for when trying to put all the puzzle pieces together?

Before even starting the tech identification process, the first step is to set some realistic goals. I suggest trying to come up with answers to the ultimate question: What do you want to achieve?

To get started, Spaceflow has identified 5 critical areas for enabling space-as-a-service through tech, which are:

1. Targeting amenities and perks
2. Improving ease of communication
3. Automating the building
4. Enable feedback and reporting
5. Integrating with hardware and the surrounding world

Then, critically reflect on your particular situation. What is your budget like? What is your staffing situation like? Wanting to automate everything at the same time and providing supreme tenant experience alike might be tempting but is that really possible based on your scenario? Once you’ve set some expectations for the process, it’ll be time to get to work identifying what technology platforms to engage. Do you want to keep it low-tech and manage your community engagement through content, polls and events only, or you plan to integrate your building hardware from day one?

At Spaceflow, we often say that it takes data, tech, and a strong human element to build a great tenant experience. Without data, user initiatives are blind. Without tech, interacting with and serving the needs of an occupant population becomes prohibitively difficult.Without the human element, owners can seem aloof and out of touch. Think about a platform that can fulfil all three elements. Spaceflow is building out those holistic capabilities and aims to be a go-to solution for responding to the technology needs of coliving and other alternative real estate models.

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