This month we are putting the spotlight on one of our most established customers, Ashcourt, who provide student accommodation to over 400 students in Hull and have been using the Swipe software since 2016. Check out what Leanne, Lettings Administrator had to say about using the system. 1. Since the introduction of the Swipe system to your processes, what have been the biggest improvements you’ve noticed? Swipe allows quick communication between us and the students. Managing rent payments is very easy and it allows payments through the app too to save having to process every payment manually. It also means less data input and allows us to add important documents via the app which is more ecofriendly than posting all our documents. 2. What has the feedback been from the students that use the app? The student’s ability to speak in a chat within their property appears to be the most popular and useful option for them. Another positive they’ve reported has been the convenience of paying their rent at a time that suits them, rather than being restricted to coming in the office within opening hours, this has been especially useful during both the lockdown periods. 3. If you didn’t have the swipe system, how would you keep track of your rent payments and contracts? Without the Swipe system, documents would need to be stored in an Excel document meaning further data input and making it much more difficult to track overdue rent, when payments are due and how much tenants have already paid. Payments would all need to be done within the office hours and processed manually, taking a lot of time. 4. During lockdown and the restrictions the company was faced with, what features of Swipe have proven the most useful? Swipe allows the students to browse the properties even whilst there are COVID restrictions and lockdowns in place. They can also view 360 virtual tours of the properties, which is very useful during lockdown whilst physical viewings are not possible. 5. How easy have you and the rest of the team found the transition to Swipe? Personally, I have found the transition to using the Swipe system very easy and straightforward. It includes everything needed for both landlords and tenants. 6. How supportive have you found the Swipe technical team when you’ve faced any system issues? The technical team have been very useful to have at the other end of the phone. They can also be contacted instantly on the online chat which is really useful when you have a customer in front of you and the issue needs resolving quickly. They are always happy to help and explain things simply which makes it easy to understand. 7. Have you taken advantage of any of the other marketing extras that Swipe offers? We have taken advantage of the property photography that Swipe offers as a marketing extra and this has proven to be an invaluable tool for us, they also offer very competitive rates and were able to dress the rooms for us which saved us lots of time and really boosted the look of our listings. 8. How have the maintenance team found adapting to the new technology? The maintenance team have adapted well to the use of Swipe and it ensures we are always on top of maintenance issues within the accommodation. Students can include exact details of the issue and even a photo of the problem to allow the maintenance team to easily locate and fix it.
