MRI Software has launched MRI Engage @Work, a portal for commercial property firms that offers tenants a single platform to file maintenance requests, make payments, enter retail sales data, and communicate with the property management team, according to a press release. The move to integrate products is intended to reduce burdens on property staff, and improve efficiencies, occupancy rates and net operating income.
“To provide the services that tenants expect, many firms are using multiple, disparate applications, which create a disjointed user experience,” Russell Smith, managing director of MRI @Work, North America, stated in the release. “The new Engage @Work solution enables commercial property managers to offer an intuitive, cohesive process for tenants and staff, without sacrificing the tech tools they already use.”
MRI says the platform connects with MRI Angus and other facilities management systems to streamline work order processes and reduce back-and-forth calls and emails. Clients will also have leeway to sync data between property management and payment solutions through self-service options for tenants.
Some of MRI’s clients include JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE and 3M, with additional customers across various industries ranging from beauty to aerospace.
Many facilities and property managers still contend with a host of manual challenges, including time-consuming pen-and-paper-based procedures that diminish access to reliable information and data. This slows down operations and thwarts the ability of leadership teams to glean resources required to support decisions, according to a report by startup SelectHub.
These problems have resulted in increased liability risks for facilities managers as well as frustrations among tenants who have had to navigate through various disparate, and often complicated, platforms and processes to make payments, submit tickets to maintenance teams, or raise concerns about other issues such as health, safety, and sanitation.
Cloud-based property management solutions are increasingly being deployed for their scalability, ease of use, cost-effectiveness and potential to prevent data loss and minimize disputes with tenants. Cloud-based deployment accounted for a revenue share of more than 58% in 2021, with property managers and agents representing a revenue share of more than 36%, according to a report from Grand View Research.
Property management software is expected to continue growing through the years ahead. And, against the backdrop of a rise in remote work arrangements, measures to enhance communication are increasingly on the radar across office buildings.
Along with MRI Software, several companies have released software to automate operations, digitize processes, drive tenant engagement and make it easier for property managers to manage their operations on one platform.
Union launched a centralized leasing software and support solution in January to allow organized remote management of multifamily communities, and in April, AppFolio partnered with Marlette Holdings’s financial platform, Best Egg, to provide flexible and personalized payment options to more than seven million renters across the U.S.
