Housing providers are increasingly embracing AI to address critical challenges and improve their tenants’ experience. With its wide-ranging applications, AI has the potential to revolutionise property management, streamline tenant communications and enhance decision-making, making both the lives of tenants and housing providers’ operations easier, faster and more efficient.
Experience orchestration
‘Experience orchestration’ plays a pivotal role in this transformation, enabling housing providers to leverage a single unified customer experience platform powered by AI. This platform allows organisations to seamlessly coordinate technology, interactions and touchpoints across their housing needs, scaling personalisation and empathy to create tenant-centred experiences.
In this article, we will delve deeper into how housing providers can use AI-powered solutions to tackle their key challenges, provide real-life examples of AI deployments in housing and explore the future of AI in transforming the housing landscape.
Addressing key challenges with AI
- Tenant allocation & screening: AI-driven algorithms can streamline tenant allocation processes by analysing extensive datasets, such as rental history, credit scores and references, allowing housing providers to assess the suitability of potential tenants more efficiently and accurately. For example, Catalyst Housing has implemented an AI-powered tool for tenant screening and housing allocations.
- Predictive maintenance & property management: AI can analyse data from IoT sensors installed throughout properties to identify patterns and predict potential maintenance problems before they become critical, such as a tenant reporting a problem with a jammed window or peeling wallpaper could potentially indicate a mould or damp problem. For example, Clarion Housing which is using an AI-driven solution to predict and plan its maintenance work better.
- Energy efficiency & decarbonisation: AI can play a pivotal role in optimising energy usage in properties by analysing data from smart meters and adjusting heating, cooling and lighting systems accordingly. As an example, Optivo is using AI to optimise energy use in its properties, resulting in lower costs and reduced carbon emissions.
Improving tenants’ experience with AI
- AI-powered chatbots & voice assistants: AI chatbots and voice assistants can provide tenants with immediate, personalised responses to their enquiries, streamlining communication, improving support services and reducing the workload on customer support staff, as used by Flagship Group.
- Smart home integration & living experience enhancement: AI can integrate innovative home technologies, such as intelligent thermostats, lighting systems and security features, providing a more convenient and comfortable living environment for tenants.
- Enhanced safety & security: AI-powered surveillance systems can monitor common areas and detect anti-social behaviour or potential safety hazards, maintaining a safe and secure living environment for all residents.
- Virtual property tours & inspections: AI-powered virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) technology can provide interactive property tours and inspections, saving time and effort for tenants and housing providers’ staff. For example, L&Q is using VR technology to showcase its new properties to prospective tenants, offering a unique, immersive experience.
- Personalised tenant services: AI-driven data analytics can help housing providers gain insights into tenants’ preferences and needs, allowing them to provide personalised services, such as tailored support programs, targeted communications and customised living experiences.
Conclusion
The integration of AI into our sector will become even more widespread, offering new opportunities for innovation and growth. Experience orchestration, enabled by AI-driven CX platforms will give housing providers more ability to predict actions, automate in real-time and drive towards specific outcomes.
The impact of AI on social housing cannot be overstated; it has the potential to revolutionise how housing providers operate and interact with their tenants. By harnessing the power of AI and the advanced solutions offered by leading CX platforms, housing providers can improve property management and increase tenant satisfaction.
Zaheer Gilani is an account director for the UK&I public sector at Genesys.
