Twelve months ago, property developers and managers were riding a never-ending rollercoaster of anxious property owners, stressed tenants, and a big demand to keep everyone informed whilst still managing internal taff and daily requirements of the building operations. Twelve months on, the property sector is still working to combat the pressures of communication failures, management breakdowns and the need to embrace a digital world. Enter Kindred by Keyvision. In June 2020, in the depths of Victoria’s’ COVID-19 crisis, the Schiavello Group completed a $1 billion mixed-used precinct in Clayton’s former warehousing district known as M-City. M-City is now one of the largest master-planned, vertical communities built in a single stage in Victoria, and it includes 664 residential apartments spread access four towers, 16,000 NLA office tower, a vibrant retail precinct with over 60 specialty shops and a 260-room hotel with full conference amenities managed by Park Royal. M-City has proven to have some key ingredients that have made it a great success under extreme conditions. As one of the largest vertical city precincts in the Southern Hemisphere, adopting a streamlined and effective property and community management solution was one of the early and critical decisions made by the developers. They understood the necessity for adopting a platform that would manage the day-to-day complex management and communication requirements, and also assist in the future community activation of the project. After assessing a number of property and community management platforms the Schiavello Group landed on the Kindred Platform developed by Keyvison. It is an all-in-one technology platform that manages every aspect of community life at M-City. At the height of the COVID-19 mass lockdown crisis, both the Kindred App and management dashboard enabled the facility and body corporate managers and over 750+ new residents’ transition from settlement to moving in. The Kindred App allowed residents to book their move-in date, access project documents, submit help requests, be notified of any news update and receive critical alerts and notifications.
Kindred by Keyvision is the result of over 20+ years in the property management industry. Mark Davis, a long- term property developer, developed the platform to solve a problem he experienced during the construction and management of his own developments.
“It all started back in 1997 by simply wanting to change from a paper based to a digital based handover manual for a new homeowner. We wanted the digital manual to be accessible on the internet that had just started to emerge as a new way of managing and sharing content. The concept grew to include connecting your neighbourhood and community which was an idea ahead of its time back then given we didn’t have the internet speeds, smart phones and the connected IOT hardware we have today.”
Keyvision has gone on to develop both the “Kindred Property” and “Kindred Connect” platforms that can be implemented in the both the early stages of a project or can be retrofitted to any size development. The platform drives a seamless experience for all types of communities with a customisable mobile app featuring a virtual concierge, experiences and offers, as well as a property management solution that includes collaboration tools to drive efficiencies and effectiveness across every process.
The mobile app is the way of managing life at M-City managing all interactions with the building from facility bookings, being notified about your deliveries, accessing instruction manuals, connecting to special offers, finding events and local services and requesting concierge support. New functions are being added all the time via three-party applications. It’s an open line of communication, available 24/7.
“It is what tech savvy residents are expecting and our visionary team are developing new ideas to expand the platform every month,” said Davis.
One of Marks beliefs was that the building industry should be about the holistic customer experience and not just the sales and settlements of a project. A visionary and pioneer since launching the first live community portal in Australia in 1999; todays’ market and businesses have realised, connecting customers to the things they need / want and turning a transactional relationship into a connected digital ecosystem, gives greater opportunities to build lasting relationships and deliver better services, products and experiences.
According to a new McKinsey global survey of executives, their companies have accelerated the digitisation of their customer and supply-chain interactions and of their internal operations by three to four years. And the share of digital or digitally enabled products in their portfolios has accelerated by seven years.
Covid has accelerated the adoption of technology. Working from home, food deliveries and zoom calls are now how we live.
“Communities including residential and mixed developments, master planned developments, urban villages and commercial offices, all expect a higher level of digital communications and services as part of their living and working experience,” said Davis.
As stated by AIA’s Paul Doherty states, “If you don’t make the leap to digital speed, your business will end up with a customer base that will spend the least, and cost you more to serve”
So, what does this mean for the property sector? Proptech management solutions are no longer a longer- term consideration. They are the only consideration