The easysquare forms service – also available for companies without an ERP application

This allows them to benefit from customisable solutions that can be implemented at a low cost. To see how this works in practice, let us look at the example of Wohnbau GmbH Göppingen (WGG), which wants to process its business processes primarily via mobile devices in the future and has implemented the “change of tenant” process in connection with this.  

With a portfolio of approximately 1,950 apartments and retail units, WGG is one of the smaller housing companies in Germany; however, it also provides rental and residential property management services for third parties. IT&I spoke with Robert Prce, who headed the project at WGG, about the implementation of the easysquare mobile platform in ASP operations.

IT&I: How did you hear about easysquare mobile?  

Robert Prce: We read about it for the first time in a report in “DDIV aktuell”, the magazine from the umbrella organisation of German property managers (DDIV).  

IT&I: How was work previously done at WGG and why did you decide to switch to a digital solution?  

Mr Prce: We used to use preprinted forms for inspections of residential properties before a tenant moved in, final inspections of residential properties and apartment handovers. Our employees completed these forms by hand. We hope that a digital solution will reduce the time required for these recurring routine tasks.

IT&I: What has your experience with the mobile solution been like so far?  

Mr Prce: We started the practical implementation at the end of July 2015. Within the first few weeks, we noticed that the data quality had improved significantly. Admittedly things take a little longer, but we can make decisions regarding upcoming renovation measures much more easily based on the information collected and the existing image material. At the start, there were a few “teething problems”, but PROMOS resolved these very quickly. In addition, the process with electronic delivery saves us time.  

IT&I: What challenges does integrating the mobile solution into the central IT or existing systems involve?  

Mr Prce: First of all, interfaces need to exist or be created to implement the master data in the account and update the data. Of course, an interface to our existing software would be ideal. However, this is not always possible, partly for data protection reasons and also because of the technical requirements.

IT&I: WGG is one of the smaller housing companies in Germany. Does it make sense for you to be using digital solutions already?  

Mr Prce: Yes, we are convinced that it does. After all, moving with the times is essential for survival. The options that are already available and the solution that will be based on these in the near future make our work easier and do not require much more time. They allow good documentation and traceability as well as virtually seamless transport of information. In addition, these solutions create a basis for decision-making, as images can be added to the written documentation.  

IT&I: What opportunities and possibilities do you believe can be gained from making business processes mobile?  

Mr Prce: There are all manner of opportunities and possibilities. Even now, we can use images, voice and text to create our documents. Great strides have already been made here. With regard to the interfaces, I am certain that there will be further improvements in the immediate future, and data transport will also get faster. Small improvements in the operability and speed of processes will bring additional benefits in the form of time savings. This time will then be available to us for customer support, and customer satisfaction is, of course, our ultimate goal.  

IT&I: Will mobile support be provided for more features in the future?  

Mr Prce: Yes. In addition to inspections of residential properties before a tenant moves in, final inspections of residential properties and apartment handovers, we are planning to implement further mobile processes, such as defect reporting, quality assessments and inspections of buildings, land and apartments. Whether we can then supplement these processes with others in the future remains to be seen.

redaktion@openpromos.de