The new realities brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted property managers of multifamily rental properties to rethink the design and use of common-area amenities in order to protect tenants, staff and businesses. Of them, building access systems have been gaining more attention than ever before, as together with property entrances, they constitute the very first entry point into multifamily communities. When carefully chosen, property access technology can help building managers and operators not only safeguard communities and retain tenants during pandemics, but also streamline operations and attract new renters now and into the future. Akuvox SmartPlus, a smart cloud-based intercom solution, offers five proactive ways that managers can leverage for the purpose.

- Protect Tenants with Touchless Property Access
- Step up Protection for Tenants with Optional Automated Fever Detection
- Enhance Operational Efficiency with Remote Property Access Management
- Attract New Renters with Mobile Access Technology
- Have A Heart of Service While Staying in Contactless Interaction with Tenants

Protect Tenants with Touchless Property Access
In adapting to the challenges of COVID-19, providing a haven for renters becomes critical not only for the well-being of the community at large, but also for retaining tenants and keeping business continuity. Akuvox SmartPlus can provide the first line of protection for the community.

The combination of multiple touchless property access methods offered by the SmartPlus App and Akuvox's door phones, such as face recognition, temporary key, NFC, and Bluetooth, brings immense flexibility and convenience to tenants so that they can completely avoid touching potentially contaminated intercoms. And Akuvox's voice-controlled door phones allow visitors to use their voices to make calls to tenants through property managers, which helps maintain public health. All these tech-forward features can be easily acquired as Akuvox's door phones support LTE, which requires no costly wiring to each apartment.

Step up Protection for Tenants with Optional Automated Fever Detection
Some communities even step up the prevention to conduct temperature checks near entrances of public spaces like gyms and co-working spaces, which often involves a building staff taking tenants' temperatures with a scanner. This is not easy for property managers, considering they already have a near-endless task list during daily operations, not to mention temperature takers' potential exposure to viruses.

With residents' approval, Akuvox's smart video intercom with temperature screening capability can be used to offer property managers a relief. It automatically measures people’s temperatures and triggers a notification if fever is detected. Mask detection is also supported. No human intervention is required, which is especially helpful in communities with a high population density.

Enhance Operational Efficiency with Remote Property Access Management
Remote working has been helping the industry weather the storm, and its value will continue to unfold in the future. Aligned with the going-online trend, the web-based property access management portal of Akuvox SmartPlus, which can be integrated with property management systems, offers a bunch of remote-working features that greatly enhance operational efficiency. Tasks like managing access permissions, updating tenant directory and auditing door release logs can all be remotely accomplished from the PC. Managers no longer have to worry about the hassle of handing out and managing key fobs or access cards to residents in person or by attending the sites.

Attract New Renters with Mobile Access Technology
While it's crucial for property managers to focus on tenant retention during pandemics, it is equally important for them to come up with a roadmap going forward in order to keep new leases flowing. Akuvox SmartPlus is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to add value to properties and help managers fill new leases.

The SmartPlus App caters to the on-the-go lifestyles by allowing tenants to see and talk to visitors, open doors, monitor building entrances and issue virtual keys from anywhere in the world. And given the severity of the COVID-19 crisis, people may put a much stronger emphasis on the safety and cleanliness of common-area devices when looking for a new apartment. The mobile authentication for building access offered by the SmartPlus App means one less frequently-touched item to touch and more peace of mind for renters.

Have A Heart of Service While Staying in Contactless Interaction with Tenants
There has been a shift to remote communication to maintain a presence with residents since the COVID-19 outbreak. Akuvox SmartPlus, which offers touchless and instant communication, can help managers do a better job of interacting with tenants. Message delivery gets easier with Akuvox SmartPlus. With only a few steps on the property access management portal, managers can send community notices or COVID-19 updates in bulk remotely to tenants, who will receive instant notifications via the SmartPlus App on their smartphones. Managers can leverage this feature to keep tenants well informed while safeguarding staff during pandemics and improve tenant satisfaction even after the need for social distancing subsides.

It will be a forward-looking investment for property managers to upgrade their properties with Akuvox SmartPlus. Tenants will come to appreciate the step they take to create a safer, securer and healthier community, and live with them longer. It also helps managers pivot quickly to work in a remote environment and still serve the needs of tenants during social distancing. And staying ahead of the curve by adopting the latest building technology will not only streamline daily operation, but also put themselves in a better position to attract renters and increase rents, maybe not during this unprecedented time but definitely in the future.