Digital Service Platform for Utility and Housing Management

Service platform for utility consumption information

Real Estate, SaaS Development, Custom software development, Staff Augmentation

Utility app image

Project background

Our client is a municipal housing association, the largest one in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its subsidiary provides their tenants with various housing-related digital services.

Country

Germany

Technology

Java 11, React

Cooperation

2017 - Present time

3 months

to develop all the basic features and go live

19k +

active users on the platform

15.6%

growth in utility analysis users in one month

Project Goals

To streamline administration processes

We aimed to create a Dashboard for administrators that facilitates service management, meaning:

- Curated statistics — making business and marketing decisions has never been more straightforward;

- All the data in a single place — everything, including serviced buildings, clients and all the company documents are easily accessible;

- Services and investment projects can be managed right from the dashboard.

To enhance user experience

Another objective was to create a user application that would:

- Digitize access to app services — less paperwork, more free time;

- Enable multiplatform access, allowing users to manage subscriptions regardless of their OS;

- Create stronger communities — integrating services like ServiceBox that enables secure deliveries.

Help shape a green, sustainable Mannheim

This is one of the company's main goals, permeating nearly all of its projects. It is the purpose for integrating:

- Utility Consumption Analysis — to empower application tenants (around 12% of Mannheim) to track how much energy and water they use. Tenants can also compare their spending with the building average.

- A marketplace for sustainable grocery shopping. The goal is to encourage tenants to shop from local suppliers.

A Dashboard for Administrators — effortless data and business process management

With the dashboard, administrators to manage clients and the services they receive. All the information and features are arranged into 6 pages.

An overview of business development processes with Statistics

Administrators can view general and subscription statistics: serviced tenants, households, buildings, active users, and potential clients (tenants without a subscription). Each data point shows percentage changes from last month. Our client's management uses this data for informed business and marketing decisions.

Information about all clients and email integration

On the Tenants page, admins can easily find any client, see their data and what services they use. Email integration allows contacting anyone right from the dashboard.

Managing all company services from the same place

Currently, besides the basic subscription, the company offers Utilities Consumption Analysis (UVI) and Multimedia. UVI allows tenants to track how much water and energy they have used. With Multimedia service, tenants can connect to cable TV service. Two more services will be released soon – the Grocery app and ServiceBox.

A marketplace for sustainable groceries shopping

Our digital app for groceries is a well-established and popular application in Germany. It is a marketplace for sustainable grocery shopping with more than 30 thousand downloads on Google Play and the App Store, with a 4.7 rating on the latter.

ServiceBox

ServiceBox is one of the services provided by our client's subsidiary, ServiceHaus, in partnership with Renz. Renz has developed intelligent self-service lockers. To use them, a person must register via their tenant app and activate delivery service providers – DHL, GLS, DPD, and/or Hermes. Upon service activation, users receive an iLOQ key to their personal locker.

Administering investment projects

Here, Untility app administrators can see what projects their company currently has under development. They can manage info about various project resources.

Managing service availability for buildings

On the Buildings page, admins can see a list of all buildings, the residents of which have an option to enjoy app services.

Documents — filtered and located in a couple of clicks

The last page is the Document administration center. It provides easy access to all the company contracts, which can be filtered by several parameters. Alternatively, users can type in the number or type of a contract.

Web Application — everything a user needs to manage their subscriptions

The web application allows service users to access and manage their information. Here they can see active subscriptions and what other services are available.

Tracking energy and water usage with Utility Consumption Analysis

In the UVI section, those who opted for Utilities Consumption Analysis can track their energy and water spending habits. The app shows how much kWh a tenant has spent and the percentage difference from the previous month. The main page displays four data points – the total energy consumed in a given month, power consumed for heating, power consumed to heat water and the amount of used cold water.

Help shape a green, sustainable Mannheim

Users can open a bar chart with data over the past four months for more details. They are also privy to how much they consume compared to the building average. The average is measured individually, adjusting for the size of the resident's apartment.

Energy-saving tips

To learn how to save resources, users can read helpful energy-saving tips. For instance, the app advises not to heat premises at night when a resident is under warm blankets.

In Settings, tenants can cancel the service if they no longer need it. Users can download their monthly reports in PDF format. They are structured as a letter to the tenant.

ServiceBox part

The ServiceBox part of the web application has 5 pages – the status of packages, users profile, logistics details, PIN code management and history.

On the first page, users can see parcel delivery status. The profile page displays their contact information, including their address. On the logistics page, one can see which logistics providers they have already activated and what others are available.

The PIN code management page shows the user's current PIN code from their myRENZbox and allows them to generate a new code if needed. Users can see the list of previously delivered packages on the history page.

Cable TV subscription management with Multimedia service

Before subscribing to the service, clients can make sure that it is available for their building by using a dedicated form.

Web app fitted for mobile use, ensuring multiplatform access

Information and features of the web application also can be accessed via mobile app for tenants. The web application is inserted in the tenant app as an inline frame element.

Value Delivered

1+ years

Of successful cooperation

3 month

After the start of joined work, the app was live

2 professionals

Dedicated to the project development team