Platform Highlight - Building an easy and seamless booking system for our residents

Building an easy and seamless booking experience for our residents

As co-founder of ALLRES, I lead the development of our purpose-built technology platform that is helping us reinvent property management.

In the first of a series of articles, I want to share some insights into how we've been working to make property management smoother and more transparent for residents and leaseholders. Our mission has always been to care for homes as if they were our own, and that approach informs how we develop and improve our technology platform.

Simplifying the scheduling experience

Recently, we've been focusing on enhancing our platform with a new feature: a streamlined booking system for service appointments. It started with a simple question: How can we make scheduling services like the annual heat interface unit (HIU) maintenance easier and more efficient for our residents and leaseholders?

 We knew that in previous years, booking an appointment could be a bit of a hassle—phone calls, coordinating with agents, missed appointments, no reminders and time wasted for the engineer. So, we set out to change that.

Iterating for ease and simplicity

Our team went through several versions of the appointment booking page. We wanted to ensure it was not just functional but genuinely resident-friendly. Here's what we focused on:

• Mobile and desktop accessibility: Recognising that people might book appointments on the go as well on laptops, we optimised the system for both mobile and bigger screens.
• Easy appointment selection: We designed an interface that clearly shows available days and time slots, so residents can quickly find a time that fits their schedule.
• Seamless experience: For residents and owners logged into their ALLRES account, the system pre-populates all the details, speeding up the booking process. If not, we made the address search as straightforward as possible.
• Reminders: It’s easy to forget things you’ve booked weeks in advance, so our confirmation emails include a diary placeholder. Residents also get email and text reminders 24 hours in advance to make sure they don’t forget.

Real results and savings for residents

Since launching the booking system for heat interface unit servicing in our pilot building, we've seen some impressive results:

• Fully booked engineers: Over the first four weeks, we’ve had all available appointments booked, ensuring we make the most of our engineers' time, keeping costs down for residents.
• Reduced cancellations: We've only had one last-minute cancellation, which is a significant improvement over previous years and again saves wasted time for the engineer and reducing costs for residents.

We know we're on the right track, but we’re always looking to improve.

What next?

The new booking system is fully integrated into our technology platform, allowing us to extend it and use it new ways to improve the experience of living in a development managed by ALLRES. Here’s what residents can expect in future: 

• Being able to schedule mandatory safety inspections at a time that suits residents, such as flat entrance door checks required by the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
• If residents want to discuss building safety issues or other concerns with the property manager, why not let them book these appointments online too?
• Making repairs convenient. If repairs require access to a flat, being able to share the available times provided by a contractor and letting the resident select the time that suits them, without the need for multiple emails.

Collaboration across teams and contractors

Making this new feature a success has not just been a technical challenge. We've worked closely with the concierge to ensure they can assist residents and help keep the schedule of appointments on track. Contractors are also kept in sync, with a detailed schedule of appointments and contact information to make sure no time is wasted.

 Easy and seamless booking of service appointments – just another way ALLRES is reinventing residential property management in the UK.