Published Jan 29, 2019

3 Things to Think About When Choosing a Smart Home

man presents smart home lead to lease data to a client

3 Important Things to Consider

man holding pen

In 2019, technology is moving faster than ever. According to an IHS study, the number of IoT connected devices is expected to grow from 26 billion to 75 billion devices between 2019 and 2025. The smart home market is on a tear! As property managers, vacation rental owners, and real estate developers, how do you choose the smart home company that is going to serve you and your renters best? How do you know what the best business decision is?

A few important topics and questions to contemplate when choosing an enterprise smart home company to support your renters:

  • Technology
  • Client Services
  • Company History

1. Technology

How does the company develop its technology? Do they take a copy-and-paste software approach? Or do they develop their own software?

When a company builds and fully controls its technology, the end user – AKA, the property manager or renter – has a better experience. The tools and built-in features are fed to the company from client needs directly, giving you a more bespoke user experience.

Rently Keyless (shameless plug, here) is dedicated to continuously improving our proprietary, patented technology. We solicit and welcome regular feedback from our clients. Who knows better about what property managers and renters need from their technology than property managers and renters? Makes sense to us too!

2. Client Services

Can you get around the clock support for your smart system? Are you just a ticket number? Does the company care about helping your business?

You should always want to feel like you are the center of attention when you have an urgent issue, need ongoing training, or want to vent about a pain point. As business owners, you have a set of skills and understanding of what will make your business operate at peak operational efficiency. The support that you need to best serve your clientele requires a simple but often hard to find resource: a caring listener, not just a salesperson or general assistance. People that care about your business will help you make it better.

Rently Keyless (another plug – we really believe in what we do) does this by treating your business like it’s our business – because it is. We believe that when your business grows, so does ours. We take a personal, consultative approach to help you select the best mix of products and services. We don’t want to sell you as a business, we want to serve you as a business. There is a real big difference between the two.

“When customers share their story, they’re not just sharing pain points. They’re actually teaching you how to make your product, service, and business better.”

Kristin Smaby, “Being Human is Good Business”

3. Company History and Reputation

How long has the company been offering its products and services? Do they answer to their customers or their stakeholders? Does the company make their own tools, or simply buy and label them as their own?

There isn’t inherently anything wrong with receiving investor money for your venture, but here is why it is important to note: when tech companies take funding from investors, they may lose the flexibility to innovate and pivot as they see fit. It’s like turning on the radio, and all the big record company music sounds the same. Self-funded artists can continually elevate their sound and grow their audience more organically. Independence means they can directly give the listener a unique tailored experience.

When you are investing resources into a smart home solution you want to know that they work for you, the client, directly. After all, your success and the success of that business should be mutually beneficial.

The time that a company like Rently Keyless (last plug, promise) has put into developing a firm foundation is paying dividends. Rently and our sister division, Rently Keyless, have spent nearly ten years creating a company based on providing long-lasting solution-based products and services, client-centric around-the-clock support, and continuing innovation to stay ahead of the rapidly changing technology landscape.

The Rently brand has been in business for nearly a decade, creating patented, proprietary technology. We answer to you, the client, and are here to fully support, consult, and help you grow. Before you decide on your enterprise smart home solution, ask that company where they have been, and where they are going.

Rently will be here for the next decade and on. Will they?

Contact The Writer:
Branndon Brown
(323) 458-6378
branndon@rently.com

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