Robotics have helped transform almost every known industry, and commercial real estate is no exception, Realty News Biz reports. Between artificial intelligence (AI), automation, chatbots and more, robotics has helped make owning and operating CRE buildings more efficient and cost effective than ever.
For example, AI technology can take repetitive tasks off CRE professionals’ hands, such as automated tours. Finding a time when the building owner, potential tenants or sellers are all available is one of the most difficult parts of setting up a tour. With AI however, people can tour a site at their convenience and check it out multiple times. Automated tours also benefit CRE owners as they can “show” their property to more people at various times, increasing the number of interested parties.
Here are four additional ways robotics are making a major impact on the CRE industry.
Marketing real estate listings
AI has made it easier for CRE owners to market their property listings, Realty Biz News reports. Industry professionals often use drones to take pictures of their commercial properties, as a lot of potential buyers find aerial photos more appealing than standard building shots. However, CRE professionals are now also using drones to inspect their properties. Not all damage can be spotted from the ground, and it can also be more time efficient to use a drone to inspect a property than physically driving to the building to do so. Those time savings also allow CRE owners to address any maintenance issues as soon as possible.
Respond to customer questions at any time
Customer service is valued across all industries, regardless of how big or small a person’s issue might be. Chatbots offer CRE professionals the best of both worlds — they can respond to a customer’s inquiry in a timely manner at all hours and potentially help resolve the issue. If the problem does require human help, AI can direct the inquiry to someone who can handle it.
The technology saves building owners and property managers time from answering every customer question themselves. Additionally, chatbots can often provide better customer service than a person can, especially when the question involves accessing information. A chatbot can find answers instantly, where a human would need time to look it up.
Improve property management
AI tools can help monitor all of a building’s relevant data, Realty Biz News reports. This includes inventory, weak security areas, where unused spaces are located and if energy is being wasted. Depending on the robotics’ quality, it can simply collect this data for CRE owners or analyze it. The most powerful systems can even offer recommendations on how to improve property management.
Property management cost reduction
Speaking of saving costs, CRE owners can also use AI tools for security matters vs. having guards on premises. Advanced AI tools can spot different types of criminal activity. The fear of being caught on camera could deter criminals from entering a property, saving companies money from any goods that might have been stolen otherwise.
Going forward, there’s potential for robots to guard buildings while handling other simple management tasks, according to Reality News Biz. They could perform security tours to check the property’s perimeter and empty rooms. While some buildings might lean just on robots, a hybrid security team with AI and humans could be most effective as people could handle more urgent matters.
While AI can help CRE owners run their properties more effectively, it could also be a way to attract new tenants. A potential tenant could be more likely to sign a lease if a robot escorts them around the building.
“In the future, there may be a growing number of commercial property tenants who prefer properties with AI assistance,” Realty Biz News said. “As the years go by, even more applications of AI tech will probably be discovered in the world of real estate. In fact, the most successful real estate professionals in the future may be those who make the best possible use out of AI tools.”
