Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa April/ May 2020 | Page 30

UTILITIES
A new
digital reality
2020 evolution of the real estate sector
D
igital has become an inherent part of every business,
sector and industry. It’s permeated the solutions
people have on offer, the capabilities they can
provide and the service that they can deliver to their
customers. The real estate industry now sits on the cusp of
a technology revolution as customers demand increasingly
frictionless and accessible solutions. According to Michael
Franze, Managing Director at Citiq Prepaid, this demand is
changing the dynamic of the relationship between tenant
and property owner.
“At the recent 2020 Real Estate Summit, the leading topic
of conversation was digitisation and the ways in which
the industry can capitalise on its potential,” he explains. “As
economies become even more dampened by recession
and the impact of the coronavirus, competition for tenant
attention will become increasingly fierce. Real estate owners
and managers need to innovate and provide solutions that
attract and retain tenants.”
While this level of disruption may seem challenging at first,
the truth is that it is also an opportunity. If the tenant of today
wants positive experiences and engagements, now is the
time to invest into solutions that do just that – deliver positive
experiences. Tenants don’t want murky billing, complicated
invoicing, and difficult to interpret utility usage tariffs – they
want clear and transparent billing that aligns with their usage.
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APRIL/MAY 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine
“The real estate market can bolster its positioning with
the use of solutions that provide tenants with accurate
and transparent insights into their electricity and water
consumption,” says Franze. “Utilities are among the most
highly contested, and dreaded, bills for consumers as they
never know what to expect. Owners can change this narrative
by introducing sub-metering systems that not only ensure
absolute transparency, but allow for complete control over
usage and costs.”
Citiq Prepaid provides market-leading sub-metering
solutions to the real estate industry. Designed to provide
reliable and accurate utility payment and provision services,
Citiq Prepaid removes the pain points traditionally associated
with utilities. Sub-metering systems not only improve
transparency by allowing for tenants to manage their own
spend, but they also ensure that the funds required by owners
are available on time every month.
“Through the use of our sub-metering platforms that blend
the digital with the functional, real estate owners can tightly
manage costs and reduce complexities while simultaneously
providing tenants with a sense of ownership and control,”
concludes Franze.
SOURCE Citiq Prepaid