Property managers might find a helping hand in the shape of CrowdComfort, whose product came about from an innovation challenge that asked: “What if people could use their smartphones to unlock inefficiencies in building and workplace management?”

The answer of course is that people can save time and money by keeping track of issues while improving their customer service.

CrowdComfort came into being in 2013 at the Boston Cleanweb Hackathon, and uses the crowdsourcing concept to gather data on individual properties. It uses what’s called a Human Sensor Network that identifies potential issues for property managers to follow up.

How it works

CrowdComfort is a software-as-a-service platform that allows building occupants to file geo-located reports on the state of their building. They can use the platform to identify issues regarding comfort, maintenance and safety, attach photos to highlight any issues they find, thereby saving property managers from keeping an eye on things themselves.

The platform also identifies trends in facility management using a reporting system that’s able to track problems and note the times of day when reports are most frequently filed. The service can also map issues if the landlord submits a floor plan for a specific building, which make it easier for them to analyze places where issues keep on reappearing.

Landlords and property managers can categorize reports as maintenance or comfort issues, or create their own categories using customized filters. The app also provides automatic notifications, so managers can send repair requests to their contractor as soon as issues crop up.

Lastly, the app also helps to keep tenants up to date on the progress of repairs, giving them peace of mind that action is being taken promptly and without delay.

The advantage

CrowdComfort can be downloaded onto any smartphone and users can immediately register their properties, and start sending reports. The app is designed to be effective for office and facilities management, multi-location retail management, preventative maintenance, and maintaining safety inspection & compliance.

CrowdComfort’s biggest advantage is it allows everyone to save time. Tenants can report problems quickly and easily, and contractors know exactly where to go to fix them. The multi-location retail option provides store-by-store analysis breaking down the exact location of reported issues. Turn the reports into actionable areas for improvement to keep customers happy and coming back. The ability to identify potential issues before they become serious hazards is a bonus.