The Company
EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP), a member of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and Russell 2000 Indexes, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. The company’s goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location-sensitive customers (primarily in the 20,000 to 100,000 square foot range).
The Challenge
Scaling solutions and streamlining processes
To support phenomenal growth, EastGroup needed to adopt scalable software solutions. The company sought to transition from disconnected manual and paper-based methods to integrated and automated processes that increased efficiencies without substantially increasing staff.
The Solution
Yardi Facility Manager and CommercialCafe
Facility Manager optimizes EastGroup’s operations by centralizing maintenance information in a single transparent system, automating work order requests and tracking and eliminating paperwork that slows down maintenance techs and distracts office staff from higher-value tasks.
CommercialCafe provides EastGroup and its customers with an easy-to-use portal for self-service maintenance requests, account access, rent payments and a place to submit certificates of insurance for compliance review. The portal also allows for communication that customers enjoy and staff appreciate because it expedites transactions and reduces their workloads.
The Story
Connecting information and services
Lacking a single database of facility management information for maintenance operations means time-consuming manual work and poor transparency into job details and costs. EastGroup doesn’t employ internal engineers on staff and relies 100% on external service providers. “EastGroup’s property management staff communicated to me that they stored this type of information in Excel or Outlook which wasn’t efficient,” recalled CIO Brian Laird. “The question that came to my mind was, what if a computer crashed or an employee was unavailable and we didn’t have a way to retrieve this vital information?”
To solve those disconnects and streamline processes using a single connected platform, EastGroup adopted Facility Manager and CommercialCafe. “It’s been great. We have a tenant portal with CommercialCafe so our tenants enter their own service requests. We also use the portal for move-in and move-out forms, along with annual environmental inspections of all of our suites,” said Laird.
Enjoying a one-stop shop
Another benefit of CommercialCafe is having a place where customers can upload their insurance documentation. Laird explained that it’s so convenient for tenants and EastGroup’s staff to use the portal where numerous transactions are just a click away. “It comes down to improving the customer experience by giving them the ability to easily make payments online, review monthly rental statements and truly be a one stop shop for anything related to the lessor/lessee experience.”
