Background
Tāmaki Regeneration is planning an innovative use of QR codes in a way that’s strategic and also practical for maintenance contractors. Property-specific codes will allow maintenance teams to quickly access the asbestos management plan, as well as live, up-to-date facilities management plans.
The goal
QR codes, generated from SPM Assets’ core software, will be transformed into stickers and placed inside meter boxes or letterboxes of all 2,600 or so tenanted properties owned and managed by Tāmaki Regeneration in Auckland, New Zealand.
This QR code strategy means that contractors will be able to scan the stickers with their smartphones. This will allow them to immediately access a wealth of information about the property, including:
- Health and Safety Information including asbestos management plans: contractors will know where any suspected asbestos is located, and how they’ll need to respond to the risk.
- Levels of service appropriate to the property, including identifying gaps relating to Healthy Homes compliance, asset renewal, and preventative maintenance strategies.
- Contact details of key contractors, tenancy staff and the PCBU.
- A ‘live’ facilities management plan that’s always up-to-date and relates to all aspects of property, such as:
- Structural elements: roof, walls, ceiling, and
underfloor - Heating, hot water, ventilation, and insulation
- Drainage and plumbing
- Signs of potential moisture ingress and mould
- Electrical and smoke alarms.
- Structural elements: roof, walls, ceiling, and
Giving contractors an overview of the overall property means that maintenance decisions will be made holistically, rather than in isolation. The use of QR codes allows for the strategic property management plan to be implemented intelligently in the field, with the information being quick and easy to access by those who need it.
All photos credit: Tamaki Regeneration
Benefits of property QR codes
The key benefit of utilising QR code technology in this way is that it provides the ability to share up-to-date information to those who need it – and quickly.
Tāmaki Regeneration values a relationship of transparency with its community, and in the future plan to also use QR codes to share its service levels with tenants. This will inform tenants of what they can expect from their housing provider, as well as giving them key information about the property they’re living in.
Security is key
Once a contractor scans a QR code, they will need to log into the SPM Assets database: the information is held securely, so only authorised people can access it and allows TRC to monitor and manage its health and safety obligations with its contractors.
What’s more, tenant privacy is maintained: no personal information about tenants can be accessed through the QR code. The information stored in the database only relates to the property.
“It’s the one or two click aspect to QR codes that really sold me on using them,” says Tracy Massam, Asset Manager at Tāmaki Regeneration.
“Typing a website address is time consuming and it’s easy to make a typo. You don’t have that worry with a QR code – it will take contractors directly to the information they need.”
Next steps
The QR code generator is part of the core SPM Assets applications - look for ‘QR Code link’ on the Property Summary screen. If you’d like someideas on how to get maximum value from a QR code strategy in your organisation, reach out to your account manager. Or if you’re not yet an SPM Assets customer, but would like to find out more, please contact your nearest office.