INTRODUCTION
Meet Diggit Studentlife, a forward-thinking company with a vision to become one of the leading companies in Europe for managing student housing. Dedicated to ensuring students have the best possible experience during their academic journey, Diggit Studentlife embarked on a transformative partnership with Powerhouse to address critical challenges and elevate their operations.
Challenge
Diggit Studentlife grew quickly in its early years, facing big challenges along the way. Using outdated systems and complex Excel files made it hard to understand the financial results and also made it difficult to streamline and automate work. This ended up lowering trust in their current systems. Additionally, the reliance on manual processes not only took up a lot of time but also led to mistakes and disruptions, making it tough for the company to grow as efficiently as it wanted to.
Manual Processes and Inefficiencies
"The strength of powerhouse is that all of our administrative tasks get fully automated from the beginning to the end", says Jelle Tillieu COO Diggit Studentlife. "This resulted in savings equivalent to the workload of a half-time employee working on financial processing on a monthly basis."
Everything is now automated and error-proof. Before, invoices were sometimes entered too late or incorrectly, making it difficult to recover them from their tenants or owners. Now, tickets are immediately created, the right person is tagged, and payments are automatically generated.
“We were on a quest to find an all-in-one platform that could handle finances, student onboarding, student checkouts, and communication seamlessly. After trying 10 different platforms, our search finally paid off when we discovered the ideal platform that met all our needs.”
"The collaboration within our team has even gotten better. Before, I was only focused on the financial aspects and I would send angry reminder emails to students who didn't pay", says Louis Toye - Business Process Manager. "Now, I understand that there might be technical issues causing payment problems. I can easily tag my colleagues for insights or check the situation myself on the platform, including the full communication history. This approach has added a personal touch to our processes".
Integration and Scaling Issues
"We used to have many different apps, like a CRM, 2 different property management tools, inspection software, and invoicing software", says Jelle Tillieu. "One of Powerhouse's advantages comes with its platform, Salesforce. Through the AppExchange, you can find apps for any need, and it has an extensive API offering, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with any other system."
The platform got also tailored to fit Diggit Studentlife's special requirements, like creating a system for dividing rent - the pooling system. This method lets rent be shared among all building owners, even if their individual apartments aren't rented out.
Risks Associated with Implementation
Thorough planning, training, and ongoing support from Powerhouse mitigated risks associated with system integration and adoption. Special attention was given to financial management, ensuring a smooth transition without impacting cash flow.
“Powerhouse's support during the implementation phase was crucial. The increased level of support post-go-live and training for our staff ensured a seamless transition.”
Efficiency Gains
A transparent overview of ongoing maintenance and support tickets
Cost Savings
Equivalent to the workload of a half-time employee working on financial processing
Employee Satisfaction
The entire company unified on a single platform, spanning from finance to operations.
"We are excited about leveraging Powerhouse's scalability for our expansion plans and continuously improving the student housing experience."