How our new app will improve students’ living experience

Author: Jen Steadman

Students’ digital needs have changed since our app first launched in 2013. We’ve created a new app to better meet those needs and enrich our residents’ stay with us.

Back in 2013, Unite Students was the first private purpose-built accommodation provider to create a student app. It was originally pioneered for the simple function of logging maintenance requests. Over time new features were added, including uChat, which gave our residents the opportunity to meet their flatmates ahead of arrival.

But with technology and students’ digital needs having evolved significantly over the past decade, we’ve developed a more modern app which can help to enhance our residents’ living experience with us – improving its existing functionality and introducing new features.

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What we’ve improved

Even before they arrive, the new app will help to enhance residents’ experience of living with us. Our new-look digital check-in feature shows what days and times are busiest, helping to manage expectations and give residents the opportunity to have a welcome experience that works for them.

We’ve also provided a step-by-step guide on what to expect on arrival and included information on what’s provided in our buildings, so residents know what to bring (and what not to bring!) – helping to tackle common anxieties for first year students and smoothing the path for a great welcome experience.

Other features that have been carried over to the new app and enhanced include:

• Flat chats: This updated version of uChat allows residents write bios that tell their flatmates who they are before they start chatting. As before, chats have safeguarding features embedded to prevent abuse of the messaging function.
• Maintenance requests: It’s now simpler for residents to log issues, and they receive clearer updates on how the request is being dealt with.
• Flat lock-outs and noise complaints: These now show an estimated time of arrival, reassuring residents that someone will be there soon.
• Parcel deliveries: When we receive a resident’s parcel, they’re instantly informed with a push notification.

What’s new

The homepage is curated for each step of a resident’s journey with us – from before arrival, all the way to check-out – so they’ll get the most relevant information to them on that journey

Other new features include:

• Property communities: Managed by our teams, these chats help residents to stay up-to-date with the latest events and alerts in their building. This will bolster our six-week Welcome programme and make it easier than ever for residents to know about and get involved in community-building events. It also makes it easier to get to know Resident Ambassadors and residents in neighbouring flats, and means recommendations and advice are only ever a message away.
• 24/7 help and support: If things are tough, residents can get help at the touch of a button – directly contacting our 24/7 student assistance helpline through the app – or they can access our Support for You resources, including FAQs and contact details.
• Financial management and perks: Residents can check their payments and update account details from the app, while also being able to find the latest discounts through our partnerships – helping with the cost of living.

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Creating the app in collaboration

From start to finish, the app has been developed in collaboration with both our residents and our teams. In the earliest stages, our product development team looked at student feedback on the app over the years and analytics on how it had been used so they could understand what worked and what didn’t. We also looked at what sorts of questions came into our Contact Centre so we knew where the app could provide information and reassurance, particularly around check-in.

We consulted with our frontline teams on their ideas for the app, as they see our residents day in, day out and know what processes could be easily automated – freeing them up from reception to have more face-to-face interactions with residents around our buildings.

Students had the opportunity to test the app at each stage of its development so they could feed back on its look, feel and functionality, helping us to adapt the app based on what worked for them.

Product Manager Ellie Drave , who oversaw the app’s development from start to finish, said, “We have a little note to students [in the app] which says ‘Made with love by Unite Students’, because I really do feel like the whole team that has worked on this has always come from a place of: ‘How can we help students at a really exciting yet difficult time in their lives?’ [That] has always been the key driving force.”

Hear more from Ellie on our latest episode of Accommodation Matters: