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Lessen | Blog

Internet of Things: Retail’s Newest Watchdog

Posted by Cindy Kaplan on 3/15/17 10:22 AM

The Internet of Things is transforming the in-store experience. From smart thermostats that improve energy use, to smart shelves that detect low inventory, the entire retail experience is going through a transformation. These upcoming advances in technology can also help mitigate risk down the road.

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What Indirect Operational Costs Affect Your P&L

Posted by Sean Hartnett on 3/9/17 10:25 AM

Indirect costs are often overlooked and are not applied back to direct ticket costs because they are less tangible than hourly rates and trip charges. This makes them harder to calculate for the total cost of ownership. However, without evaluating these indirect costs, you lose transparency to accurately calculate the financial impact on your business.

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3 Ways to Maintain (or Improve) Restaurant Brand Experience

Posted by Guy Edasis on 3/1/17 3:09 PM

Brand extends far beyond a logo. The best companies have a strong experiential component that relates to the way they use their space to make you feel specific emotions as part of their brand experience. Think about the best-in-class restaurant brands and how they set an exact tone and feel the minute you enter the door. The way a restaurant looks and the way guests feel during their dining experience affects brand arguably more than a catchy jingle or a funny commercial.

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Three 5-Star Ways Store Manager Feedback Can Improve Your Business

Posted by Elisabeth Klisser on 2/23/17 10:25 AM

 We’ve entered an era where ratings rule. Whether it’s a Yelp review of a restaurant or a driver’s score on Lyft, consumers are now accustomed to having the instant satisfaction of applauding excellent service with five stars and reporting bad service with less. In fact, 62% of businesses now use a customer experience analytics reporting system (Deloitte).

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No One Remembers Clicking a Buy Button: Why Online Shopping Can’t Beat an In-Store Experience

Posted by Cindy Kaplan on 2/14/17 4:16 PM

Digital shopping is only part of the average buyer's journey. The physical retail environment is still going strong, which is why so many brands maintain retail buildings and some online-only retailers are now opening brick-and-mortar stores.

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4 Proven Ways Preventative Maintenance Pays Off

Posted by Elisabeth Klisser on 2/8/17 1:47 PM

The hard-dollar bottom line of preventive maintenance is this: It has a demonstrable impact on the budget.

Preventive maintenance can prove its ROI if facilities managers know which metrics to analyze. These stats vary by facility, and they aren’t always cut-and-dried. For example, even soft benefits, such as customer perception and satisfaction, carry weight, according to FacilitiesNet.

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MVP: Maintaining Valuable Properties

Posted by Whitney Jones on 1/31/17 2:03 PM

Although the Patriots and the Falcons are the teams on the field playing for the ultimate NFL title, SMS Assist knows who the real MVP is during the big game. The facility maintenance team has a lot of preparation and elements to consider before they can call one of the biggest sporting events of the year a “win.” 

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How to Track The Efficiency of Your Facilities Maintenance Program

Posted by Guy Edasis on 1/24/17 9:33 AM

How do you know if your facilities maintenance program is running efficiently? From a high level, it’s hard to tell. However, if you know the right KPIs to measure performance against, it is easier to monitor the efficiency, effectiveness and overall success of your facilities maintenance program. Keep reading to learn more about the four key performance indicators you should be tracking in 2017 and beyond.

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Top Challenges for Single-Family Rental (SFR) Property Management Programs in 2017

Posted by Cindy Kaplan on 1/19/17 2:31 PM

Over the last few years, investing in Single-Family Rentals has been a great opportunity for many institutional investors, but at the same time, the nature of the SFRs and characteristics of its residents provide unique challenges, especially from the property maintenance perspective. Here are the top three facilities maintenance challenges for an SFR portfolio to consider this year:

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What is Work Order Avoidance? 

Posted by Elisabeth Klisser on 1/16/17 9:20 AM

Work order avoidance is the process of preventing costs associated with work orders by actively troubleshooting maintenance requests. When done correctly, work order avoidance eliminates expenses associated with work orders such as trip charges, service charges and more. This not only avoids waste for your business, but can also increase your resident satisfaction.

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