You may recognise the feeling. You have rented a cottage in Lapland, and after the packing and the long car journey to get there, there are still a few steps before you can finally kick back and enjoy your well-deserved holiday. Our guest writer Juha Pieviläinen from Securitas Technology, tells us about ‘holiday stress’ and how holiday rental property owners can improve their customers’ experiences.
I booked my cabin; where are the keys?
We decided to book a cabin in Lapland for our skiing holiday. The booking process was flawless and didn’t create any stress, which instead started when we packed the car and drove with the children to Lapland. Our stress levels peaked while we searched for a parking spot at the bustling rental office, as it was ‘exchange Saturday’, namely when previous renters leave, and new ones arrive. We knew we would have had to queue for a while.
Important insight about customer experience
While waiting, I realized I would have the same procedure ahead of me the following Saturday when returning my keys and wondered, isn’t there any other way of handling this? Can we reduce the stress levels of the holidaymakers? Could Securitas Flow do something about that?
How could Securitas Flow improve customer experience?
The answer to the question is: of course! With the Securitas Flow mobile access system, the situation above would play out in the following way.
I would reserve a cabin on the web page just like I did, but in addition to my booking confirmation, I would receive an e-mail from the Flow system, which would instruct me to activate my user name and install the app on my mobile phone.
On the day the holiday starts, we would drive directly to the cabin, and the doors would open with the app, thus avoiding the stress and the long waiting time at the office. As for the last day, we would serenely pack our car, clean up the apartment, and drive straight home without a visit to the office, as you don’t need to return the mobile keys anywhere.
Rental property owner – would you like your customers to experience this?
How to operate Securitas Flow?
What do rental property owners need to do? They need to install an adapter to the door of the rental cabin. Thanks to the Flow Open Access Platform Partnership, plenty of adapters on the market fit, as the system is not linked to only one manufacturer. The adapters can work both on electricity or batteries, and there is no need for an internet connection. In Nordic countries, we recommend an electricity-operated adapter so that it does not freeze in cold temperatures, or you can install it on the inside.
The Flow platform has a ready REST API interface, which allows for integration into different booking systems, and it’s partly already existing in some of them. The Flow platform has been created, developed and managed in Finland. Parts of the lock adapters are designed and manufactured in Finland as well.
What is Securitas Flow?
Securitas Flow is a flexible solution that enables access to users’ smartphones. You can integrate the solution into external systems so that existing locks and access control systems can stay as they are, there is no need for replacement. Access credentials can be shared in real-time and granted immediately.
Securitas Flow uses Bitwards’ Open Access Platform.
The app also allows incorporating the alarm function and linking to the Securitas Technology Security service centre for increased security.
Would you like to know more about Security Flow?
Contact us through the link below!
Securitas Technology and Bitwards as strategic partners
Securitas Technology is the world leader in integrated security technology systems. Operations started officially when Securitas acquired STANLEY security in July 2022. The registered name in Finland is now Securitas Technology Oy.
Consequently, the service previously known as STANLEY Flow is now Securitas Flow. Even if the brand and the overall appearance of the app have changed, the technology behind the service has stayed the same. It is provided by Securitas Technology’s strategic partner, the Finnish high-tech company Bitwards Oy.
With the Securitas Flow app, smartphones become digital keys granting access to designated areas.
Existing customers will be informed about the change. User names and passwords won’t change.
Text: Juha Pieviläinen, Securitas Technology
Editing: Bitwards/Katja Sonninen
Translation: Bitwards/Katariina Benedetti
Photos: Securitas Technology/Saana Räisänen
