Serviced logistics parks company Inospace has launched its Inocircle online platform, which aims to resolve business pain points and add material value to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), says chief marketing and product officer Jodi Sher.
“Inospace’s tenants are not being kept up at night by what they pay in rent. For every rand our clients spend on rent, they spend R5 on electricity and R10 on transportation, and our focus has been on creating technology solutions around those areas,” she explains.
The Inocircle technology platform serves as a space-as-a-service by offering useful business tools that go beyond cost savings and efficiencies.
“Tenants want more than just space these days and it starts with how we create customer centricity and change the relationship using technology,” Sher highlights.
The value of a property is no longer defined solely by the space and its location, but by the blend of technology-enabled service and a superior tenant experience. The Inocircle technology platform is a realisation of that, delivering solutions to some of the most critical challenges facing property managers and tenants.
“Today’s property managers are tasked with everything from community relations to rental collections and vendor management. Inocircle offers property rental tools which manage deals, properties, and lease expirations. It also offers real estate analytics and data which make it possible to assess future risks and opportunities,” she avers.
Further, on the consumer end, Inocircle incorporates facility management and offers customised customer-support services. A subscription service will help tenants manage their supply and procurement demands and access industrial and logistics-related goods and services offered by various vendors at preferential rates.
In addition, clients will create business profiles on Inocircle, allowing them to request maintenance support and manage their accounts with real-time access to a business directory, Sher adds.
Meanwhile, for the launch of the platform, Inocircle has partnered with vendors including MiWay Insurance and 2Ship, which is a fully integrated client-facing transport management system. Through MiWay, Inocircle will provide new and existing clients with discounted non-life insurance and a range of business insurance products.
The partnership with 2Ship, meanwhile, will offer tenants access to an integrated online transport platform. This will allow them to find the most affordable and fastest courier and delivery solutions for any shipment.
The logistics service also provides a seamless integration layer between all the major e-commerce stores and most South African local and international courier companies.
“Inocircle users will be able to track deliveries, receive email updates and pay using an e-wallet, without having to open accounts with various courier companies,” says Sher.
Additionally, through exclusive offers, Inocircle will give its clients access to various support services, ideal for SMEs, including an information technology helpdesk, tender notifications, marketing services and legal and labour advice.
“By streamlining how we work with our clients through this platform, we are improving efficiencies for our clients and enabling them to focus on the operations and growth of their businesses,” says Sher.
In addition to being the biggest owner of serviced logistics parks in South Africa, Inospace is positioning itself to be a property technology (proptech) provider with a war chest aimed at finding solutions to its customer’s logistics pain points, she notes.
Months after the announcement of its R1.25-billion deal with real estate investment trust Fortress REIT, Inospace company is aiming to set the gold standard of African corporate real estate management with the adoption of technology and a laser focus on what its customers need, Sher states.
In 2020, Inospace created its own property management system, which initially focused on innovative concepts to manage a large multi-let real estate platform that has short leases and offers flexible terms.
These proptech systems align with Inospace’s increased focus on streamlined efficiencies, cost-reduction and improved decision-making.
Further, having grown to 50 logistics parks, the business has the ability to scale up its technology offerings through Inocircle, she says.