LWB is the first municipal landlord in Saxony to launch a service app

For example, in the future it will be possible to use a smartphone or tablet to send damage reports to the LWB around the clock and from any location, to find out about the status of commissioned tradesmen's work, to get rid of questions about the statement of operating costs, or to view correspondence including one's own rental contract. The tenant can choose from the four services "Contracts", "Damage report", "Service" and "Letting".

"We are pleased to be able to expand the service for our customers with this modern offer. Of course they will continue to have the choice of communicating with us in person, by telephone, in writing or via the Service App," says LWB Managing Director Iris Wolke-Haupt.

She added that this change, which will take effect at the beginning of January 2018, will meet the need for innovative services and a service that is mobile and permanently available. The app can also help tenants save time and make the LWB more efficient as a landlord.

Customers enter their concerns, damage reports or questions to the LWB directly into the company network via the app. The completion of the orders or questions is mapped directly. The technical basis for this is that the direct connection between the tenant and the LWB's ERP system as landlord - ERP stands for Enterprise Resource Planning and is an industry-specific software solution - is established via the so-called easysquare workflow solution.

Calling the LWB customer hotline or even a personal consultation with the tenant advisor at the service kiosk is no longer necessary in every case. It should also be possible to communicate via the app when the LWB informs tenants, for example about the completed name change or the status of a conversion permit application.

According to information from the vdw Sachsen Verband der Wohnungs- und Immobilienwirtschaft e.V. (vdw Saxony Association of the Housing and Real Estate Industry), Leipziger Wohnungs- und Baugesellschaft mbH is the first municipal company in the Free State of Saxony to offer such a digital service with its Service App. "We are looking forward to the LWB's experience with the App," said vdw press spokesman Alexander Müller. According to association research, some companies are currently planning a similar service expansion to that of the LWB.

While mobile apps are only growing slightly on average in Europe and are declining in the USA, the German market, which has grown by 13 percent since 2014, still seems capable of growth. This was the assessment published by Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) at the Mobile World Congress at the end of February 2017: "There is still a lot of catching up to do in our industry with regard to digitization," says Wolke-Haupt. "By broadening our range of services, we are focusing on the changing needs of our customers.

The LWB Service App can be downloaded free of charge for both iOS and Android devices from the Apple Store or the Google Play Store under the keyword "LWB". Those customers who do not use an app can use its functions via the LWB website.