Tech in the time of coronavirus

As we close our doors to the outside world, self-isolate and read worrying headline after worrying headline on the impact of coronavirus, the world can suddenly seem like a very lonely place. For companies across the UK, keeping calm and carrying on will be essential, especially as we start to see businesses being hit hard. Laura Ashley announced this week it was going into administration after coronavirus scuppered its plans to raise more cash by the end of the month to enact a turnaround plan. Meanwhile, shopping centre landlords have begun to shut up shop, as well as cinema chains across the UK. More generally, widespread measures have been taken by businesses to send their workforces home to work remotely for the foreseeable future. It has meant that now more than ever, technology is not only crucial to keep businesses going in the face of severe disruption, but also to bring people together during a time when communities have become physically fractured. So what is the technology sector doing to keep businesses, clients, and people on as even a keel as possible in these tough and unprecedented times? Bringing people together When something as everyday as setting foot outside the front door feels like stepping into the unknown, life can seem a little strange, and maybe a little overwhelming. For those who live alone, or who may be sick and in the risk category bracket, socialising is becoming increasingly dangerous and walking to the shop to get some milk isn’t necessarily an option. Beating loneliness and isolation looks set to be a challenge for many people over the coming weeks. For people working from home, there is a lifeline not just for business continuity but for staying connected with others using apps such as Microsoft Teams. But what about those who don’t have a team to dial in to every day or who want to continue to socialise and stay interconnected beyond their world of work? This is where apps such as SPIKE can be hugely helpful. Originally created as part of the Battersea Power Station redevelopment, SPIKE is an app that residents could use to keep updated with the ongoing project. Now it is in use across housing developments in the UK, where residents can use it to pick up packages, book transport, set up their own clubs or start a conversation in the app’s forum. It’s proved an important tool for residents to help each other out, or simply to provide comfort and advice while self-isolating. “Because people use the app to live within property, the usage level is already high,” says SPIKE chief executive Jeremy Heath-Smith. “But we have noticed there is more activity in help forums. People are looking at coronavirus help clubs and advice, and there’s definitely more activity.” Residents have created their own clubs and forums, and Heath-Smith says the app has brought the community together and “really does embrace how we can come together in these difficult times”. He adds: “People will write comments saying: ‘let me know if you need help and I can drop off some milk’. Out of a dreadful situation, something good can happen.” WiredScore president and managing director William Newton says now more than ever, the power of digital connectivity cannot be underestimated. The company is sending out guides to clients about how to improve connectivity while working from home. Newton says making your internet faster and stronger could be as simple as changing the settings on your router. “I think there’s something about this that will probably take everyone back to the realisation that digital connectivity is a very human thing. We ask ourselves: how can we continue to collaborate and work in a human way through this crisis? And the thing that is going to allow us to do that is digital connectivity.” Another small step that can go a long way is to set up daily virtual meetings with your staff, which can help people feel less isolated, says Harri John senior consultant, strategic advisory at CBRE. “An important tip for the virtual meetings is to make sure everyone’s video is on so you get to see everyone’s faces – it’s less isolating,” she says. Playing with the virtual background options can add a bit of fun to these calls, she adds. “We’ve had people sitting in front of Golden Gate Bridge, up in space, in a jungle, on the alps – you name it.” New furry team members have also been recruited: “Cats, dogs, even ducks have made it on to our virtual calls.” Keeping business going While widespread isolation continues and uncertainty builds over when this will lift, taking a tour around a building you have been considering buying is now off the cards. Occupiers looking to sign up office space and view their options are also in the same boat while lockdown continues. But one proptech company is offering a solution to this predicament. EyeSpy360 is an online platform that allows people to take a virtual tour of a building – be that commercial, residential, retail or otherwise. It also has the option to click through to call an agent to sign up for space or purchase the building. Founder and chief executive Andrew Nicholls says the start-up has “never been busier”, with an eye-watering 400% increase in enquires about the software as property companies around the world look to keep striking deals. EyeSpy360 itself has been striking more deals than ever with companies from as far away as the Philippines and Sweden. “There’s going to be a drop in people buying properties, but people are going to want to carry on,” Nicholls says, explaining the reasons behind the rise in interest in the platform. As global lockdown continues, Nicholls says proptech’s importance in helping the sector carry on to the best of its ability will become even more important. “I hope it doesn’t last very long. I do think technology like this, and proptech in general, will be very useful in the coming months,” he says. “It will help lubricate the cogs in the system and help people transact anyway.” Matterport, which creates digital twins of assets, has also seen property companies rushing to create 3D models of their properties, according to the company’s managing director and vice president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, James Morris-Manuel. “[Companies from] countries not in social distancing are taking examples from Italy and Spain, and rushing to get assets captured digitally, as they believe these countries will follow suit in coming weeks,” he said. “They want to create minimum disruption to business.” Property is traditionally a very physical and visual industry, he says, so self-isolation can be a big business barrier. “If you are going to buy an asset or lease an asset, you will more than likely view online first, and then physically see the asset in order to make a decision. Where Matterport has come into play is that you can see more data – size, space, dimension – and have the freedom to walk around 3D models of these assets.” Another business that has seen an uptick in business is Aparo, which has created software aimed at developers to manage financials on projects and manage workflow. Co-founder and chief executive Daniel Norman estimates the company has experienced a 20% rise in business since the UK began to ramp up plans against mitigating the spread of coronavirus. “We’ve been talking about cloud-based software like this for years, and when something like this happens, you can really see the benefits,” Norman says, explaining that software like this is useful when you can’t access construction sites directly. He thinks proptech should be leading the way in terms of helping the sector overcome coronavirus-related business challenges. “Regardless of what happens, it’s a wake-up call for businesses to make sure they are equipped to deal with remote working,” he said. “One large surveying firm told us that they’re just trying to figure out remote working which is taking up a lot of capacity, whereas they want to be focused on doing business as normal.” Whether it’s investing in the new proptech on offer or simply making an extra effort to video-call that colleague who is living alone, technology is going to be central to keeping the country ticking over while we’re in uncharted territory. It will be tech that brings us together in a time of coronavirus crisis. Four ways to get through self-isolation Quarantine Chat Did you ever punch in a random number into your phone as a kid, cross your fingers and hope to reach a stranger across the other side of the world for a chat? Quarantine Chat works on the same premise, apart from both parties are complicit. It was created by two artists so that people struggling alone in self-isolation can download the app and be connected to a stranger anywhere, anytime – and have a chat when things can seem a little overwhelming. Keep mentally stimulated Quarantine will be challenging for everyone, but for those who may already be struggling with your mental health, it can be a tough time. Mental health charity Mind advises people to keep your brain occupied and challenged – so why not download FutureLearn and OpenLearn? You can hone some new skills – and even take a course in disease outbreak prevention. Books for free for your quarantined kids While the country prepares to close schools by the end of the week, it could be a little daunting figuring out how to keep the kids entertained while trying to work. Downloading your local library’s app could lend a helping hand in these times. You can browse, borrow and listen to your local library’s audiobooks and eBooks through apps such as My Library, BorrowBox Library and OverDrive. Spotify podcasts/Luminary app At a loss over what you want to do over your lunch break? Take an hour out to settle down on the sofa with a good old podcast by downloading Spotify or Luminary. EG recommends its very own selection of property-related podcasts so that you can keep in the loop with essential news and updates. Wondery also has an excellent podcast investigating the troubles of WeWork, called WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork. To send feedback, e-mail lucy.alderson@egi.co.uk or tweet @LucyAJourno or @estatesgazette