Bouwinvest

At Bouwinvest, creating ‘real value for life’ is at the heart of (healthcare) real estate. For the Tenant Experience team, understanding what matters to tenants through tenant surveys is a key part of this mission. We spoke with Claire ten Hag, Tenant Engagement Advisor at Bouwinvest Real Estate Investors.

Real Value for Life

Bouwinvest is a real estate investor that primarily invests funds from pension schemes and insurers into various real estate sectors for the long term. They manage properties across multiple funds, including the Healthcare Fund. Bouwinvest aims to contribute to a sustainable, liveable, and accessible living environment.

This aligns with addressing current societal developments, such as the growing demand for healthcare real estate due to an aging population and combating loneliness by fostering social connections among residents. Claire explains, “The goal is to create ‘real value for life,’ which means we strive not only for financial returns but also for delivering social value.”

The Bouwinvest Healthcare Fund primarily includes two types of real estate in its portfolio: senior housing rented out to seniors and healthcare properties rented to healthcare institutions. “Senior housing is designed for tenants aged 55 and older. These homes are as life-cycle proof as possible, giving tenants the opportunity to live independently for as long as they can. Some projects are rented to care institutions for various purposes, such as private assisted living or nursing homes.”

Tenant Experience 

As of January 1st 2024, Bouwinvest has merged the Tenant Engagement and Real Estate Marketing & Communications teams into one team: Tenant Experience. This team focuses on optimising services for tenants. Their team is responsible for the entire tenant journey, from prospective tenants to current tenants. This development has enabled more efficient collaboration, streamlined processes, and easier knowledge sharing. It represents the next step in serving the entire customer journey and strengthens the focus on tenant satisfaction.

Continuously exceeding expectations

Tenant satisfaction is a critical component of achieving both financial and social returns. Claire shares, “We aim to serve tenants with customer-focused services and high-quality homes. By addressing tenants’ needs and desires, Bouwinvest contributes to a liveable and social environment, supporting our mission of creating real value for life.”

Research design and execution

Understanding tenant needs and expectations requires the right research methods. “We chose to involve Customeyes because Bouwinvest doesn’t have all the tools and expertise in-house to conduct large-scale tenant satisfaction surveys and compare these results to the benchmark”, Claire explains.

For senior housing, the goal was to measure satisfaction and benchmark it against other investors to identify areas for improvement. The research revealed, for example, that these tenants value greater transparency and clarity in communication about service charges.

For healthcare real estate rented to care institutions, the initial plan was to conduct quantitative research (surveys). However, on Customeyes’ advice, qualitative research (interviews) was conducted first to better understand the needs of this target group. The interviews revealed that tenants greatly appreciated Bouwinvest’s willingness to provide tailored solutions. After the research, Customeyes delivered a presentation to interpret the story behind the numbers. Claire adds, “Following the presentation, we held an internal brainstorming session to decide how to act on the insights. One idea that emerged was to have more conversations with tenants.”

Start with qualitative research

A valuable tip for organisations looking to conduct tenant research in healthcare real estate is to start with qualitative research. The personal aspect of interviews was appreciated by tenants, as it fostered a sense of collaboration and attention.

By engaging in personal conversations, organisations can uncover nuances and details that might not surface in online surveys. These telephone interviews can serve as a valuable stepping stone toward online surveys and help lay a strong foundation for further analysis and improvements.