98% of UK adults aged 16-24<\/a> now have a smartphone. Due to technology being a part of our everyday lives, Bingley asked the panel how tech can improve the student experience. Le Marquer states that it\u2019s \u201cnot technology for technology\u2019s sake\u201d. Empiric Student Property utilise technology to survey students on a regular basis so they can make improvements and enhance their experience. \u201cTechnology and data can support us by doing the heavy lifting\u201d but the human element remains in their buildings to provide the best of both worlds.\u00a0<\/p>\nBingley explained how \u201cpeople expect to be remembered\u201d especially \u201cwhen they\u2019re interacting digitally\u201d. Le Marquer agreed and said, \u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily knowing their name but it\u2019s knowing their preferences. If they\u2019ve had a problem before, how was it solved \u2013 it\u2019s how we act towards their preferences.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Technology for Student Wellbeing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Redman believes that \u201cnow more than ever before, students feel isolated and lonely in their accommodation.\u201d It was revealed earlier that mental health is one of the leading reasons students drop out of university. Students are meeting each other more online, whether it\u2019s \u201cdating apps or online gaming, they\u2019ve never met them in person\u201d. Technology can be utilised to provide a better experience for students by connecting them, \u201callowing students to find others and feel like they\u2019ve got a home away from home\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Better Data = Better Experience\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Harley was asked how property management software can deliver a better experience to students. He believes \u201caccess to accurate data for your staff and teams makes it easier\u201d for them to provide a frictionless experience. He states that AI is \u201cgoing to change everything digitally\u201d and how it could be utilised for roommate matching and much more in PBSA. \u201cWe\u2019re about to go through a revolution in that digital experience and it will challenge the way we operate,\u201d Harley adds. \u201cPeople want more choice \u2013 they want to communicate [at a time that suits them], not a specified time of day\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Artificial Intelligence\u00a0<\/h2>\n
AI is a hot topic at the moment. Harley says AI is already being used with chatbots at Yardi to help customers. \u201cThe results are staggering in terms of what it\u2019s learning, how it\u2019s helping and streamlining leasing and maintenance processes.\u201d Embedding this software in your student apps allows them to \u201cchat and get an answer immediately\u201d, but with a choice to \u201cspeak to a human being as well\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Le Marquer agreed and explained how Empiric Student Property is interested in AI for dynamic pricing and mental wellbeing. \u201cThe next stage is having more automation around that \u2013 being able to predict demand surges and understand how we react to that.\u201d She continued by expressing how technology such as artificial intelligence could help predict when someone was reaching a crisis point. \u201cWe could look at the triggers leading up to that and use AI to detect and predict when they\u2019d need support and look at what we put into our buildings.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Enhancing the leasing process\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Continuing the conversation about AI, Redman thinks \u201cthe utilisation of AI in current technologies\u201d will be crucial in terms of \u201cimproving not only operations but also the letting process.\u201d He states that it can help with general search engines and already know the student\u2019s budget, their preferences and help find them people to live with. \u201cIt\u2019s less about scanning through multiple pages to discover where they want to stay and more about utilising technology to better inform them, helping to improve the lettings process.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Improve occupancy rates with digital technology\u00a0<\/h2>\n
Bingley asked the panel how we can utilise technology to help improve occupancy rates. Redman said, \u201cWe can utilise tech to increase retention year-on-year. First year students with PBSA providers, in theory, should have the highest lifetime value.\u201d However, he goes on to say that only \u201c42% of first year students stay in [their accommodation] in their second year.\u201d He believes bringing in technology to help create a \u201cgood experience, community feel and brand for students\u201d will help get us closer to 100% of students staying in the same accommodation. \u201cWhich again, makes it easier to achieve full occupancy when you\u2019re tiered,\u201d he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harley says it\u2019s not just about improving occupancy rates as \u201cthat\u2019s what it\u2019s designed to do\u201d. He believes it\u2019s more about \u201cnet operating income\u201d as well. Harley agrees with Le Marquer that \u201cunderstanding the student better, seeing what\u2019s happening and spotting trends\u201d will be beneficial. \u201cThe systems will help drive occupancy as they\u2019ll free up your time to focus on marketing your spaces.\u201d Technology is there to save you time so you can help nurture and understand your student\u2019s needs further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
How can technology help the bottom line in ROI for an operator?\u00a0<\/h2>\n
The final question of the day turned to return on investment \u2013 how can technology help? Le Marquer states how technology is already helping them with energy usage and \u201cencouraging customers\u201d to reduce energy usage. \u201cIt\u2019s not always about rental growth, it\u2019s about cutting costs in the right way, so it benefits everybody.\u201d Harley believes it\u2019s \u201cright across the business \u2013 it\u2019s marginal gains for me\u201d. Every touchpoint from attracting customers to your website through to moving in. \u201cWhere you can make marginal gains across all key processes is where you make the biggest difference.\u201d He explains how you can\u2019t do everything at once but having a strategy in mind and looking at everything from \u201chow you collect payables, manage construction or support your students\u201d, that\u2019s where you can improve your bottom line.\u00a0<\/p>\n
See what events\u202fwe\u2019ll be attending in 2024<\/a> and meet with Team Yardi. If you want to see how our\u202funified property management and accounting technology<\/a>\u202ffor PBSA can help, get in touch.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA. The panel was moderated by Lem Bingley, editor for Property Week and featured:\u00a0 Gemma Le Marquer, sales & marketing director, Empiric Student Property \u00a0 Justin Harley, regional director, Yardi\u00a0 Owen Redman, co-founder, Roome\u00a0 Improving the Student […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":897,"featured_media":51126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_s2mail":"yes","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3501,3475,3457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-student-accommodation","category-student-housing-en-gb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Yardi Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Yardi Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-23T14:14:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T10:39:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sophie Swords\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sophie Swords\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/\",\"name\":\"Enhancing Digital Experiences in Student Housing\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-23T14:14:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-11T10:39:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7a19fe01557b38dc49cd43cba34ecd00\"},\"description\":\"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800,\"caption\":\"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Yardi Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7a19fe01557b38dc49cd43cba34ecd00\",\"name\":\"Sophie Swords\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Sophie-Swords-Headshot.jpg?w=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Sophie-Swords-Headshot.jpg?w=96\",\"caption\":\"Sophie Swords\"},\"description\":\"As Yardi\u2019s senior marketing writer for international content, Sophie draws on her journalism and copywriting experience to transform complex real estate and technology topics into accessible, on brand narratives that connect with global audiences.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sophie-ashwood\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/author\/sophie-swords\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yardi Blog","description":"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA","og_description":"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/","og_site_name":"Yardi Blog","article_published_time":"2024-01-23T14:14:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-11T10:39:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sophie Swords","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sophie Swords","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/","name":"Enhancing Digital Experiences in Student Housing","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-23T14:14:50+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-11T10:39:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7a19fe01557b38dc49cd43cba34ecd00"},"description":"Yardi joined a panel of experts at Property Week\u2019s Student Accommodation Conference to discuss enhancing digital experiences in PBSA.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg","width":1200,"height":800,"caption":"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/enhancing-digital-experiences-in-pbsa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Enhancing Digital Experiences in PBSA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/","name":"Yardi Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7a19fe01557b38dc49cd43cba34ecd00","name":"Sophie Swords","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Sophie-Swords-Headshot.jpg?w=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/02\/Sophie-Swords-Headshot.jpg?w=96","caption":"Sophie Swords"},"description":"As Yardi\u2019s senior marketing writer for international content, Sophie draws on her journalism and copywriting experience to transform complex real estate and technology topics into accessible, on brand narratives that connect with global audiences.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/sophie-ashwood\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/author\/sophie-swords\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2024\/01\/PW-PBSA-Event-image-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/897"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51557"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52899,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51557\/revisions\/52899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}