Mid-term rentals & corporate accommodation: How Blueground automated their key operations with KeyNest
*the article has been translated from French and can be accessed in the original version here
Blueground has been thriving in the medium and long-term rental industry since 2013. Their success in property access operations can be largely attributed to their partnership with KeyNest.
Blueground is a leading global provider of mid-term rentals. They offer fully-equipped flats with stylish designs in 30 major cities worldwide. Blueground prioritises the quality of living for its customers by providing high-end, move-in-ready properties. They handle all tasks related to maintenance and management of the flats, ensuring a hassle-free experience for tenants.
Blueground, while experiencing rapid growth, recognizes the importance of efficient key management for a great tenant experience. To address this, they have partnered with KeyNest, a high-performance key exchange service.
Blueground’s operations automation with KeyNest
We interviewed Julien Sibi, the Operations Administrator at Blueground France, to gather his thoughts on the collaboration with KeyNest.
“Before adopting KeyNest, we had a key exchange system in place that involved key boxes for tenants to collect and drop off keys at their convenience. Alternatively, one person from our staff was responsible for managing the key distribution.
However, as the number of keys grew, this process became increasingly complex. That's why we decided to partner with KeyNest. Their service has significantly improved and simplified key management, allowing customers to collect and drop off keys effortlessly.”
KeyNest is a key exchange service designed for both businesses and individuals. It offers a secure way for users to exchange their keys with guests and contractors at nearby KeyNest Point (usually a convenience store, cafe or hotel). There’s currently over 5,000 KeyNest Points available worldwide.
“I had a great experience interacting with the friendly staff at the KeyNest Points. It's important for us to ensure that customers have a pleasant time using the KeyNest Points. Using the network of Points KeyNest offers, we can easily expand our operations to new areas and cities when needed - we trust it with our keys completely.” - says Sibi.
Key collection process is as straightforward as possible. It’s done using a unique collection code, which can be sent to the guest via Airbnb message or text/WhatsApp.
The collection code is individually generated and ensures safety of the key exchange process. Users will receive an email with the Magic Link - a link that will allow them to track the status of their keys in real time once the request is made.
KeyNest: multi-lingual Customer Service, 24/7
"From the very beginning, I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of use of the system itself, as well as the application. Of course, as with any automated system, there are sometimes small issues that arise, but the customer service is always responsive and resolves issues instantly. It’s a great service to use for any property manager!” - Sibi sums up the experience with KeyNest so far.
Customer service is available round the clock, 24/7, ensuring a top-notch experience for both individual customers and company partners. The multi-lingual team, proficient in twelve languages, further strengthens the availability and helps maintain a high-quality customer relationship.
From KeyNest Points to KeyNest Pro
With over 1,000 key sets now managed, Blueground has enhanced its operational capabilities by implementing the KeyNest platform. The service's outstanding performance led Blueground to also try out KeyNest's second offering, a key management tool used by large key-managing organisations.
KeyNest Pro is a platform and an app used to easily identify and locate keys located in the office storage. After scanning a fob attached to the key, the key information, and its movement history can be easily browsed. There’s also a way to check a status of a key that’s in use, and when is it supposed to be returned.
By implementing KeyNest Pro, the company has been able to optimise its level of key management, giving its team a total control over the key movements, while ensuring real-time identification and traceability of keys. According to Mr Sibi,
“Using the KeyNest Pro for key management in our office has been highly advantageous for our daily operations. It’s an innovative solution, and I highly recommend implementing this system early on for anyone starting a business involving complex key management. Having all the key-related information in one place allows the Blueground team to easily track key usage, monitor collections and drop-offs, and receive alerts in case of emergencies like lost keys.”
Blueground is still in their pilot stage of using the KeyNest Pro service. More time is required to assess the final outcome of this service and gauge its impact on the business.
About Us
With KeyNest, you can drop off a key at one of our 5,000+ convenient locations, such as local stores or cafes. Guests, cleaners, or contractors will be able to securely retrieve the key from the KeyNest Point (usually open 24/7).
You'll receive notifications each time the key is picked up and returned, and you can even set custom check-in and check-out times for added convenience.
KeyNest has an expanding network of locations globally, likely just a few minutes away from your property, so visit their website at https://keynest.com/ to find out more.