Business Interview: Heimstaden Brings the Concept of Friendly

BUSINESS ROZHOVOR Heimstaden Brings the Concept of Friendly Homes The Scandinavian company Heimstaden is the third-largest provider of rental homes in Europe and the leading rental-home provider in the Czech Republic. Heimstaden wants to build from their long-term experience and introduce a new vision, responsible behaviour and efforts to create friendly homes and communities. Mr Rafaj, for over a year you have been the CEO, the leader, of the Scandinavian company Heimstaden, who owns almost 43,000 rental flats in the Czech Republic. How did it feel to join an enterprise with a logo nobody in our country had previously recognized? My job transition was absolutely smooth. The Scandinavian group Heimstaden provides rental homes in several European countries, and so has a stability of rules and operational values. Since 2017, when I joined the company, representatives of the previous owner and myself have took steps to transfer the former company Residomo to the long-term investor Heimstaden. The new owner has chosen our company to be the leader who sets new standards of service and quality in rental homes in the Czech Republic, and whose professionalism is compatible with top European competitors. I personally had no problem when joining the new enterprise because I share the values of Heimstaden. I appreciate the northern attitude towards the environment, nature and the open culture which respects individuals and their demands. I understand the Scandinavian mentality, with their sense of system, order, discipline, etc. Moreover, I came in close contact with the temperament, nature and habits of Scandinavians during my studies in Finland. When the principles of the vision of Heimstaden Friendly Homes were introduced in the Czech Republic, was it a logical demonstration of the new approach of the company towards its clients? It definitely was. The companies of Heimstaden Group offer their clients, who are always in the company’s spotlight, more than just four walls in each room; they offer them homes comfortable to live in and to house important life moments. In Scandinavian countries, there is a great emphasis on high-quality customer 12 ǀ POSITIV 1/2021 care, good communication, helpfulness and respect towards a client’s needs. Anybody can live in our flats; we offer a home to any age and social group, for any stage of the client’s life. We offer friendly, stable and comfortable homes in a safe environment as well as open communication. Communication has become even busier and simpler thanks to our recently opened mobile app, the My Home (Můj domov) client portal, and a free client call centre. I am sure there will be an increase in demand for rental homes as they allow for greater social mobility and can offer a flexible response to various changes in life, such as moving for a new job, etc. The Friendly Home vision is to be developed through regular feedback received from surveys amongst clients. The first survey was performed at the end of 2020. What did you learn from its results? We regularly evaluate all communication with our clients; it is vital for us that they be satisfied with our services, and the opinions the research reveals definitely help improve their satisfaction. We were happy to learn that about eighty per cent of respondents appreciated the improved communication thanks to the client call centre, e-mail and My Home (Můj domov) online platform. Two-thirds of those who had some service or maintenance carried out in their homes were happy with the quality and timing of the work. It is maintenance and servicing which we consider crucial and we want to settle servicing schedules so that the jobs are always done within ten days. Our clients appreciate the security in our homes, which we intend to enhance through the introduction of monitoring systems at all entrances. As for the environment, we and our clients see room for development: they miss outdoor seating and more greenery. We will do our best to meet these demands, and many will hopefully enjoy our community-garden projects. We understand the significant role we play in the lives of our clients, and we are doing everything to make their homes truly friendly, safe and peaceful places. Heimstaden puts great emphasis on social and environmental sustainability. How helpful is the experience the company has already gained through the administration of real estate in northern countries such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark? Environmental and social sustainability is extremely important in all walks of our enterprise. We care about the quality of our clients’ and employees’ lives and we want to develop good, strong, lasting relationships with municipalities, financial institutions, and investors. We get regular feedback from our employees, maintain intensive communication with trade unions, decrease fluctuation and hire new employees. The key values of Heimstaden include “care – dare – share”, which has grown even more important during the COVID crisis. Our new owner promptly transferred and implemented these values in our environment and we were able to immediately take particular steps and measures both towards our clients and employees. Scandinavian countries focus on sustainable urban development and climate. What has Heimstaden brought in this field? Heimstaden is a traditional promoter of the so-called green policy. We want everything we do to contribute to long-term sustainability, the protection of the environment and climate, no matter if it happens via massive investments in replacing windows, better