Empowering Householders with Future-Prepared Dwelling Areas
Gary Grey, Chief Info Officer, Highland Houses
Gary Grey has made a considerable affect in advancing Highland Houses’ expertise initiatives. He has pushed the creation of safe, modern options that enhance buyer experiences and operational effectivity, aligning seamlessly with the group’s dedication to delivering distinctive properties and repair.
In an interview with CIOReview, Grey shares his insights on how embracing expertise can improve buyer experiences and guarantee long-term success, supported by robust management and tradition.
Rising by means of the Ranks
I’ve a various background, together with roles in development manufacturing, high-end business aviation and commodity-based metal. I additionally labored in direct-to-consumer digital advertising and marketing and shopper items. What led me to my present position had been the individuals and the tradition at Highland Houses. Initially, I used to be in a revenue-generation position, managing P&L, however as I discovered extra concerning the firm, it turned clear that it was the proper place for me as a result of the worth and enthusiasm had been second to none.
Like many corporations within the residential development business, our group started as a small operation. Based within the Nineteen Eighties, Highland Houses grew organically, specializing in promoting, constructing and shutting properties for homebuyers. Since then, shopper expectations have modified relating to what individuals need in a house and the general expertise of shopping for and constructing a house. The manager group and board acknowledged that expertise is not elective however important for the viability of the corporate’s long-term success.
Empowering Workers and Clients by means of Digital Transformation
Homebuilding is extremely relational, the place buying a house represents an necessary monetary funding and a deep emotional dedication. Our technique emphasizes considerate innovation to strengthen relationships with our homebuyers and workers whereas creating long-term worth within the properties we construct.
“At Highland, we give attention to livability. It’s not nearly constructing a 2,000-square-foot home with sure specs. It’s about ensuring the area feels proper for the individuals dwelling in it.”
Nearly all of my work right here revolves round constructing an IT management group that aligns with the corporate’s current experience in gross sales, development and buyer care. Specialists in enterprise intelligence, knowledge analytics, enterprise structure and cyber safety are essential to making sure that expertise helps clients and workers successfully.
Superior Homebuilding by means of Revolutionary Applied sciences
Know-how is reworking the homebuilding business, and we’re leveraging quite a few developments to remain forward. We built-in AI to discover forecasting demand inside the areas we serve. It additionally helps us perceive buyer preferences by means of take charges to establish which fashions, plans, elevations and structural choices resonate with patrons. This permits us to construct properties that align with their demand and supply lasting worth moderately than simply chasing developments.
We additionally incorporate new sensible house applied sciences as per the demand of the purchasers by means of shut collaboration with distributors, guaranteeing that our properties are adaptable and interesting to those that are in search of future-ready options. One other necessary key growth is using digital twins and digital designs. This enables us to check new layouts digitally, rushing up the design course of and bringing new properties to market sooner, all whereas lowering prices.
Aligning Know-how with Homebuyer Wants
At Highland, we give attention to livability. It’s not nearly constructing a 2,000-square-foot home with sure specs. It’s about ensuring the area feels proper for the individuals dwelling in it. One of many issues we realized in the course of the pandemic was the necessity for extra areas, like pocket places of work or Zoom rooms, the place individuals can work or research.
Speedy prototyping permits testing how these areas match into properties, guaranteeing they meet fashionable calls for and improve livability. This strategy ensures that properties proceed to supply worth by addressing clients’ evolving wants.
Securing Buyer Knowledge in Digital Houses
Safeguarding our workers and Highland Houses’ knowledge is a prime precedence. Our workers function our first line of protection whatever the technical and safety measures we implement, like expertise layers. We function over 125 retail websites, together with mannequin properties in communities and development places of work. Every entity manages a major quantity of every day communications, together with emails and paperwork requiring buyer signatures. This movement of knowledge is crucial to constructing, promoting and shutting properties.
We prioritize complete cyber safety and consciousness coaching. Our strategy contains layered cloud computing options, multi-factor authentication, encryption, safe APIs and penetration testing. Identification entry administration additionally performs a vital position in controlling who has entry to knowledge, assuring it’s only out there to the proper individuals when wanted.
Elevating IT Technique with Cloud Computing
Over the previous 24 months, we have made important progress in adopting cloud computing. We help quite a few tasks, groups, and vendor layers throughout many places, and this transition has delivered substantial advantages to our discipline operations. Scalability and adaptability are important, enabling purposes to successfully attain those that want them most. It helps value effectivity by lowering our bodily footprint on the workplace and offsite sort of knowledge silos, facilitating efficient knowledge switch and group collaboration. This enables our builders to spend extra time on job websites and fewer on trailers.
Cloud computing additionally improves catastrophe restoration, enterprise continuity and knowledge safety. Measures like encryption, multi-factor authentication and common safety audits promote a dependable cloud surroundings. This additional allows a seamless shift to upgraded options, offering entry to current techniques whereas transferring towards a modernized platform.
Phrases of Knowledge for Rising Business Leaders
I’d advise creating a deep understanding of the group’s core enterprise. IT leaders should transfer past managing expertise alone and totally grasp the enterprise’s long-term objectives and challenges. In homebuilding and residential development, understanding each facet of the enterprise permits including extra worth.
Constructing cross-functional relationships can also be vital. Driving significant change necessitates shut collaboration with leaders in different departments, akin to changing into a enterprise companion moderately than only a service supplier. IT leaders should additionally champion digital transformation. Considerate innovation doesn’t at all times need to be ground-breaking; even small course of enhancements can tremendously affect effectivity and scale back handbook errors.