HIW CRR 2022 FINAL - Flipbook - Page 35
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
As a fully-integrated REIT that provides all-under-oneroof, in-house leasing, management, maintenance
and customer service, we are well-positioned to
anticipate and respond to the changing needs of our
customers. We view customer service as a team sport
and take great pride in our responsiveness and bestin-class service. Our property teams establish and
maintain long-term relationships with our customers
through regular meetings, organizing customer
appreciation events and facilitating a variety of
educational and training events focused on health,
well-being and emergency response. Through the
distribution of regular customer satisfaction surveys,
we gather insightful feedback to ensure we are
continuously improving the customer experience.
To promote customer health and well-being, we
endeavor to incorporate amenities and design
elements that encourage activity and connections with
the outdoors, healthy eating and collaboration. We
have committed to pursuing Fitwel certification for all
VERVE | CAPITAL PLAZA TWO | ORLANDO
new, wholly-owned developments to create
workplaces that inspire our customers and allow
them to prosper. Many of our properties include
Highwoods-branded Velocity fitness centers, Take 5
cafés and Verve collaborative workspaces. We regularly
organize customer health and well-being events
including yoga, health fairs and walking challenges.
Whenever possible, we connect our properties with
outdoor trail systems and other natural amenities to
encourage activity throughout the day.
We invest strategically in our properties to reduce
environmental impacts and enhance the customer
experience. In many of our properties, we have
installed high-efficiency LED lighting and controls,
touchless low-flow faucets, water bottle filling stations,
bike storage facilities and electric car charging stations.
We regularly host customer energy/water feedback
sessions to ensure we are meeting the needs of our
customers while conserving valuable resources. In
2022, we developed a Customer Sustainability Guide
to encourage our customers to incorporate energyand water-saving technologies and environmentally
friendly materials inside their spaces.
In partnership with our customers, we utilize green
lease language to promote sustainability best
practices and capital improvements, encourage
behavioral change and reduce operating costs,
ultimately creating healthier and more productive
workspaces for our customers. In 2022, Highwoods
was selected as a Green Lease Leader at the Silver
level by The Institute for Market Transformation
(IMT) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)
Better Building’s Alliance. Launched in 2014, Green
Lease Leaders set national standards for what
constitutes a green lease, while recognizing landlords
and customers who modernize their leases to spur
collaborative action on energy efficiency, cost-savings,
air quality and sustainability in buildings. In 2023,
Highwoods achieved Gold recognition from Green
Lease Leaders.
VELOCITY | TRUIST PLACE | TAMPA
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