K2 work with a network of trusted partners in over 180 countries, enabling us to provide consistency, care, and confidence, wherever in the world our clients need us.
Over the last twenty plus years, we’ve established and developed an expansive and flexible Global Accredited Partner Programme, which sees us work in partnership with experienced and specialist household goods and destination service providers. Our partners are an extension of K2, representing us and upholding our standards and commitments to our clients at every step of the relocation process.
Our partners are vital to the success and longevity of our business, and we value their ongoing collaboration and support. As part of our Supply Chain communications, we will be spotlighting some of our regional service partners each quarter.
We caught up with Dima Lorenz, VP of Account Management (APAC) for Dwellworks, for the first APAC regional Partner Spotlight interview in this series.
Tell us a bit about your role at Dwellworks?
I am the VP of Account Management for Dwellworks in the APAC region and look after partnerships and general commercial interests for both our Destination Services and our Temp Living business in the region.
I am originally from Germany but have been calling APAC home for 25 years, living in Shanghai for 10, Hong Kong for 10 and now Perth for 5 years. I have been in the industry for over 20 years and had the pleasure of working with K2 since 2008, when they became our first-ever RMC partner for moves into China.
What are the main challenges you’re seeing in the market at the moment?
There are obviously a lot of challenges to the mobility market at present, both on a macro-economic level as well as situational challenges in particular regions.
Some of these challenges include:
- Economic and political tension/global trade war. Tariffs redirecting economic activities and investments and with that redirecting mobility flow.
- Changes in geographical mobility hotspots in the APAC region, often at short notice.
- Reduced spend on mobility programs due to overall economic uncertainty.
- Increase of temporary assignments vs traditional long-term mobility plans.
- Increased difficulties obtaining visas and work permits in key APAC locations.
- Increased cost of delivering destination services due to general inflation and increased requirements in regards to compliance and data security.
Whilst many of these are outside our realm of control, there are also additional challenges that we are able to address or at least try to control the impact of:
- Responding to shorter scopes of work/lower supplier revenue by focusing on operational excellence and augmented AI service support.
- Responding to new product and support needs from clients by expanding our research, market insights, and digital/customer-accessed DS resources.
- Responding to an expanded client focus on talent mobility by coordinating our services and expertise with our clients’ supply chain to upgrade the CX and increase assignment success.
As an organisation, what are the two most important issues in your industry at this time, and how are they being addressed by your company?
1. The Need for Operational Excellence
Our solution to the challenge of delivering service excellence in an environment of more limited benefits is to transform our operations to be sustainable and scalable for new expectations.
We’ve simplified, standardized, and streamlined core service delivery tasks and communications across our global organization to accelerate our team’s ability to complete tasks that are common to all destination services, enabling the local consultants who manage the employee experience to focus more attention on personalizing responses to unique needs.
Our myDwellworks℠ content platform has been redesigned to interact with AI agents and create more intuitive and anticipatory content support for relocating employees, from learning about local leasing laws to familiarizing themselves with schools in their preferred neighborhoods. This AI supported communication is then enriched by our local experts.
2. The Need for Adaptive Solutions for New Client and Customer Realities
Our awareness of shifting expectations in the customer experience, for example, led to the development of a suite of digital destination services, enabling more choice and control for the relocating employee, while delivering products and services in line with client contracts and KPI expectations.
Similarly, our investment in infrastructure and faster turn time in communications means that we can more ably coordinate individual service needs such as rescheduled arrival dates due to immigration delays, specific destination information requirements for unique needs, or expanded virtual property tours based on employee preference, property availability or rental market challenges.
These and more adaptable services are delivered in a broader environment of frequent client updates (quarterly rental market reports, bulletins on high profile events such the recent earthquake in Myanmar, changes in New York City rental laws, or local regulation of short-term housing), and compliance, governance and data security briefings.
Our service is designed and delivered forward from client and employee expectations, which positions us to be anticipatory and responsive to change.
What role does technology play in your service delivery?
Dwellworks champions an accelerated pace of change in product design, UX, and process management. We develop in sprints and continuously upgrade in alignment with client expectations.
Below are two additional examples of the significant enhancements this approach has generated:
- Walk Through App: Dwellworks has a purpose-built mobile app that simplifies and more professionally documents the property walk-through move-in and move-out process. Dwellworks consultants use the Dwellworks Walk Through App to document property condition with photographs and a sign off by tenant and landlord as standard operating procedure
- Operational Excellence: In 2024, Dwellworks invested in an Operational Excellence team made up of external consultants and internal stakeholders who are focused on incrementally reducing the time and effort spent by our operations teams, executing routine, administrative tasks. This realized time savings can then be redirected towards increasing customer engagement, enhancing the in-market experience of relocating employees, and proactively safeguarding against potential friction in the destination services journey. The objectives for this project are to standardize global processes and practices, optimize the time and effort of our operational resources and leverage tech automation to create scalable efficiencies and service quality in every facet of our business.
As a service partner to K2, we look forward to continuing to aligning with K2’s priorities to calibrate our development and the reliability of our product releases.
Sustainability is one of the key pillars of K2’s current business plan – what are Dwellworks doing in this area?
Dwellworks was an early adopter and advocate of ESG and Sustainability in global mobility. We run a dedicated ESG strategy team and produce annual reports on our progress. Our next 2024-2025 report was published earlier this month.
Our core ESG goals are:
- To achieve 50% reduction in core Scope 1 and Scope 2 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 2030
- To have our demonstrated performance in social responsibility identified as a key driver in being named an employer/partner of choice
- To have the governance and compliance measures of our company in sustainability recognized as industry leading and drivers for selection and retention by our clients We have been measuring our greenhouse gas emissions, where the data is available, since 2021
Additionally:
- We just completed an updated ESG Materiality Assessment to guide our current investment and response strategy.
- We support the Coalition for Greener Mobility by participating in the design and use of calculators and standardizing/simplifying sustainability evaluation criteria for clients.
- We are a foundational sponsor of the carbon calculator being launch by the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) to measure emissions consistently in temporary living.
- We are an educator and advocate for clients, customers, associates and supply chain on ‘green mobility practices’ from paper-free service support, to lowered vehicle carbon emissions, sustainability advice for new arrivals, and how to lower carbon impact in rental living – temporary and full time.
- We have a comprehensive governance alignment behind the principles of the UNSDG and UN Global Compact – with documented HR and business ethics policies and practices.
What, in your view, are the benefits of undertaking the EcoVadis ratings process?
Dwellworks has earned an EcoVadis Bronze certification, recognizing our sustainability practices based on four key categories: environmental impact, labor and human rights standards, ethics, and procurement practices.
We believe EcoVadis is a reliable, objective third-party assessment of key components of a corporate sustainability program for businesses of varying sizes. The questionnaire provides valuable insights as to where a service provider can augment their sustainability practices for higher scores and more strongly align with client priorities.
Participating in the EcoVadis process is a strong indicator to clients and partners of our commitment to and actions taken in support of Sustainability.
Do you have any service developments, new initiatives or events coming up in 2025 that you’re particularly excited about?
Responding to trends from corporate clients for lower cost solutions for employee populations with little or no relocation benefits (interns, candidates, group moves, etc.), Dwellworks has recently introduced two new service offerings that we believe will make a noticeable difference to many of our clients and partners:
- Digital Destination – This solution offers access to myDwellworks℠ locally curated content and valuable “How-To” guides to support self-guided settling-in and acclimation resources
- Digital Destination Plus – Offers the value of our local content, plus extends up to one hour with a local DSC to address personal questions, offer tips, and share additional resources to help provide a newcomer with trusted guidance to make informed decisions
We are also committed to continuously improving our platform’s user interface and experience. Our strategic vision includes expanding our platform capabilities with AI-driven insights to make it more intuitive and user-friendly. Key areas of focus include:
- Automated Document Processing: Developing AI-driven tools to automate the processing of essential documents, such as lease agreements, will reduce the administrative burden on internal employees and expedite the relocation process.
- Virtual Assistance and Chatbots: AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots will be available 24/7 to answer questions, provide real-time support, and guide transferees to pertinent information related to various stages of their relocation. This ensures consistent access to assistance, enhancing the overall customer experience.
- Predictive Analytics: By utilizing predictive analytics, we can anticipate potential challenges and proactively address them. This includes identifying trends in housing markets and providing sentiment scores for emails.
- These AI initiatives are part of our broader vision to remain at the forefront of technological advancements, setting new standards in the relocation industry and delivering unparalleled value to our clients.
We’d like to say a big thank you to Dima for providing these valuable insights.
For more about our Global Accredited Partner Programme, head over the People, Partners and Clients section of our website.