When it comes to providing property management triage, nothing beats the power of a person.
We’ve come a long way, technologically. Advancements in property management software have been vast. Web-based programs assist in all facets of the industry, from inspection to maintenance to reporting, and beyond. They provide simplicity and automation, saving property managers time while reducing their overhead.
New customer relationship management (CRM) platforms on the market promise to handle everything, top to bottom, via software. Including emergencies? In the thick of a crisis, that could be frustrating, to say the very least.
The property management industry is rife with demands, both from residents and the facilities you oversee. From minor requests to outright emergencies, your residents expect responsiveness AND results whenever a predicament – no matter how small – emerges.
Sure, 80% percent of your residents may desire the convenience of a program to make appointments and communicate with management. But where does that leave the remaining 20% – the individuals who want to speak to a human being when their ovens are broken, or the lights have gone out? (In a panic, no one wants to deal with a mechanical voice and mashing buttons.)
From flooded rooms to fires to outages, there’s no telling what kind of conundrum your properties could generate, and when they do – your reputation could be at stake if your residents encounter any hurdles when attempting to receive assistance.
As a property manager, you regularly establish protocols for addressing these after-hours emergencies, while having contingencies in place to alert on-call staff if and when needed. This is property management triage at its finest. It is critical. And it should not be left entirely to a computer program. A human-powered answering service will not only help you provide continued, quality maintenance and customer service, but the consistent, compassionate response it delivers will help you attract and retain residents in the long run.
Additional property management triage measures taken by your answering service include:
- Complete, accurate, and prompt messaging to on-call personnel.
- Calls answered by friendly, knowledgeable agents who provide reassurance.
- Escalation of calls fitting preestablished criteria.
- On-the-fly updates to on-call lists at any time from a smartphone or computer.
Focus Answering Service works in tandem with leading property management software programs to offer around-the-clock coverage and property management triage. Our after-hour dispatch services can reach your residents, vendors, and crews using multiple platforms:
- Telephone
- Text