Darren Bagnall from Manage Your Block, looks at how the role of technology has improved service.
Property Managers, Residents Management Companies, Right to Manage Companies and Resident Associations have one thing in common.
Direct contact with leaseholders who expect a high level of service.
With service charges running high, great service could mean the difference between happy leaseholders and angry leaseholders. We know which group we’d rather manage! Managing a building presents numerous challenges that often result in leaseholder inconveniences, charge disputes, and frustrations. However, exceptional service can alleviate or even resolve these issues, providing relief.
Using technology to facilitate your block will improve response times, transparency and commitment to current legislation, as well as minimising fallout when problems do arise. Here we’ll be discussing the avenues you can utilise to improve your service and why Manage Your Block could be the answer to your property management prayers.
Speed and Convenience Are King
Traditionally, there’s been a presumption that human contact, either over the phone or in person, will make for a great outcome when it comes to complaints, but this is no longer the case. The pandemic forced many of us to get to grips with technology and to utilise social media- in fact, “a significant 64% of people tried a new service channel in 2020” according to Finances Online. Many of us have grown accustomed to this and favour sending a quick message over engaging in personal conversation. Answering queries and complaints via online services and social media can save so much time, and therefore money.
“1 in 3 social media users prefer social media care services to telephone or email.” And “67% of consumers now use social media networks like Twitter and Facebook to seek resolution for issues.
According to Social Media Today
“only 35% of people are willing to wait 30-60 seconds for a response on live chat”…we live in a fast-paced world and your service avenues should be designed with that in mind.”
According to Comm100
Making Practical Use of Technology
For current residents, technology enables property managers to stay efficiently connected with leaseholders, property owners, vendors and contractors. Platforms such as Manage Your Block allow for seamless communication, so sending notifications, sharing important documents, and handling maintenance requests promptly becomes easy.
You can improve response times, keeps all parties informed, and enhance accessibility, making your life and the life of your residents that little bit easier. Information such as insurance documentation, lease details, payment history and maintenance requests can all be viewed on demand by you and your residents.
You can streamline maintenance and repair processes, track and prioritise requests, assign tasks to contractors, and monitor progress. The right software can facilitate transparency, efficient communication, as well as reducing response times and the likelihood of errors, leading to satisfied leaseholders.
The technology you choose could also provide you with valuable data and analytics, allowing you to make informed decisions to enhance service even further. You could even use online survey tools to collect feedback, demonstrating a proactive approach.
For prospective leaseholders, you can utilise technology to showcase properties through virtual tours and online marketing channels. Prospective tenants can explore properties remotely, view photos and videos, and even take virtual walkthroughs. This technology expands reach, saves time, and enhances the overall experience during the property-hunting process.
How Can Manage Your Block Help?
Aside from the fantastic features that are designed specifically to support Directors in their day-to-day duties, Manage Your Block is also the perfect tool to improve your commitment to great service.
Now that leaseholders must be treated as ‘consumers’ when it comes to their buildings insurance, Manage Your Block allows you to share the necessary information with your leaseholders to ensure you’re working within the new legislation. Your residents can view the policy wording, statement of fact, invoice/premium information, fair value assessment and distribution chain for the policy, ensuring transparency.
Store residents’ contact details in the system and utilize the Alerts function to keep everyone informed, reducing communication confusion. If you have scheduled maintenance coming up, let them know. If the lift has broken down, let them know and inform them of the plan to fix it.
When a external light outage is reported or the need for hallway cleaning, you can inform all residents that the matter has been reported and will be addressed.
This can significantly save you time and reduce stress since you won’t have to handle multiple reports for the same issue or deal with upset residents caught off guard by inconveniences.
You can also upgrade your package to include our Service Charge Collections feature which will enable you to prepare, process and print out service charge demands for your residents- minimising the need for back-and-fourth over service charge issues.
Read testimonials and watch tutorial videos to determine if Manage Your Block is the software you need.
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Manage Your Block aren’t here to tell you how to run your block of flats, but we can provide you with highly specialised software to make the management of your block much easier. Call us for more details on 0333 577 9070 or email info@manageyourblock.co.uk.