In the fast-paced world of property management, where demands are high and time is always of the essence, maintaining the health and well-being of employees might seem like a secondary concern.
However, with ever-increasing workloads and expectations placed on property managers, as well as the mounting pressure from external national sources, it is not surprising that one in four property managers are now considering leaving the industry according to the latest research. What’s more, property management staff consistently score well below the Office for National Statistics (ONS) averages when asked about how worthwhile their life is, their life satisfaction, and their level of happiness.
While administrative tasks still make up a lot of the workload for a typical property manager, the role is shifting to one of relationship management, bringing a whole host of additional stress for property managers to contend with who ultimately want to deliver outstanding results to both leaseholders and their tenants.
The role technology can play in supporting property managers
It’s no secret that current property management systems are outdated and lack the flexibility to keep up with the pace of change. Accessing even the most fundamental information can be arduous and time-consuming due to data being held in multiple systems, sporadic emails, and spreadsheets.
Drawing on over 13 years of experience in the property sector, Spike’s innovative property management platform, Spike PMS, helps property managers drive new efficiencies, discover compelling clarity and enhance tenant and leaseholder communication like never before.
Here’s how solutions like Spike PMS can contribute to enhancing health and well-being within the industry.
Automate time-consuming tasks
On average, property managers spend 288 hours a year performing repetitive tasks. Tasks often include sending monthly reminders for service charge demands, welcome emails to new property owners, and sending key documentation such as the latest fire policies and key health and safety documents.
Having systems in place that can automate many of these manual tasks can improve the work-life balance and productivity of property managers. This means that property managers can spend less time on administrative work and more time on the ground, conducting site inspections, meeting contractors, or building customer relationships via resident surgeries, reducing the number of complaints and improving morale.
Efficient maintenance management for safety
Maintenance issues are a common source of stress in property management. Without a central system in place, leaseholders and their tenants will use email, WhatsApp messages or text messages to report issues. Sporadic messages and using different channels make it challenging for property managers to keep track of what has been reported and run the risk of duplicating reports, making it even harder to keep residents updated on the progress. Not to mention making it almost impossible to track against SLAs and performance metrics for response times. Property management is also a complaint-heavy industry and tracking complaints is crucial to protecting a company and individual staff in case of future legal disputes.
Property management systems such as Spike PMS can streamline maintenance management by allowing residents to submit maintenance requests directly via a mobile app, and even attach photos so that staff can diagnose the fault ahead of time. What’s more, the system can be set up to divert defects and issues directly to the relevant team members, or automatically shared with external approved contractors to be investigated and resolved, with residents being informed and kept up to date on the progress.
Access a single centralised view of all data
More often or not, there will be a number of disparate tools and systems in place at a property management company which means that key information can be difficult to access. With one of the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 being that building owners and property managers should understand the needs of every household living within the building, it’s paramount that this information is easily accessible.
Spike PMS has been designed to be the single view for property managers, with integrations with third-party systems including finance, CRM, and maintenance management. By pulling in data from different systems and sources, this allows property managers to see all logged activities against a property, leaseholder and tenant, enabling property managers to quickly and efficiently find and access the information they need, whenever they need it. This means that property managers can spend less time digging through files and emails, and claw back some of that precious time to focus on other activities. As well as being able to have a central activity log to be used as evidence of notification, in case of future disputes.
Effortless tenant and leaseholder communication
On average, it can take up to seven calls and emails to get hold of a resident. Clear and timely communication can reduce misunderstandings, improve transparency, and foster trust and collaboration among leaseholders, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more supportive work environment.
Having a property management system in place means that regulatory documents and compliance-related information are also readily accessible. Storing important documents digitally and providing easy access to relevant information facilitates transparency and accountability in property management practices.
Furthermore, Spike PMS provides transparent insights into financial transactions, enabling leaseholders and tenants to view detailed service charge statements and transaction histories, ensuring clarity and accountability in financial matters. Additionally, PMS platforms often offer secure payment portals where leaseholders can make service charge payments electronically, further enhancing transparency and convenience.
Summary
Forward-thinking property management companies are realising that investing in systems and technology not only streamlines operations but also plays a crucial role in fostering a healthy and supportive work environment. By streamlining processes, facilitating efficient maintenance management, enabling data-driven decision-making, and enhancing communication, systems like Spike PMS can contribute to creating a positive work environment where employees can thrive.
Jonny Wootten, Marketing Director at Spike Global and Kacey Chambers, Director, Leasedbykc
