Running a property management company can be overwhelming. From leases and maintenance to payroll and accounting, there’s a lot to keep track of. Thankfully, the property management process has become easier with the rise of technology. From document management to property and tenant management software, you can streamline your business processes and save time.
If you’re looking to automate your property management process, this guide is for you. It will show you the benefits of automating your property management and provide tips on how to get started.
Why automate your property management process?
There are several benefits of automating your property management process. The more you understand the advantages, the easier it will be to make the switch.
Time – Automation saves you time. You won’t have to spend as much time processing paperwork and less time managing your properties. This frees up your team to focus on growth and expansion.
Improved Efficiency – One of the best reasons to automate your property management process is to improve efficiency. With software, you can save time on repetitive tasks and increase production. This means more time for you and your team to focus on strategy.
Improved Customer Experience – Another advantage of automation is improved customer experience. With an integrated system to manage all your properties, your tenants will no longer receive multiple notifications. This makes your tenant experience seamless and quick.
Human error – if set up correctly automation will greatly reduce human error. When there are so many different platforms or ways of tracking data, manually trying to keep data and information current and up to date in all your systems is prone to mistakes. Automating tasks between systems can alleviate this
Cost – One of the biggest challenges of property management is cost. It’s a serious issue for many landlords and you may even be facing it too. The good news is that automation can help reduce costs. With property management software, you can easily keep track of expenses such as repairs, maintenance, and management fees. You can also centralise all your data into one place.
How to Automate Your Property Management Process
Automating your property management process can be difficult. It doesn’t work unless you know where to begin and which automation strategies to use. In this guide, we’ll discuss the different automation strategies and how you can implement them in your business.
Its always a good idea to get a complete high level overview of your business, including all the different tasks and people involved in the day to day running of the business. Try and understand what processes are involved, and see where the biggest time saving can take place. Simply going through a user journey exercise will highlight areas that need improvement, and also the areas that should be worked on first. Automation is not an overnight fix and can take a while to get the business processes clearly mapped out. Always processes first and tools second.
Document Management
Document management is essential for effective property management. This is because you need to have clear and accurate documentation for every aspect of your properties. With a digital system, you can easily organise and keep track of your documentation.
Automate your marketing
Marketing is one of the most important aspects of property management. If you’re not bringing in tenants, you’re losing out on income. Luckily, there are many marketing strategies you can employ. You can use digital marketing, advertising, affiliate programs, and more. The key is to find what works for your situation.
Here are a few marketing automation strategies you can use.
Send automated emails – You can set up your marketing system to send automated emails to your tenants. This can include reminders about maintenance, upcoming events, and more.
Automate your website – Your website is an important source of leads for your property management company. It’s also a great way to advertise and market your company. With digital marketing, you can create a professional website with a dashboard for managing content. This allows you to keep track of who’s visiting your site, their history, and the content they’re reading.
Automate your social media – Last but not least, you can automate your social media campaigns. You can set up campaigns that send automated posts to your social media channels. This allows you to spend less time managing your social media and more time on property management.
Automate your operations and maintenance
One of the best ways to automate your property management process is to outsource your maintenance and operations. You don’t need to be the construction company that oversees every aspect of a building’s maintenance. There are plenty of companies that specialise in maintenance and operations management. You can find one that fits your needs and budget.
Property Management Software
When it comes to property management, there are several things to keep in mind. One of them is finding the right software for your needs. With so many software options available, it can be hard to know where to start. This should come down to a number of factors, but make sure first and foremost that any software you choose aligns with your business processes. If you have to change or tweak your processes to fit any Property Management software then make sure the change is not going to unravel further down the line.
Be clear on exactly what you want the software to do, and ask to be shown the functionality, or try it out in a demo. Most Property Management software providers will give you a demo on the software, so you can see if it matches how you run your business.
You will, more than likely, have to run more than one software page, so make sure each software package you are looking at can be integrated with each other. This can be quite a technical undertaking so please seek advice, before wasting too much time. We specialise in Arthur Online property management software integration, but are familiar with plenty of others and can help you pick the right one for you.
Tenant Management
Tenant management is crucial for effective property management. You need to have a clear process for managing your tenants. This includes setting up maintenance requests, collecting payments, and responding to emergencies.
Here are a few ways a tenant management system can help you automate your business.
Keep track of tenants – One of the best things about a tenant management system is the ability to keep track of your tenants. You can assign each tenant to a virtual cabinet or file folder. This allows you to keep track of who’s who and what’s what in your portfolio of tenants.
Communicate with tenants – Another important aspect of tenant management is communicating with your tenants. You can use the tenant management system to send automated emails, letters, and more. This allows you to focus on growing your business without time spent on correspondence.
Summary
Keeping track of your property management process can be a very time consuming and draining job. Looking at ways to implement automation in your business can help and will be so rewarding. Start with your business process and identify what processes could be shortened with automation. If you dont know where to start, give us a call and let’s see if we can point you in the right direction.
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