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A leader in business management has said property management systems need to be revitalised and digitalised as clients’ needs constantly change.
Speaking at the Australasian Residential Property Management Conference, Real+ business manager Hermione Gardiner stated property managers cannot be relying on the information systems they have been using for the past 20 years.
“We are not going to be moving forward that way,” she said.
“Our clients both now and in the future are completely changing – we are applying to the ‘Google’ generation.
“We need to redefine our systems - a procedure is no longer a document sitting in one still spot,” she added.
Ms Gardiner said property managers need to become digital in the way they manage tasks.
“There are some really great apps that you can go out and create your own forms online with … like ‘Easy Forms’ and there is one called ‘Go Canvas’,” she said.
“Saying ‘Oh I have got 20 years' experience’, that is not good enough to keep up with the clients' needs that are happening in this world today.”
Ms Gardiner highlighted miscommunication as still the biggest problem plaguing property managers across Australia and New Zealand.
“That is because we are not making the invisible stuff that we are doing visible to the people we are working with … so clients are screaming out, ‘Help me understand’,” she said.
“We need to look at the things people want.”
Ms Gardiner said clients want instant communication and information in this day and age.
“A really simple way to do this in property management is instant replies, and using your out of office as an instant response to people,” she said.
“Saying ‘Thank you for your email, we have got it, if it is urgent we will get back to you before the end of the day’, so letting [the client] know when they are going to hear back from you, because people are okay with delays if they know about it.”
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