The pandemic era changed the ways in which we go about real estate business. For property managers, this has meant transforming communication.
It’s more important than ever that managers update their tech stack to improve communication for the digital age. Online tools help maintain transparent information. Meanwhile, a few best practices will elevate your awareness and oversight of your financials and more.
Communication is key for a thriving property management system. Use these tips to stay connected with homeowners and tenants.
Make Open and Honest Communication a Top Priority
The role of a property manager is one that of a facilitator, a mediator, and—above all—a communicator. To be successful, you’ll have to streamline communication with every stakeholder in the properties you manage. This starts with establishing a culture and reputation for honesty and transparency. Homeowners need to know how their investment is performing. Tenants need to know how any business decisions might affect them.
With a commitment to clear communication from the start, you can leverage greater outcomes from all relationships you’ll form on the job. That’s because transparency makes it easier to catch and correct property management challenges. But how can you cultivate broader access to information and connect with stakeholders?
Implementing transparency requires meeting homeowners and tenants where they are. That means online.
Integrate Convenient Communication Tools
There is a range of important communication tools you need to apply in your quest for greater connectivity and transparency. Primarily, these tools revolve around online accessibility.
Homeowners might not even live in the same state as the properties you manage. Similarly, tenants have to be able to report an emergency on the property as soon as it occurs. The internet makes these situations easy to resolve, however, since it can connect all your clients via digital portals for information, maintenance requests, and more.
Renter and owner portals are your first step towards streamlined communication. This is no longer simply a convenience but a necessity in the pandemic era. Similarly, a social media presence is valuable for providing tenants news and reaching out.
From mobile apps to workplace software, the range of communication tools out there for property managers is virtually limitless. Finding the right tools for you will depend on the scope of your business and the needs of your specific clients.
Alternatively, you could even consider developing your own in-house communications tools and apps if you have the means and specific enough needs to make the investment worthwhile. Regardless of the tech stack you choose for enhancing communications, however, there is one thing you must pay particular attention to. That is the overall inclusivity of your communications approach.
Be Inclusive and Accessible
Homeowners and renters want to feel as though their property management company is inclusive and accessible. This means that they make the property management process welcoming, friendly, and fair. This starts with a commitment to inclusivity not just as a means of meeting fair housing and non-discrimination mandates but as an ethical and moral obligation to your community. If you fail to be inclusive, you’ll alienate your business partners along the way.
Instead, communication to homeowners and tenants should be designed with them in mind. From the platforms you use to the changes you make, inclusivity should be a core component of property management communication.
Here are some tips for making your communication more inclusive and accessible:
Test websites and portals with assistive technology.
Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for digital content.
Implement tenant and owner portals, complete with real-time statuses and financial information.
Integrate cybersecurity measures like a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) establishing a protected link between server and client.
Reach out to homeowners and tenants with surveys and questionnaires on how to improve communication.
From here, integrate the feedback you receive to hone your communication standards to your specific clients. These tips can make communication easy even when conducting property management business from home.
Staying Connected in a Socially Distanced World
The new normal for many industries is a level of virtual immersion. Fortunately, online tools make it easy to improve communication with homeowners and tenants.
By committing to transparency, integrating these tools, and ensuring inclusive communication spaces, property managers create stronger connections with all their clients. Use these tips to streamline your communication standards for the post-pandemic world.
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