In a world where communicating has never been easier, why do some businesses still get it wrong? With so many ways for Property Managers to speak to clients, suppliers and customers, messages can get lost, become confused or might never reach the intended person at all. Tracking communications when there’s so many different people involved with varying methods of preferred communication can get confusing, so is it any wonder mistakes happen?

Some suppliers may engage with Property Managers via text message, some through email, some through telephone. And clients/customers are no different. Often, it might even be good old snail mail that is the method of communication. A particularly tricky form of reaching people as the ‘it got lost in the post’ excuse is easy to wheel out.

These varying methods of communication have to be managed efficiently and effectively by Property Managers. There’s information being passed from one person to another. Information being merged from different directions into one place with a need for accuracy and the achievement of SLA’s. This is information that is used to inform decisions. And the information has to be accessible to other team members.

In 2020 and beyond, this has to be much easier to manage than spreadsheets and post it notes. In this article we’re looking at our three top reasons why it has to be much easier.

Reason 1 – Improved relationships

Property Managers can elevate their relationships with clients simply by communicating better with suppliers.  Managing the different chains of communication begins with contractors. When that’s good, the knock-on effect can be great.

Having a platform to manage the contractor/Property Manager relationship will foster better communication between all parties involved in repairs and maintenance work. Being able to see all the details of all jobs in one place will help to create better working relationships. As suppliers and Property Managers are able to engage and communicate better, this has the benefit of improved communication and relationships with clients.

Why? Because this is what leads to faster and more efficient engagement at the start of the process leading to better, more efficient communication with clients. Wait times are reduced as the speed of processing jobs is increased. Clients can be kept informed of progress more easily as all the information is instantly available. And any issues can be resolved by anyone who has access to the online platform where all information is stored. Ultimately, Property Managers can use information to be more transparent with clients, which in turn leads to greater trust.

Reason 2 – Saves time and money

If work isn’t allocated swiftly to the right supplier, it could cause issues with clients when work is delayed or not up to the standard expected. This is particularly harmful when the work needing done is an emergency situation. This can then cause problems amongst clients who might refuse to pay. Or, if this becomes a regular occurrence, it could hinder future jobs from being organised.

Poor communication might rear it’s head when a supplier allegedly (or actually) fails to show for routine maintenance work. Say for example, a client complains about not seeing people carrying out work or chronic lateness/early clock outs.  If no one in the office is aware of it, and is therefore unable to solve their complaint until they have tracked down the supplier to establish what happened from their side, the client will become frustrated and anxious at the lack of information and delay to work on their property.

A third and final example of a typical situation involving clients and contractors where poor communication can lead to problems, would be when a contractor turns up for a job and the clients don’t know anything about it. How has this happened? Has the supplier got mixed up? Have they been instructed to do work and clients have not been notified? Or has the communication got lost somewhere along the chain? Moreover, how does the supplier fix the situation there and then?

Time is money. Therefore saving time will automatically lead to saving money. Time is our most valuable asset. When it’s spent, we can never recoup it. Every minute of the day is valuable for any business. And chasing down contractors for whatever reason is not a good use of a salary.

Reason 3 – Enhanced brand image

By making it easy to communicate and do business with contractors clients will ultimately have a better experience. Clients will see the benefits of a smooth repairs and maintenance process with timely responses leading to problems being rectified more efficiently and routine maintenance happening as and when it should. This, in turn, will lead to positive word of mouth and more confidence in their property management firm.

Improving relationships with contractors, saving time and money and enhanced brand image are just 3 of the great benefits from having good supply chain communication. Can you think of any others?

Thanks for reading.

Brian Welsh, MD, CPL Software.

If your Residential Property Management firm would benefit from communicating more easily with contractors, please do get in touch with our UK based team for a friendly chat, info@cplsoftware.com or 0345 646 0240.

The Blockworx app from CPL Software allows contractors and Residential Property Managers to communicate more easily. you can visit the Blockworx site for more information.