3 Mobile Musts

Property Management Time Savers

By Geneva Ives on Aug 1, 2016 in Technology

Property managers are busy people. It seems like there is always more to do! Paperwork and desktop data entry can really slow you down, especially when you need to be onsite. No one can be in two places at once. Fortunately, today’s technology is making it easier to work more effectively from anywhere.

Mobile tools empower property managers with a streamlined, convenient, and modern way to do business. Mobile leasing, mobile payments, and mobile maintenance are three innovative solutions currently available to small to mid-size residential property managers using Yardi Genesis² that will help you get more done in less time.

Mobile Leasing

Mobile leasing is a must in today’s marketplace. In fact, the recent NMHC/Kingsley 2015 Renter Preferences Study that polled nearly 120,000 residents revealed that 85% of renters prefer to apply online. Not only is it more convenient for them, it also saves you time and increases your opportunity to convert more leads into leases.

When a potential renter is ready to begin the leasing process, your mobile-friendly website should be ready to turn prospects into residents with step-by-step online leasing. Mobile leasing solutions let website visitors view real-time pricing, see unit availability, and complete online applications right on your property websites from any device.

Applicants can fill out and submit all required forms online day or night to complete the leasing process. This means you can now fill your vacancies around the clock without being limited by your office hours.

With mobile leasing capabilities, you never have to worry about the time-consuming process of scheduling appointments and manually processing applications. Applicants just check out your site, apply online, and move on to the next, more exciting step of being a renter.

Mobile Payments

Paying rent online is a convenience that many of today’s residents expect. The NMHC/Kingsley 2015 Renter Preferences Study also revealed that 78% of renters prefer electronic rent payments. But why limit your renters to paying rent from a computer? With so many people on the go these days, it just makes sense to offer mobile payment options.

Fortunately, technological advances in payment processing are making it possible for residents to pay rent from anywhere using a tablet or smartphone. Some payment processing services also offer the ability to pay rent via text message. Renters can check account balances, make secure payments, and receive confirmations on their smartphones at any time of day that’s convenient to them.

When people can pay rent and other required fees without having to visit an office, it makes payment processing more efficient for both residents and property managers. Mobile payment capabilities also make rent collection easier for you. They save you time and increase cost effectiveness by cutting down on paper, staffing hours, delinquent payments, and repeat bank runs.

Mobile Maintenance

Adding mobility to your maintenance procedures helps you complete jobs more quickly and lets you step away from the office so you can get more done onsite.

Online work orders already let you track materials and other information related to the work on a property or unit. The addition of mobile maintenance software can give you the ability to enter, edit, and post work orders, add specific instructions for staff and vendors, and document the status of any project. You can even use work order reports as dispatch tools if you have a larger team.

If your software has mobile maintenance tools built in, so much the better! Then you have everything you need in one place and can avoid switching between programs. It instantly simplifies your maintenance routine.

Mobile maintenance tools don’t just help you and your staff work more efficiently, they also increase resident satisfaction and retention. When you are able to respond promptly to maintenance requests and take expert action, everyone’s happy.

Next Steps

Each of these three mobile musts can help you save valuable hours at your properties. But remember, the right mobile solutions for you are the ones you’ll actually use. Choose mobile solutions that are easy to master and that work together, so you can spend less time learning different technologies and more time keeping your residents happy and working on your business. The right online property management software can help!

Do you offer any of these mobile conveniences at your properties? What other mobile capabilities would make your job easier?