Blog / Prospecting
Creating closer connections by Sarah Dawson
By Sarah Dawson Head of Sales, Rockend
After almost 10 years in the industry, Billy Melgar knows that communication sits at the core of exceptional client service. Here he explains how technology is helping his team to communicate with clients more effectively than ever before.
From the earliest days of his career, Billy Melgar - Principal at iRent Property Management in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane - realised that his success as a property manager and later as a business owner would rely upon communication.
“Property management is all about people - landlords, tenants, tradies and so many other stakeholders,” Billy says. “It’s always hectic. But even with so much going on, consistent communication with clients is a must.
“As any property manager will tell you, one of the biggest challenges we face every day is communication. When we get it right, our clients are our raving fans. But if we get it wrong, we definitely hear about it!”
Starting out as an onsite property manager for some of Brisbane’s most prestigious high-rise residential complexes, Billy honed his skills while managing several hundred apartments.
“It gave me a really solid foundation for my career,” he remembers. “I built up my property management skills, developed my local market knowledge and created a strong business network.”
Four years ago, Billy decided to take the plunge and set up his own agency specialising in property management. Since opening iRent’s doors, Billy has built a team of five hardworking property managers who are all as focused on client service and communication as he is.
MOVING INTO THE CLOUD
Billy explains that using all the benefits technology has to offer has been a key element in iRent’s growth. After years of using REST Professional, the team recently made the change to PropertyTree.
“PropertyTree came highly recommended and it really suits our needs,” Billy explains. “It was time for us to move our systems into the cloud.
“These days, as a property manager you just can’t afford to be reliant upon software that’s desktop based. Onthe- spot access wherever you are is essential - and that’s what PropertyTree gives us.
“It gave me a really solid foundation for my career,” he remembers. “I built up my property management skills, developed my local market knowledge and created a strong business network.”
“Importantly, PropertyTree has allowed us to really step things up when it comes to effectively and efficiently communicating with our clients.”
Since changing over to PropertyTree, Billy has been able to automate a myriad of manual and routine tasks and he’s been particularly impressed with not only the efficiencies this has created but also how much it has contributed to his team’s ability to communicate with clients.
“For example, we can do the bank reconciliation in the morning and any tenant who is late paying their rent automatically gets a friendly reminder to pay. Little things like this make our job easier and create clear lines of communication.
“We can also tailor and personalise the statements we provide to our landlords, so every client is receiving the information they want, in the way they want it.”
Billy also points to PropertyTree’s Owner & Tenant Portal as one of the features that has made a big difference to the way his team communicates with clients.
“Landlords and tenants always have lots of little questions. Whether it’s a question from a landlord about the status of a repair or a tenant asking when their rent is next due, it all takes time. Now with PropertyTree, our landlords and tenants can simply log into the portal and find the information they need,” he explains. “It streamlines our processes and provides an enhanced level of communication for our clients.”
While still in the early stages of implementing PropertyTree, Billy can already see its potential.
“It’s definitely going to help us grow our business into the future,” he says.
Developed by Rockend, PropertyTree is Australia and New Zealand’s leading cloud-based property management solution.
You can experience PropertyTree first hand with a free demonstration by calling 1300 778 733.
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