There is no denying that the role of a building manager is full of challenges. There are many aspects of building and community management that need addressing on a daily basis. A system that can streamline some of these processes and empower residents to take care of their records enhances the engagement of a community and makes the building or strata manager’s role a little easier. That’s how moving building management online can help.
Often, building management systems are thought of as Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), but this is only partially correct. A comprehensive building management system is able to look after the physical structure as well as the assets and people within it.
The basic elements of a good building management system address all facets of the strata or building manager’s role. That’s maintenance, communication, financial records and reporting and the scheduling of work and use of communal spaces. This is different from a CMMS in that a building management online system has a wider scope. Because of this, it delivers holistic support to the property manager, residents and owners too.
Building maintenance
When things break, people want them fixed almost instantly. Even better would be things not breaking at all. While an online building management system can’t stop things from breaking, it can facilitate them getting fixed and enhance scheduling for regular maintenance so they don’t break so often, if at all.
A robust maintenance module for building management online systems supports both ad hoc maintenance requests from residents and allows the building manager to easily schedule and assign regular maintenance work for the premises. A checklist for regular inspections can further enhance the maintenance aspects of community management.
By allowing residents to lodge their own maintenance requests and track their completion, time tied up in phone calls and chasing up contractors and residents is cut to a minimum for property managers. What’s more, clear process flows ensure that any bottlenecks and delays can easily be identified and managed.
Although maintenance tasks take up a large part of any property managers day, it’s not the biggest bugbear when it comes to managing communities.
Resident communication
Lack of communication is one of the top complaints residents have about strata and building managers. Building managers are responsible for the smooth running of the building, but also the smooth running of the community that lives within them. That means communication is essential.
That said, keeping track of potentially hundreds of different conversations with residents, maintenance crews and more is far easier said than done. A comprehensive building management system helps to keep track of the conversations building and strata managers have with, and about, their community. From emails to phone calls and onto SMS, everything needs to be tracked and easily followed so residents requests don’t get forgotten and responses aren’t lost either.
Community empowerment
Putting building management online empowers residents by giving them 24/7 access to their records and the information they need to live comfortably and happily in their community. A robust system includes resident access so facilities can be booked quickly, maintenance issues lodged and records easily updated.
As well as ceasing the need for niggling little tasks to always go through the building manager, residents are empowered to take care of their own records and access the information they need, when they need it.
When combined with exclusive resident deals and the ability to build residential community ties through internal marketplaces, community events and opportunities to get to know neighbours and the members of the body corporate, the building’s community becomes a stronger and more supportive network. This enhances the quality of life for all.
Keeping track of finances
Building management online needs to have robust security to ensure the financial aspects of property management remain out of the public domain. By combining a building management system with the accounting aspects of the strata and building manager’s role, processes can be streamlined and budgets are easier to adhere to.
Rather than managing a CMMS alongside a strata accountancy package and disparate communication streams, a comprehensive building management system brings them all together so less time is wasted moving between systems and everything is visible from the one platform.
Information is the basis of good decision making. The more readily information is accessed the quicker it becomes to make better decisions. Simple tasks such as processing rental payments can become difficult when working through several systems to lodge an instalment. When accountancy modules work from the same platform as resident records, processes become streamlined and easier to manage.
Choosing a comprehensive building management
There are many aspects of a property manager role and community management is not as straightforward as some may believe. By bringing the multiple functions of building management into one platform, the strata manager’s role can be streamlined and simplified. This leaves them more time for engaging with and supporting their community.
The net result of building management online is a more engaged community, a better reputation for the property management company and a higher quality of life for residents within the building. BuildingLink’s community management system is different to other CMMSs as it brings together the maintenance aspects of property management with communication, management of finances and empowers residents with a bespoke platform where they can access all that they need. Learn more about our building management online with a demonstration.