If you’ve ever been involved in managing a residential or multi-purpose building, you’ll know there’s a LOT involved. Along with taking care of the asset, there’s the management of the community housed in your building, making the most of resources, reducing expenses where you can, reporting, accounting – this list goes on! Building management software can make that job easier. But it can’t do everything.
Processes can be streamlined and undoubtedly, some things will need to change. But all change comes with pros and cons. So it’s important to initiate change with open eyes. To help you choose a great building management system for your properties and your team, we’ve noted some of the most common pros and cons of building management software.
Three building management software pros
Smarter technology offers greater efficiency for building management teams and the communities within those structures. The exceptional growth of the building management software market shows just how much value these systems can deliver.
#1 – Better communication
Communication is the glue that holds communities together. But it’s not just communication between residents and the building management team that matters. Communication with contractors, maintenance teams and committee members is just as important.
BuildingLink’s software streamlines communication with everyone. Residents can choose the best ways to be contacted, group notifications and SMSs can be sent in a couple of clicks and everything is automatically recorded to save management teams time and headaches.
#2 – Streamlined processes
Have you ever completed an inspection, only to get to the end and realise you missed a crucial element? Or maybe you’ve assigned a work request to a contractor but the job is still waiting. Building management software streamlines these sorts of processes and increases the visibility of bottlenecks too.
BuildingLink does this by creating repeatable processes for building managers. Expect simple systems like inspection checklists and automated maintenance requests for approved contractors. What’s more, everything is stored in one portal so it’s easy to go back and find out what’s holding things up if jobs are delayed.
#3 – Fast and simple reporting
Regular reports help management teams spot opportunities for greater efficiencies and drive down costs for their communities. But pulling together information from different systems takes time and creates opportunities for errors. Building management software can integrate with accounting systems and other analytic platforms to make reporting accurate and simple.
BuildingLink integrates with other systems from strata accounting software to sensor technologies to make accessing the right data easy and precise. Everything from activity reports to financial records and incident reports is accessible in minutes so you can submit it for scrutiny.
Three software disadvantages to watch out for
Despite the great advantages of building management software, there are distinct disadvantages to going digital too. Preparing for the downside can mitigate risks or even let you avoid them completely by choosing software that’s ahead of the game.
#1 – Training and ongoing support
Great systems need great teams to make them work. Even when systems are digitised, this truth remains. Making sure the software you choose comes with comprehensive training and friendly ongoing support is crucial for getting your people behind the change.
BuildingLink’s software comes with a team of friendly customer service and training professionals who can guide your building management team through each module and get them up to speed on the system. Friendly ongoing support is also part of the package. Our growing library of how-to tutorials ensures everyone from management to residents know how to make the most of our software.
#2 – System outages
Software upgrades are a fact of life when you’ve upgraded to digital systems. But just because your software needs updating doesn’t mean your business stops. When choosing building management software, ask how system upgrades are handled. You’ll want to know how to mitigate the impact on your business.
BuildingLink’s cloud-based software runs from private servers which enhances your system’s security and eradicates downtime for your business. When we upgrade software, we work from one server to the next, without ever interrupting your flow or causing you to pause your work.
#3 – Choosing the wrong software
Making the right choice of building management software takes time. Choosing the wrong software can be a costly mistake. Your investment of time and effort in implementing a software solution is lost if you end up finding out it’s a bad fit for your organisation. So it’s important to take your time and be thorough with your selection process.
BuildingLink offers free bespoke demonstrations of their building management software for decision-makers. This means you’ll get a run-through of our software and can see it in action before making your final choice. That reduces the chance of choosing building management software on the pros and forgetting the cons. To arrange for a free, no-obligation demonstration you simply need to provide a few details to us. No payments or promises are required. Why not get in touch for a free demo today?