BLOG. 3 min read
Whether you manage one property or multiple sites, like most property managers you probably spend a good portion of your day on the road or in the field. Inspecting units, sidewalks and roofs and meeting contractors, tenants, city officials, attorneys, brokers, staff and owners require a lot of time outside the office. Having the information you need electronically at your fingertips will save you time, paper and lots of frustration. Today’s property manager is equipped with mobile-ready solutions to streamline routine tasks while on the go. Top-performing real estate professionals understand the need to not just utilize mobile technology, but also offer it to stay competitive in today’s marketplace.
History of Mobile Solutions in the Real Estate Management Industry
Two decades ago, real estate managers used only office phones and desktop computers for communication. It wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that cell phones become the standard for professionals in many industries. Yet, before the debut of the Palm Pilot and the dawn of the mobile revolution, yesterday’s property managers still had to go back to the office to respond to email and search Google.
Riding the dot-com wave of new internet technology, PDAs and smartphones like the Blackberry Pearl and iPhone 1 gave property managers even more freedom from being chained to their desks. But it wasn’t until around 2012 that technology companies understood the massive shift that was taking place and started to develop mobile-ready solutions specifically for the property management industry.
Skyline’s mobile-friendly application has a responsive design and is browser agnostic.
Mobile Solutions Every Property Management Firm Needs
- Marketing Portal
Let’s face it…the first place a prospect is going to go when looking for rent pricing and availability of an apartment or office space is the internet. And before a prospect decides to lease a new unit, they are going to go to the landlord’s website.
- That means, if you are not marketing your available spaces online and have a professional-looking mobile-friendly website, you are missing out on potential prospects. Using Internet Listing Service syndication to sync available units directly to your core property management and lease administration software allows you to market those units more effectively and increase occupancy.
- Tenant Portal
Prospects often look at what amenities a property offers. Does your office building have a recreation room? Does your apartment building have a pool? But amenities don’t stop there. Tenants want the convenience of communicating with the landlord on their own time, wherever they are. Having a tenant portal gives your tenants the ability to log into their accounts to pay rent, initiate a service request, and review lease documentation. These are now amenities that every tenant expects. Offering these amenities will not only increase occupancy but also tenant retention. - Mobile Maintenance Portal
In the old days, property managers would print work orders to hand to their maintenance staff at the start of the workday, and then collect the finished ones at the end of the workday to close the orders in the system. Paperwork orders are inefficient for several reasons.
On a busy property, maintenance technicians have their hands full of tools and supplies, so adding a stack of work orders to the list creates a recipe for disaster. Work orders get lost in cars, left in basements, etc... and the ones that make it back to the office might have some notes scribbled on them, or could even be covered in paint! Your maintenance technicians and office staff will thank you for implementing paperless work orders available on a mobile device. In addition to increasing efficiency, it’s also good for the environment. - SKYLINE AP Automation
Through our partnership with AvidXchange, SKYLINE clients are now able to approve invoices electronically from their mobile devices. Paperless Accounts Payable processing with tight control, and customized invoice approval workflows, all completely paperless through SKYLINE AP Automation.
How SS&C can help
SS&C’s SKYLINE Property Management Software offers a suite of mobile-ready solutions to increase operational efficiency, occupancy and tenant retention. Contact us today to discuss your mobile solution needs.
