Spring is rolling in slowly but surely, and the season brings a few tasks on every agenda. Whether you're clearing out closet space, decluttering cabinets and drawers, or shuffling furniture about, spring cleaning time is here.
For a management company, spring cleaning means tossing the old saying of "not sweating the small stuff" out the window. Those tiny details will be critical right now, and ensuring they're properly sorted will give you a much cleaner customer experience.
'Small' Doesn't Mean 'Unimportant'
There's an assumption that quick, simple, or infrequent tasks are less important than the big ones we face daily. However, efficient management of lesser tasks can contribute to a greater sense of ease for your staff and clients.
All of the major tasks management company executives handle are important, but breaking free from the misconception that small tasks are less important will help you and your team better serve your clients, present and future.
Your board members expect unfettered access to whatever they want, whenever they want it. Setting up a portal with payment access, document storage, and general community information is a very large task that can make you feel as if you've satisfied that need forever. But the reality is that maintaining all of the portal's small pieces is critical and can be the difference between satisfaction and frustration in your boards.
Your staff have similar needs — they want to be able to do their daily tasks with minimal friction. Purchasing or building high-quality tools or creating data storage systems and access processes can help and are great large-scale successes. However, much like the finer details of your customer portal, maintaining internal information and the methods developed to help your team leverage it is just as crucial to the customer experience.
Tiny Tasks to Tackle Today
The good news is that the small stuff can be done pretty much in any order and by anyone. This is the equivalent of dusting behind the fridge or on the bookshelf. Things that we should have done once or twice a season already, but it's small stuff, so we didn't sweat it, right? But like dust, those small things can build up. Now is the time to handle it.
Ensure Homeowner Portal Functionality
If you have received complaints about links in your portal not working or missing altogether, now is an excellent time to resolve them. That might mean going into a website backend yourself or reaching out to your marketing or technology provider, but whatever the task entails, it will be a big contributor to a less agitated membership.
Update Document Repositories As Needed
Management company spring cleaning is the perfect opportunity to take inventory of what documents are missing. Your audit should include the portals for every association you manage as well as your own management company's information stores. Updating financial packages or insurance certificates for your clients is just as valuable to your team as keeping internal client information organized and up to date.
Maintain Homeowner Contact Information
Connecting with homeowners is essential for board members and managers alike. Unfortunately, you might not be aware when those details change over time. Reaching out to homeowners to verify that contact information is still accurate and maintaining the contact lists can streamline important communication between managers, board members, and homeowners.
Refresh Business Continuity Plans
This should apply to your plans as well as your clients. For some management companies, these plans were only exercised in the winter storms. For others, you can expect to rely on them in the months ahead. Wherever you are in your local "natural disaster" calendar, updating contact information, local safety and shelter details, and making necessary changes if the original plans fail in some way will keep everyone ready and prepared should the worst-case scenario play out.
Other Duties As Assigned
At the end of every big cleaning session, it's wise to take stock of things that might not have made your list of tasks but are necessary nonetheless. Whether updating inventory sheets for in-office goods or setting reminders for upcoming activities like maintenance or renewals, looking at your current checklist and filling in any gaps will add more work but will keep you on track longer.
Small But Mighty
Remember that all of these tasks will help you do everything better. They are small and may feel tedious and taxing, but they have a lot of value. If your team is bogged down with spring cleaning, bringing in help is always an option.
Let a virtual employee shoulder any tasks you worry about falling through the cracks to ensure they get handled. You improve your customer service and optimize your staff so your managers can focus on what they do best.
Click here for your free 30-minute consultation to learn how a Hire Smart Virtual Employee can make this spring cleaning more effective for your management company and your portfolio of clients.
Cheers!
Anne + The HireSmart Team
Co-Founder – HireSmart Companies
Direct: 678-389-9929
Helping Business Owners Find Great Workers – HireSmart Virtual Employees
www.HireSmartVirtualEmployees.com
Helping Kids – HireSmart Cares in Action
Thank you to our clients who are creating an impact
Need to talk? Schedule a time – www.MeetHireSmart.com