Do you own or run a property management company? Are you looking to reduce costs yet improve your tenant service?
The struggle to keep up with maintenance issues can be costly and overwhelming. Yet, an effective way to cut costs is to outsource some of the responsibilities.
You can outsource anything – from simple answering services to building maintenance management. There are many solutions available for commercial and residential properties that not only help business owners reduce costs but also provide a better overall experience for their tenants.
What is a Telephone Answering Service?
A telephone answering service uses live agents and multi-channel communications to provide around-the-clock telephone or message answering. Businesses often outsource to answering service companies to assist with heavy call volumes, after-hours phone support, staff shortages, budget limitations, and a variety of other reasons.
How Do Property Managers Benefit from Telephone Answering Services?
Working with an answering service ensures your phones are answered by a live person quickly and without interruption 24/7. Tenants and prospects seamlessly receive the same exceptional customer service they’ve come to expect from their property managers.
Outsourcing answering services can also lead to operational and budgeting efficiencies, as well as prevent costly management liabilities through strong business continuity practices.
Outsourcing also frees up internal office staff to focus on more important tasks, like keeping tenants happy and boosting occupancy.
What to Look for When Considering an Answering Service
When choosing a telephone answering service, you should consider companies who offer the following.
1. Multi- or Omni-channel Communication
Give tenants and prospects the flexibility to communicate with you the way they prefer, including:
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- Chat: By simply placing a specific code on your website, you can install a chat box. This allows visitors on your site to chat directly with agents, answering questions in real-time.
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- SMS Texting: Texting is a preferred communication method for many. Contact centers can set up text-enabled numbers that allows tenants to text their concerns or other inquiries to you.
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- Social Media: With a business page on a social platform, prospects can message you directly on their favorite application and you can respond to inquiries instantly.
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- Email: Agents monitor and respond to emails from prospective tenants and current tenants. This is especially helpful for those who prefer electronic communication via email.
2. 24/7/365 Availability
Your office may only be open from 9 to 5, but your tenants (existing and prospective) may have concerns at any hour of the day or night. An emergency can’t wait, and an individual who’s considering leasing from you may move onto the next property on their list if you’re not accessible.
With the help of an answering service, your phone lines stay open at all hours. You’ll never miss an important call again.
3. After-hours Property Management Answering Service
Emergencies occur all day and night. After-hours call centers are there to help you when you’re not in the office.
Urgent calls can be patched or dispatched immediately to the appropriate personnel, and non-emergencies can be held for retrieval or faxed and emailed.
The call center will work with your team to develop a list of after-hours property emergencies that require escalation.
When looking for a call center, ensure everything is customizable to meet the standards and needs of your company. Some standard property management emergencies may include:
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- Flood
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- Property Emergency
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- Lockouts
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- Broken A/C or Heater
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- Front Gate Repair
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- Water or Gas Leaks
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- Electrical Problems
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- Refrigerator Repair
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- Broken Windows, Doors, and Locks
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- Plumbing Emergencies
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- Alarms
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- Towing Issues
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- Noise and Disturbance Complaints
Agents begin the call by stating the name of the property. They then capture the resident’s contact information and handle the call according to your instructions.
Call centers work with your team to develop a list of after-hours property emergencies that need escalation. When looking for a property management telephone answering service, ensure that all your options are customizable to meet your needs.
4. Comprehensive Training and Quality Assurance
Ask what sort of training process telephone agents undergo. For example, how well does the vendor cover soft skills training? Do their agents know how to remain calm with irate callers?
This will ensure your calls are handled with the highest level of efficiency and professionalism, helping keep customer service complaints at a minimum.
5. Automated Business Processes
Another way to keep expenditures down and make your life easier is by automating everyday business tasks such as email and chat response. This allows you to put more staff resources toward other duties.
Contact center agents sort your email messages and send them to the appropriate party. Or, an email management program can be outsourced with agents responding to senders using a customized response library.
Improve Your Service Rating by Partnering with a Call Center Today!
There are many benefits to working with a property management telephone answering service. You get the customer service support, the security, and the technology to help make a successful business and happy tenants.
AnswerNet is a full-service provider of inbound, outbound, automated, and business process outsourcing (BPO) call center services. We operate 30 contact centers within the continental United States and Canada.
Experience is so important when signing on with a call center. AnswerNet has that experience. Check out this news segment that aired on CBS17 highlighting the work that AnswerNet has done with Durham public housing.
We provide a wide range of services, including core capabilities of telephone answering, email receptionist, online appointment scheduling services, and building maintenance management services. Contact us today for more information.
