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Resident Experience Management platform can help you deliver superior resident experiences and help you exceed resident expectations.

Resident Experience Management platform can help you deliver superior resident experiences and help you exceed resident expectations.

  • Posted: Apr 03, 2023
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An effective portal solution for managing electronic communications with features that increases the resident experience. In this article, we look at how our Resident Experience Management platform can help you deliver superior resident experiences and help you exceed resident expectations.

By Concierge Plus

Due to pandemic restrictions, many management offices were inaccessible to residents. This caused a greater reliance on telephone and e-mail communication. For many residents, failure of management to respond to their queries in a proper way created distrust and a perception that the management company is incompetent. The root cause to this problem is the lack of an effective portal solution for managing electronic communications with features that increases the resident experience. In this article, we look at how our Resident Experience Management platform can help you deliver superior resident experiences and help you exceed resident expectations.

Efficient maintenance request process

The main responsibility of any management company is to ensure that community associations are well maintained. Residents should be able to report maintenance requests as soon as possible from wherever they are. While calls and text messages can get your attention, residents might not be able to explain the situation entirely. However, via Concierge Plus’ Service Request feature, they can give details of their concern and even upload pictures or videos to aid their explanation.
Requests are always tracked by unit, so you’ll always be able to access a history of what happened. And full reporting features mean you can very quickly generate all the information you need to update your board or your residents.

Mobile-Service-Request

Transparency in association governance

Since the tragic Surfside condo collapse in Miami, residents are asking for more transparency from their elected board members. Transparency is characterized by visibility or accessibility of information concerning association practices.
Board members can use Concierge Plus as a platform for keeping residents in the loop with regards to anything related to building maintenance. Since the tragic Surfside condo collapse, we’ve been told that residents are particularly asking for their board’s plan on risk mitigation.
Board members can share documents such as a Reserve Study with unit owners using our File Sharing feature. This is a password-protected repository for important documents and is a great place to store articles of incorporation, meeting minutes, rules and regulations.

Mobile-Media-Library-Folder

Virtual owner meetings and AGMs

As the pandemic eases and we resume in-person gatherings, hybrid meetings are slowly becoming a permanent part of how community associations function.
Board members can easily add HD web conferencing, automate attendance, enable eligible owners to vote online, and more through our all-in-one virtual meeting platform integration with GetQuorum.
Advanced and real-time electronic voting allows owners to vote securely on important meeting matters before or during the meeting using GetQuorum’s dynamic online platform.
Electronic voting offers substantial cost savings, improved efficiency and significantly reduces errors associated with traditional paper-based voting.

Efficient package management

Community managers, security guards and concierges everywhere are fighting a losing battle trying to keep up with the unrelenting wave of incoming parcels during the holiday season. When staff members spend more time accepting, storing and retrieving parcels, they can’t focus on their security duties.
With Concierge Plus’ Notification feature, you can avoid ending up with front desk congestion and angry residents. Use Concierge Plus to manage package deliveries with automated emails and an easy tracking process. Residents can select to be notified by text message (SMS) or by an automated phone call, which is perfect for urgent and timely notifications.
With our barcode scanner your team can quickly scan every package that arrives, and when residents come to pick-up their packages, they simply sign on a digital signature pad to confirm their identity permanently and securely.
Last but not least, we also offer beautifully designed, 40″ digital lobby display screens which you can use to alert residents that items are available for pick-up.

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Secure resident and visitor parking

For most residents, the safety factors associated with condo living are a huge consideration in choosing life in a community association.
Concierge Plus can help you manage who is coming in and out, where they are parking, and if they have permission to enter the building. Our integrated hardware offerings alleviate confusion with parking pass printers that clearly denote who is parking where.
The printer connects easily to your computer and facilitates tracking of visitor vehicle details such as license plate number, make, and color. A parking pass receipt will print automatically for visitors to display on their dashboards.

 

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Next is, Asking the right questions when hiring a Management Company

Next is, Asking the right questions when hiring a Management Company

  • Posted: Nov 17, 2022
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Asking the right questions when hiring a Management Company

Addressing these questions with owners and board members helps them to understand what a manager does, and how important it is to take the time to find the right company that will care for the properties like they would.

Questions to ask so you can learn more about Property Management company services they will provide, benefits, services, how they collect fees, how repairs are addressed, Vacancies, Rent Collection and the Laws & Licensing.

 

Then find out how our members can do to help you with the management of your buildings?

Managing properties can quickly become overwhelming, even for experienced investors. There is always something going on that requires attention and it takes very little time for things to get out of hand.  Hiring a Property Manager can provide an opportunity to regain control and restore stability to both your properties and possibly life in general.

The importance of having income real estate to you and your family? We are here to help you with the selection process for hiring the right company for the management of your buildings. Your Property Manager will make critical decisions on your behalf making it extremely important that you do your homework during the hiring process, your decision to hire or not hire a management company should hinge on whether or not it is a good fit with your lifestyle and makes sense financially. Individual investors will have to assess the opportunity cost of both options based on their unique circumstances.

 

Benefits of hiring a Property Management Company

A competent manager can add significant value to your investment, which is why many seasoned real estate investors will tell you that a good management company is worth their weight in gold. Here are a few ways that a good property manager earns their keep

Getting Better Tenants

Think of tenant screening as the moat and draw bridge around your castle. It is certainly possible to get a bad tenant out of your home once they are in, but it’s a real hassle and you are so much better off never accepting them in the first place. a thorough screening process results in reliable tenants that:

  • Pay on time
  • Rent longer
  • Put less wear and tear on the unit
  • Generally cause less problems

An experienced management company has seen thousands of applications and knows how to quickly dig for the real facts about candidates and analyze that information for warning signs. By allowing a management company to handle the screening, you will also be shielding yourself from rental scams directed at owners, and discrimination lawsuits resulting from an inconsistent screening process. This kind of experience takes time, and insomuch as it means avoiding bad tenants, scams and lawsuits it is arguably one of the most significant benefits a property management company will provide.

Veteran landlords & managers know it only takes one troublesome tenant to cause significant legal and financial headaches. A good property manager is armed with the knowledge of the latest landlord-tenant laws and will ensure that you are not leaving yourself vulnerable to a potential law suit. Each state and municipality have their own laws, these plus federal law cover a number of areas including but not limited to:

  • Tenant screening
  • Safety and property conditions of the property
  • Evictions
  • Inspections
  • Lease addendums
  • Terminating leases
  • Handling security deposits
  • Rent collection

 

Lower Vacancy & Better Tenants

A Manager will help you perform three critical tasks that affect how long it takes to fill your vacancies:

  • Improve and prepare the property for rent – A Property Manager will suggest and oversee cosmetic improvements that maximize revenue.
  • Determine the best rent rate – Too high and you are stuck waiting, to low and you’re losing money every month the tenant is in the unit. Determining the optimal price requires knowledge of the local market, data on recently sold comparables, and access to rental rate tools.

Effectively market your property – An experienced Property Management company has written hundreds of ads and understands what to say and where advertise in order to get a larger pool of candidates in a shorter period of time. Additionally because of their volume they can usually negotiate cheaper advertising rates both online and offline. Lastly, they are familiar with sales and know how to close when they field calls from prospects and take them on showings.

While its easy to see the effects of lost rent, there are other equally serious problems with a high tenant turnover rate. The turnover process involves a thorough cleaning, changing the locks, painting the walls and possibly new carpet or small repairs, not to mention all the effort associated with marketing, showing , screening and settling in a new tenant. This is a time-consuming and expensive process that can often be averted by keeping tenants happy and well cared for.

A good management company will have a time-tested tenant retention policy that ensures happy tenants with lengthy stays in your properties. These kinds of programs require a consistent, systematic approach, which is where a good Property Management company will shine.

Rent Collection Process

The way you handle rent collection and late payments can be the difference between success and failure as a landlord. Collecting rent on time every month is the only way to maintain consistent cash-flow, and your tenants need to understand this is not negotiable. By hiring a property manager, you put a buffer between yourself and the tenant, and allow them to be the bad guy who has to listen to excuses, chase down rent, and when necessary, evict the person living in your property.

If you let them, your tenants will walk all over you. They have to be trained to follow every part of the lease or deal with the consequences. Property managers have an advantage because tenants realize that they, unlike the owner, are only doing their job and are obligated to enforce the lease terms. Many Managers will tell you that it is considerably easier to manage other people’s units rather than their own for this reason.

Regarding evictions, there are strict laws concerning the eviction process, and doing it wrong, or trying to evict a “professional tenant” can be a major fiasco. A good property management firm knows the law and has a good process for obtaining the best possible outcome given the circumstances. Never having to handle another eviction can be a compelling reason to consider hiring a property management company.

State of Florida Property Management Association has a partnering member www.NationalEvictions.com they can help all landlords with the information needed to understand the Florida eviction process, all members, real estate professionals & building owners can get the required forms for a Florida eviction and help with hiring a lawyer to help with an eviction.

 

Maintenance and Repair Costs

Good maintenance and repairs keep tenants happy and preserve the value of your investment which make them a very important part of land-lording. By hiring a management firm you gain access to both their in-house maintenance staff, as well as their network of licensed, bonded and insured contractors who have already been vetted for good pricing and quality work. This can translate into significant savings compared to going through the yellow pages and hiring a handyman yourself.

*State of Florida Property Management Association has our own Member Directory these members directly aid our Management members giving them cost savings for any work needed in the buildings they manage. This savings means savings for the building owners.

Increased inspections means happier tenants, It aids in the value of your investment

Preventative maintenance is achieved through putting systems in place that catch and deal with maintenance and repair issues early on, before they grow into larger more costly problems. This requires a written maintenance check program, detailed maintenance documentation and regular maintenance visits. The management firm can also offer you suggestions and feedback on upgrades and modifications, both how they will affect the rent you can charge, as well as their impact on maintenance and insurance.

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“Smart managers ensure the community as a whole is running smoothly both from an operational standpoint and from the resident perspective. That’s why Concierge Plus is part of our team; it simply makes everyone’s life easier.”

“Smart managers ensure the community as a whole is running smoothly both from an operational standpoint and from the resident perspective. That’s why Concierge Plus is part of our team; it simply makes everyone’s life easier.”

  • Posted: Jun 30, 2022
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Increase the efficiency of parking enforcement and guest permits with real time solutions at your community. Our Visitor & Parking Management solution increases transparency between managers and residents and shifts conflict resolution scenarios to a digital format.

  • Record and report on frequency of parking usage by unit, license plates, and determine peak parking usage times with our easy-to-use, friendly reporting system.
  • Set controls on how many times units can request parking during a particular period.
  • Allow residents to print their own parking passes for guests in such cases where there is no one on-site to manage your parking facilities.
  • Prevent owners sneaking in additional vehicles and overstaying their allotted time.
  • Track guests digitally and record visitor signatures using our optional digital signature pads.
Book a meeting with me now  and see for yourself how you can increase the efficiency of parking enforcement and guest permits with our Resident Experience Management solution.
Members of SFPMA their services are offered to our Management Industry.
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Best Regards,

Charlote Alvarez

Business Development Representative — Concierge Plus
T: 305-850-7676 x114
charlote.alvarez@conciergeplus.com
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Does your community give residents the ability to make online payments? 

Does your community give residents the ability to make online payments? 

  • Posted: Jun 08, 2022
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Does your community give residents the ability to make online payments? 

Concierge Plus give residents more convenience and control by allowing them to view their account and pay charges from their bank account or credit/debit card – all integrated with your existing accounting platform!

  • Spend less time collecting and depositing checks by automating the payment process for your residents.
  • Residents can make recurring or one-time payments from their bank account by ACH or by using a debit/credit card.
  • Residents can access a history of charges and payments on their unit anytime, from any device.
  • Payments are deposited and settle directly into your bank account.
  • Built-in reminder email campaigns help drive online payment adoption and automatically remind residents that they have an overdue balance.
  • Flexible fee structure allows you to pay transaction fees or pass them on to residents.

“I love the platform. I think it’s extremely user friendly and it has so many functionalities. It’s my favorite platform and my favorite tool.” 

Joy Gilbert, Community Property Manager

The Building Group

Book a meeting with me now and let me show you our fully integrated, easy payment solution that gets results.
Best Regards,

Charlote Alvarez

Business Development Representative — Concierge Plus
T: 305-850-7676 x114
charlote.alvarez@conciergeplus.com
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How to Become a More Efficient Community Association Board Member, By Concierge Plus

How to Become a More Efficient Community Association Board Member, By Concierge Plus

  • Posted: May 25, 2022
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How to Become a More Efficient Community Association Board Member

Whether you are an experienced board member or thinking about becoming one, having a foundation for effective community association board leadership is important.

By becoming a community association board member, you step up to take on positions of service and responsibility. You’re now expected to anticipate issues, solve problems, meet the expectations of residents, and protect property values.

 

Here are five important skills to possess as a board member:

  1. Governing Documents and Roles & Responsibilities. To start you on the right path, you must understand the legal authority for your association. You must have a thorough understanding of the duties and responsibilities of each board member and the professionals who are available to assist you.
  2. Communications, Meetings and Volunteerism. You should also learn how to maximize volunteer involvement in your community association by improving board communications, conducting effective meetings, and building community spirit.
  3. Fundamentals of Financial Management. As a minimum, you should learn the fundamentals of association financial management, including guidelines for protecting your association’s assets, preparing a budget, planning for the future, and collecting assessments. Since the tragic condo collapse in Miami, many board members have realized the importance of risk mitigation and reserve studies.
  4. Professional Advisors and Service Providers. Because putting together the right team to support your association can be challenging, you should seek practical tips on finding, evaluating, and hiring qualified professional advisors and service providers. Visiting CAI’s forum for Community Associations is a good tool for such information.
  5. Association Rules and Conflict Resolution. You should learn the guidelines for making reasonable association rules, enforcing rules fairly and resolving conflict effectively.

Since the tragic Surfside condo collapse, residents are asking for more transparency from their elected board members. Board members can use Concierge Plus as a platform for keeping residents in the loop with regards to anything related to their community.

 

Below are few Concierge Plus features that can help you become a transparent board member:

  • Resident Announcements
    You can send out notices of upcoming meetings using our Announcements module (as well as posting those events on the Community Calendar). Concierge Plus announcements can be delivered to residents by email, SMS, or even through an automated phone call based on the resident’s opt-in preferences. This will save you from having to slip printed materials under your residents’ doors.
  • File Sharing
    You can share important documents such as a Reserve Study with unit owners using our File Sharing feature. This is a password-protected repository for important documents and is a great place to store articles of incorporation, meeting minutes, rules and regulations.
  • Discussion Forum
    Our Discussion Forum feature allows residents and staff to discuss various topics. The forum increases resident engagement by allowing residents to pitch-in with their views on any topic related to their community.
  • Virtual Owner Meetings & AGMs
    As the pandemic eases and we resume in-person gatherings, hybrid meetings are slowly becoming a permanent part of how community associations function.
    Via our all-in-one virtual meeting platform integration with GetQuorum, you can easily add HD web conferencing, automate attendance, enable eligible attendees to vote online, and much more.

 


Concierge Plus

Community association board members should serve with the best interests of their communities in mind. The law imposes a level of care and loyalty, owed by board members to their associations. It is vital that you receive proper education and training in order to understand your obligations and fulfill your fiduciary duty to the association.

Book a meeting with our experts today, and see for yourself how thousands of board members across North America have become more informed and effective using our platform.

 

 

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Securely store and share all of your community documents online with our File Sharing feature.

Securely store and share all of your community documents online with our File Sharing feature.

  • Posted: May 05, 2022
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Securely store and share all of your community documents online with our File Sharing feature. Documents, files for owners, meeting minutes, forms, by-laws, photos, and even videos can be shared with permission-based access.

  • Uploading and distributing documents and images is very easy with our simple drag-and-drop system.
  • Keep all your community files organized in a centralized location.
  • Upload an unlimited number of various file types including .pdf, .doc, .xls, and many more.
  • Increase security by determining exactly who sees what with our permission-based controls.
  • Sending out a blast to residents? Easily include a file from what you’ve already uploaded with just a couple of clicks.
  • Don’t waste time searching aimlessly for a file ever again. Use the quick search functionality to find specific files or folders in an instant.
BOOK A MEETING

“It will make your life so much easier and make your business run much faster.” 

 

Maria Desforges, Property Manager

J&W Condominium Management

Book a meeting with me now and let me show you how you can deliver superior resident experiences with our Resident Experience Management portal.
Best Regards,

Charlote Alvarez

Business Development Representative — Concierge Plus
T: 305-850-7676 x114
charlote.alvarez@conciergeplus.com
Get a fully responsive public website for your community association with your own domain name included! by Conceirge Plus

Get a fully responsive public website for your community association with your own domain name included! by Conceirge Plus

  • Posted: Apr 28, 2022
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Get a fully responsive public website for your community association with your own domain name included! Strengthen your community’s brand with our curated and customizable templates and fully featured mobile app option.

  • Your community website on your own domain name for the most customized resident and staff experience – included in Concierge Plus!
  • Incredibly easy-to-use content management system built right in to your community site.
  • Include data from your site that can be viewed without needing to log in (you pick the content, and there’s no need to maintain two sources of information like with a traditional, separate website).
  • Upload high-resolution images and/or videos of your community, and showcase them in various ways using our curated templates.
  • Want more branding functionality? Our native, fully featured mobile app option gives your community an app searchable and downloadable with your name, logo, and information.
BOOK A MEETING
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New to Property Management? Quick Tips for First-Time Landlords  By Concierge Plus

New to Property Management? Quick Tips for First-Time Landlords By Concierge Plus

  • Posted: Apr 24, 2022
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New to Property Management? Quick Tips for First-Time Landlords

Being a successful landlord means juggling lots of hats and more importantly, doing so in an organized, efficient manner. Otherwise, you’ll quickly find yourself overwhelmed and unable to do your job effectively – whether that’s answering emails, fixing repairs, managing equipment or any number of the other tasks you’re responsible for.

Learn Everything Possible

As with any major venture, knowledge is key. Before you set out to buy your first property, get to know the market. You’ll need to understand everything from local employment statistics to generally accepted rental rates. Homee further recommends understanding local housing laws and getting familiar with common property management metrics, such as maintenance cost, turnover, and occupancy rates.

If you have very little experience in real estate investing or management, consider taking a course, such as Property Management 101 from Udemy. While, at less than $50, the course is likely not fully comprehensive, it can help you understand the fundamentals and shape your mindset so that you can be a more effective manager.

Find the Right Property

Finding the right property is a crucial element in your management success, especially if you’re looking to turn a profit. But, before you buy, it pays to know why, exactly, people move into apartments or multi-housing units in the first place. Single people will often choose an apartment for the safety aspect, while others may want access to a clubhouse, fitness center, and swimming pool that they do not have to maintain.

When saving money at the beginning is one of your top concerns, you’ll need to take your time deciding on a property. You might wish to speak with a realtor about purchasing a home in “as-is” condition. This is a property that will likely need some work but, if you don’t mind rolling up your sleeves and doing some of the upgrades, seasonal maintenance, and repairs yourself, you can get a good deal and an even better return. Do keep in mind, however, that homes with an active termite infestation or other significant issues may not be the best bet. You should also have the property inspected for any potential red flags and, if possible, include a cancellation clause in the contract should your inspections yield negative results. Real estate agency Redfin suggests having an attorney perform a title search and examine pertinent land records.

Staying Organized & on Top of Things with Concierge Plus

When it is time to open your new property for tenants, being organized is essential. You will need to be able to do everything, like maintaining a resident databasebooking amenitieshandling service requestsaccepting card payments, and tracking visitor/tenant parking. This is where Concierge Plus comes into play. Our Resident Experience Management platform can do these things and so much more. Having a reliable property management app in your toolbox from the very beginning will help you grow and seamlessly add new properties to your real estate portfolio.

Staying organized may not solve all your problems, but it will help you look and be more professional so that you can manage your property effectively. Keeping accurate records, and knowing where those records are, will also save you money in the long run.

Owning your first tenants’ property is a big job. It takes lots of preparations, from learning about local tenant housing laws to finding ways to save money from the very beginning. But, real estate is a rewarding endeavor, and there is lots of income potential.

Watch our On-Demand Webinar

We recently held a webinar on how landlords, property managers, and board members can use our resident experience management platform to help stay organized.

Watch our webinar and learn about:

  • Getting a straightforward snapshot of what’s going on in your community with our Daily Overview feature.
  • Keeping track of all tasks with our Tasks & Reminders module.
  • Keeping a digital record of every piece of equipment in your community with our Equipment Management feature.
  • Distributing information about important happenings on site, or key knowledge that just needs to be handed to the next shift with our Pass-On-Logs feature.
  • Securely storing and sharing all of your community documents with our File Sharing feature.
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7 Tips on Successful Community Association Messaging  By Jon Green | March 7, 2022

7 Tips on Successful Community Association Messaging By Jon Green | March 7, 2022

  • Posted: Mar 10, 2022
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7 Tips on Successful Community Association Messaging

The daily life of a property or community manager is filled with ever shifting priorities, addressing the urgent needs of residents, board members, and vendors. Does that sound familiar; is that you?

The unfortunate consequence is that drafting and sending effective community-wide announcements may well take a back seat when you are focused on today’s urgencies.

But those communications are vitally important! Those community-wide messages, by definition, touch everyone. Remember this about your residents:

Many residents are media and technically savvy

Your residents are accustomed to receiving professionally produced emails and messages every day at home and at work. Consider these benchmarks: 2 out of 3 Americans age 55+ are members of Amazon Prime, already ordering and streaming online with regularity. And surveys show that tech-savvy millennials are eager to purchase homes and very likely a growing ownership constituency in your community. Regardless of your residents’ age, you must assume they are accustomed to technology and discerning about quality communications.

Residents are financially invested

Year over year the real estate market has been great for sellers but terribly challenging for buyers laboring with increasing prices and shrinking affordability across the US and Canada. The upshot is that homeowners are more invested than ever – and selecting a home in your community came with an expectation that your association will nurture and protect their investment. In their eyes, the messaging you share (or fail to share) with the entire community reflects on the soundness of their investment.

Communiation Best Practices

Residents are emotionally invested

It’s someone’s home and community, their place of safety, comfort and joy. The communications you share can amplify or diminish those positive feelings.

In short, your communications matter. The messages you send to all residents influence how they perceive their home, their community – and your management team. Community-wide messaging is your turn to be a positive image setter and you cannot afford to miss that opportunity.

Given that backdrop, here are seven keys for successful communications:

  1. Create content with care

    However important a message may be, you must assume recipients will scan it quickly. If the message warrants further attention, readers might dive in more carefully – but they will probably commit mere seconds to perform that initial scan.

    So be concise! Rehearse removing words or even entire sentences. Would that change the content? If not, remove the extraneous verbiage. Make each word count.

    Clearly state the subject at the top. Then clearly issue a call to action, typically in the closing. Make sure your draft is crystal clear on each. Here’s why I’m writing and here’s what I want!

    Then re-read your draft and ask: Does your message answer every relevant question? Always answer core questions: who, what, when, where, why and how? You are sharing information; do it completely.

    Finally, check your tone. Is the message professional and positive? Informality may be appropriate when announcing a community barbecue, but still convey professionalism. And stern reminders may be necessary when residents are required to act, but one can do so in a positive manner that speaks to success rather than failure. Be professional, be positive.

  2. Polish your brand

    Your community may issue a few announcements or a lot. Different strokes for different folks. But whenever you do, brand you messaging to amplify the community’s image.

    In most cases, branding means incorporating your logo at the top of each message. Simple to do – and even automatically supported by Concierge Plus.

    Then consider adding a tag line to your logo (if space on the logo is an issue, perhaps the tag line could be added to each message’s footer). If the community’s logo is an acronym or similarly abstract, a tag line is a super means to establish or reinforce your identity. Perhaps your community is “The Heart of Houston” or the “Spirit of St Paul.” Have fun deciding who you are and then use your tag line religiously. “Just do it” worked for Nike. A tag line can work for you, too.

    Finally, consider how to amplify your brand in each message’s signature or footer. Beyond furthering your community’s brand, the footer can also incorporate links that drive residents directly to your online community calendar or other key features within a dashboard like Concierge Plus. That reinforces the importance and centrality of an online dashboard such as Concierge Plus and, in turn, that behavior will lead to greater satisfaction for residents and efficiency for you. Win/win!

  3. Set your style

    Your messages should adhere to a classy, repeatable style. In the same manner that your content should be uniformly concise, your style should be consistent. too.

    Before setting your style, inventory and categorize the types of messages you have sent or intend to send. Determine if you wish to set a single style across all communications or set distinct styles by category. For example, should you have one style to announce social events and another for transmitting board minutes and updates?

    Once you decide on your categories, develop a style for each one. To some extent that may be preordained by the communication solution your organization uses. But most contemporary community management platforms enable you to manage font size, font color, and more. Simply put, select appropriate and complementary font sizes and colors for the headlines, sub-headers, and body of your messages.

    It may also be worth noting the following norm. From top to bottom of a message, larger fonts generally lead to smaller fonts as one progresses through a message. Think of this hierarchy: headlines, sub-headers, body, and footer will typically use progressively smaller fonts.

    For complementary colors, check out guidance on what designers call the color wheel. But the commonsense advice here is: don’t get too busy, don’t get too cute. Complement your branding colors to set an attractive style but keep it simple and professional.

    Bullets or ordered lists are great ways to delineate topics and improve readability. You may also wish to use bold and italics to differentiate your call to action or emphasize other content within a message. However, it is best to avoid underlining since that implies the presence of a link in the online world.

    Ultimately, your audience will appreciate a simple, clean and consistent style – and you will have an easier time building such a style into your routine.

  4. Leverage links

    Including links can add substantial value for the recipients of your messages. Are you announcing candidates for a board election? Then include a link to their LinkedIn profile so that residents can learn more about them. Are you holding a meeting or event at a remote location? Then include a link with directions.

    Once you become accustomed to incorporating links, you’ll find a million and one ways they are beneficial. Also remember to include useful links to your community’s dashboard,

    However, be aware that links included in an email can easily be forwarded to any party. If, for example, you are you hosting a Zoom meeting for residents only, be aware that including the Zoom link in an email makes it easy for the community to share that link with non-residents by forwarding. Some solutions explicitly support links within calendar entries, and while that does not fully preclude inappropriate sharing, it does mitigate risk.

  5. Insert images

    Would you try to sell a home without including photos of the property? Would you buy a product online without seeing a photo first? Of course not!

    You may not be selling homes or merchandise, but it is a vast understatement to merely say images in message add flair and appeal.

    For example, are you reminding residents to leash their dogs? A simple photo can instantly capture their attention and help a reader immediately grasp the subject of the message.

    Pet
    However, be judicious. Do not use too many images. Yes, they are very effective. But do not allow use of too many images to compete with the message itself.

    Also select images that are relatable. Venues known to your reader are relatable. Are you announcing a new pool policy; include a photo of your pool. Photos of people are relatable. Are you announcing an event? Include a photo of your meeting host, past attendees, or a stock image of people at a similar event.

    Remember that it may not be permissible to re-use images you find on the internet. Are you using photos of your community captured from the developer’s website? Then insure you have the developer’s permission to re-use the images(s). Are you using images of residents in the community? Make sure they do not object to your re-use of their likeness.

    Stock images are a great resource. Some are free, some are not. For example, Pexels offers free and searchable access to a wealth of images, proclaiming that they may be used for free, without attribution, and may be edited as you wish. Access to other free resources can be found here.

    There are also many affordable solutions to access and re-use images. One such service is called SnagIt Assets. This content-rich solution permits you to search, download and use an unlimited number of photographic images, plus access numerous handy symbols, templates and themes for a low annual subscription fee. SnagIt Assets also enables you to seamlessly download images directly into image capture and editing software from the same company that’s called, not surprisingly, SnagIt. That is quite convenient.

    In fact, if you send messages with any regularity, obtain and learn image capture and editing software like SnagIt. It has a multitude of benefits, such as re-sizing images, cropping images, superimposing text on an image, or adding borders or special effects. Once you get accustomed to using an image editing tool, you will wonder how you ever did without one.

  6. Create and test templates

    Now that you have taken inventory and established one or more messaging styles, it’s time to create, test and save templates. Templates not only enforce use of the style(s) you create; they also save oodles of time as you churn out new messages!

    Template

    You could initially create your templates in Google Docs or MS Word, then copy/paste them into your communication platform for new messages. Better yet, create a template using the rich text editor included in a product like Concierge Plus that empowers you to save a template as a draft announcement, then duplicate that template again and again as new messages are needed.

    It is vitally important to test your templates. Ensure that messages will look and behave as you wish when a resident sees them via their email application. Frankly, it can be hard to test every scenario, but try to examine the emailed template using popular solutions on both computers and phones such as MS Outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Then adjust your template works if you find it works on some platforms but not others.

  7. Be mindful of quantity vs. quality

    A failure to communicate creates a vacuum and, as we know, nature abhors a vacuum. The frequency of communication may vary depending on the nature of your community. But be sure to provide sufficient oxygen. Make it a point to communicate at regular intervals.

    Conversely, be wary of inundating residents with messages. If you have a series of small messages that do not warrant individual messages, consider packaging them into a periodic digest that residents can review weekly or monthly. Excessive messaging is akin to a public nuisance and the impact of your messages will be diluted.

    For messages that appeal to a limited audience, leverage “group” messaging supported by a solution like Concierge Plus. For example, if you have an active club of yoga enthusiasts, create a yoga group to share messages explicitly with that audience.

    Also use and consistently update your community calendar to show yoga and other club events within your community. Make their presence known to the entire community via the calendar but avoid filling residents’ inboxes with a barrage of announcements.

    Also consider how you wish to deliver messages. Should they be distributed via email and appear on a public display in your lobby or a clubhouse, too? In fact, remember to refresh messages on your public display monitors. If you fail to update those messages with reasonable frequency, the community will naturally begin to ignore the display and its value will be undermined.

    Is your message urgent? Does it warrant text or voice delivery in addition to email? Be prudent but leverage all the tools at your disposal.

We understand that adhering to best practices may take a backseat when we get mired in daily priorities. Our advice is simple. Don’t let that happen to you.

Community Association Residents

Commit to solid and consistent communication practices. Spend time up front to get setup. Establish your branding. Inventory your messaging. Create your styles. Build re-usable templates. All that enables you to focus on the content of your communications day by day.

The result will be a more efficient workflow for you – and the community will applaud your results and contribution!

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Providing the Ultimate Resident Experience During the Holiday Season

Providing the Ultimate Resident Experience During the Holiday Season

  • Posted: Dec 14, 2021
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Providing the Ultimate Resident Experience During the Holiday Season

Community Associations are the perfect place to build community spirit— especially during the holidays. Here are a few suggestions on how to get your residents connecting, collaborating, and spreading holiday cheer with our Resident Experience Management platform.

Rules regarding holiday displays

Community guidelines and rules help lay the foundation for a successful community. Your community may choose to develop a holiday and religious display rule that is easy for residents to follow and simple to enforce.

Our Resident Experience Management platform’s following built-in features can help you with your community association’s rules and regulations:

  • Quick Votes
    Board members can gather the opinion of residents on whether they believe your community association would benefit from a rule for holiday and religious displays. Our Quick Votes feature can help you provide immediate feedback on religious displays in your community.
  • Discussion Forum
    If your community decides it would benefit from a rule, include community consensus in the rule and request feedback from residents throughout the process.
    Our Discussion Forum feature can help build a connected community and you can invite residents to discuss topics related to holiday and religions displays.
  • File Sharing
    Ensure that your new policy is consistent with your association’s governing documents as well as state and local laws.
    You can securely store and share your policy using our File Sharing feature.
  • Newsletter
    Communicate new information to all residents after the policy is adopted. You can use our Newsletter feature to distribute such information.

Events and activities

Events and activities can be a great opportunity for your residents to get to know one another. Residents can avoid multiple bookings of a party room with our Amenity Bookings feature, which lets them see availability at their convenience.

 

Parcels and deliveries

Many residents in community associations have been frequent targets of package theft during the holiday season. We recommend using our efficient package delivery system to deter thieves and ensure packages are kept safe:

  • Barcode Scanner
    When a courier truck pulls up with gifts and packages, your concierge or security guard can pull out our barcode scanner to efficiently scan every package. After each item has been identified, they push one button to quickly email, call, or text residents to let them know that their packages have arrived.
  • Digital Signature Pad
    As residents pick-up their gifts and packages, they sign on a digital signature pad to permanently and securely confirm their identity.
    Property Managers and other administrative staff can quickly search for any package in the system (picked up or not) to find all of the details. Items left for pick-up by residents are also managed in Concierge Plus. Each item is recorded with a unique number, and our system will even print a tag to apply to the item so it can easily be found in your storage area. As soon as the item is picked up, the resident will be notified by email, phone call, or text!
  • Digital Display Screens
    You can use our digital lobby display screens to alert residents that gifts and parcels are available for pick-up. These screens are an incredible enhancement to a lobby or mail room.
  • Smart Package Lockers
    With our API integration you can use third-party smart package lockers to use the same resident database you already have in Concierge Plus. Residents will be notified via, email, call, or text, once a parcel has been put in the smart parcel locker.

Overnight guests and parking

During the holidays, residents are often visited by friends and relatives who make an extended stay.

Using our Entry Instructions feature, residents can manage instructions on a per suite/unit basis and add friends or relatives that need access to their suite. Residents can also add specific instructions to make sure specific individuals are not allowed access.

More guests also mean extra cars will need to be parked and residents hosting guests should check the rules on visitor parking.

With our Resident & Visitor Parking feature, your team can manage visitor parking, track vehicle details, and even print visitor parking passes using an optional printer. They can even differentiate between daytime and overnight passes!

 

Deliver the ultimate resident experience

Let us show you how you can deliver the ultimate resident experience with our Resident Experience Management platform. Start automating manual processes and become the trusted advisor for your community association. You can book a meeting with us by clicking here.

 

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Community Association Meeting Guidelines by Concierge Plus

Community Association Meeting Guidelines by Concierge Plus

  • Posted: Nov 11, 2021
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Community Association Meeting Guidelines

by Concierge Plus

Very involved community associations often have large contentious meetings when there is a hot button issue.

We’ve created the following guidelines for meetings so everyone participating knows what to expect.

Association Pledge & Basic Meeting Protocol

It’s only a “meeting” if it is organized and a good meeting conduct is important regardless of purpose. There should be an opening statement by the chairman (or a selected member) as to the main purpose (topic) of the meeting.

The ground rules for the meeting; address the chair, the chair decides who speaks, and for how long.

Many community associations start their meetings with their Association Pledge & Basic Meeting Protocol. See an example below:

The Board encourages all to abide by this pledge of conduct: While we might disagree, we will be respectful of one another. We will direct our comments to the issues, avoid personal attacks and abstain from acts or remarks which may interfere with the work of association management, employees, support, and board officers.

Owners are asked to submit questions on topics before the meeting and the presiding hosts will answer those questions. Observers will be afforded 3-minutes per comment to add anything missed in discussion. Only agenda topics will be discussed.

With our File Sharing feature, you can securely store and share your Association Pledge document with permission-based access.

Questions for the meeting

Owners should be notified about upcoming meetings ahead of time either via your newsletter, community calendar or display screens installed in the elevators or/and lobbies. Owners should be able to submit questions before the meeting so they can be answered during the presentation. If anyone want to “add” something, they can ask unanswered questions or make a new point during the meeting.

You should always record the meetings and you should always prepare minutes.

On-Demand Webinar

We recently had a webinar with our friends at GetQuorum titled What It Takes to Run a Great Hybrid Meeting.

We shared insight on how to navigate the complex nature of hybrid meetings, and shared tips & tricks for more effective hybrid meetings.

 

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