Property management involves handling various real estate issues for property owners including those absent. Real estate managers usually take a percentage of rent collected and are tasked with keeping all tenants happy, ensure rent is paid up, and to keep apartment occupancy high. Remaining viable in the business requires handling all tasks cost-effectively.
Astute real estate managers hire answering services to manage all phone communications to help them stay ahead of the market. A property answering service offers vital services to ensure efficient property management. Read on to discover why smart property managers entrust phone communications to a professional answering service.
Backing up your staff
Real estate managers usually handle various phone calls while in office. However, you have to spend quite some time out in the field. This happens when you have to meet a property owner, show a vacant property, and investigate client issues. This doesn’t mean that you ignore your customers by directing then to voice mail. This is very frustrating just like leaving their calls unanswered. It is a smart move to hire a professional answering service to take care of all your calls regardless of whether you are in office or in the field.
24/7 customer service
Professional property managers usually have official working hours. However, tenants and prospects can call anytime including outside business hours. Being unable to reach you causes tenant frustration and prospects are likely to hang up and call another real estate manager. Fortunately, hiring the best apartment answering service is a solution to extend your customer service coverage. Offering tenants and prospects 24/7 customer service availability will make them love your service always.
Captures new leads
When prospective tenants call your agency to inquire about apartment rates and availability, an immediate answer is expected. Talking to voicemail or not getting someone to talk to will frustrate them. These are less likely to call your agency again. To avoid losing possible leads, hire a professional answering agency to have peace of mind that prospects have someone always to talk to them.
Increasing occupancy rates
Tenants can always call your office any time they face a problem. Even prospective tenants can do the same. It would not be a good idea to have a future tenant wait until the next day. Offering them the basic information right away increases the chances of retaining them. Making prospective tenants wait might make them call another real estate agent.
Fortunately, a professional answering service will always offer appropriate rental information to every caller. This is done regardless of time or day. The agency agents can schedule property viewing according to your availability to increase the chances of getting more tenants. Ready customer service also makes current tenants happy. This increases occupancy rates leading to enhanced profitability.
Scheduling property viewing
Prospective tenants usually call real estate agents to check availability for property viewing. This requires having a well-prepared schedule to avoid appointment no-shows. A professional answering agency has experienced and expert agents who can schedule property viewing aligning your availability on the first call. This eliminates the frustration of calling back or your competitor’s winning over prospects.
Emergency response for maintenance calls
Apart from getting tenants into apartments, property managers are tasked with keeping tenants. This requires immediate response to emergency calls from tenants. This ensures that they don’t suffer from a broken shower, no shower, or a clogged toilet until the next morning. A professional answering service is always available to handle all customer calls regardless of time and day. The agency staff will assess the problem and contact the appropriate staff without your direct involvement. This ensures that you enjoy your personal time while your tenants are happy.
Sending payment reminders
Every property manager desires tenants who pay on time. However, not all tenants can have the same character. Therefore, some of the tenants are likely to need prodding to pay their dues. Luckily, a professional answering agency is a solution to streamline your payment collections. The agency can send reminders through phone calls, text messages, or email notices to late-paying tenants.
Dedicated business number
Using your personal number for business is not a good idea. There is a likelihood of missing some calls from callers not in your phonebook. Additionally, your personal phone is likely to get overwhelmed leading to frequent draining of the battery. This puts you at risk of missing some important calls. Luckily, when you hire a professional answering service, you get a dedicated business number for your customers. This can be put on the lease form, business cards, and emergency contact form. You will have peace of mind of never missing a call while your callers are always happy.
Bottom line
Successful property managers need to always be a step ahead of the competition. This requires ensuring high occupancy rates while keeping tenants happy at all costs. The trick is to entrust a professional answering agency to handle all calls to your practice. Your tenants will always have access to ready assistance, especially during emergency calls.
