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Most of our day-to-day, repetitive tasks almost seem created for automation! The reality is that automation was designed to tackle these tasks. The minutiae of your property management business could be converted easily into an automated process. Automating many of the tasks that come across your desk will enable you to spend time doing more important things—like taking on more doors.
If you're just not sure where to start when it comes to property management workflow automation, the team here at Geekly Media has put together a handy list of our top eight picks! Take a look at the descriptions of these tasks, and see which hit home for your property management workflows.
1. The Rent Collection Process
Automating rent collection does not have to be hard! If you do not already allow for online rent payments, you are a bit behind the times. Plus, you could accidentally be narrowing the potential pool of tenants for your owners! Automation software allows tenants to submit their rent payments online easily. The software will make rent collection 100% hands-free unless you have tenants that insist on writing physical checks every month.
You can even set software to remind tenants that rent time has once rolled around once again, and it is time to pay. You will then be able to give them the option to complete that payment—right then and there. You can add an incentive (if you offer them) and opt to receive alerts anywhere along the process of rent collection. Whether its notifications for payment or non-payment, automation has you covered.
2. Handling Renewals
The renewal process can easily be automated. Say when someone new moves in, you enter the lease terms and the tenant's information. On your predetermined renewal date, the software delivers a prewritten email to the property owners. It could contain information asking how to proceed with the renewal, and there will be fields for the owner to fill out. Your automation software will then prepare and send a renewal document to the tenant to be signed. The software can also be told to send reminders, and you will be allowed to check on the process manually at any point.
3. Maintenance Requests
Emergency maintenance requests might be tough to automate—but everything else can be fairly straightforward. For example, your maintenance crew or company can be alerted to move-outs as soon as the system is aware so that the unit can be ready for someone new ASAP.
You can also automate low priority maintenance calls. In this case, the tenant would call, message, or submit a ticket for maintenance. From here, a work order will be sent to your crew of choice. You will know the work is finished when the bill arrives. 
4. Maintenance Tasks
This goes along with maintenance requests. Regular maintenance tasks, like:
- Inspecting smoke alarms
- Drive-by inspections
- Furnace servicing
All of these are requests that can be automated. Rather than relying on your calendar to tell you when to call for service, you can automate all of these services calls with the help of Geekly Media.
5. Tenant Notifications
Notifications are a breeze using automation. Forget having to go into your email and texting service to let everyone know that there is an emergency parking ban that night, or a freeze watch in effect.
When you input new tenant information and move tenants out, your contact lists will always be updated. You can send a notification message using multiple forms of communication with one click to the right people, the first time.
6. Recruiting
Automate the recruiting process with software that scans resumes and profiles for the attributes that you are seeking. You will be alerted when recruits are flagged. This allows you to choose when to pursue a new addition to your property management business rather than hours of sifting.
7. The Sales Process
Every facet of the sales process is prime for automation:
- Begin by automating your property owner leads process.
- Marketing is an ideal element of property management to automate.
- Optimize the tenant acquisition process through software.
Sales and Leads
Automate your sales process with online lead generation and marketing tactics. One great way to do this is to start a blog about property maintenance, changes coming to tax rates, or other things that property owners would be interested in. Offer them a subscription to your blog and collect email addresses while offering valuable information.
Marketing
The email addresses you gain are only one step in the email marketing cascade; your new leads will start at the beginning of the marketing pipeline. The emails will help to build trust between you and the owner so that when you reach out to them, or they reach out to you personally; there is already a relationship.
Let the Automation Masters Guide the Way
Automating these tasks will show property owners that you can handle anything that they entrust to you. When you choose to automate your property management business, frustration decreases. Everything will be on the property owner hub for them to view, so transparency increases.
If you'd like to learn more about automations and workflows, be sure to read these blogs!
As a HubSpot Diamond Agency, Geekly Media knows how to maximize your property management systems using workflow automation. Get in touch with us today to see how a Property Management Operating System (PMOS) can breathe new life into your property management business!
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