Whether managing a residential or commercial building, property managers are constantly juggling many tasks. They are the crucial link between the property owner and tenants, managing rental contracts, building maintenance, and property security. The tasks are never-ending, and often must be attended to after typical business hours.

Even with an in-house receptionist, it’s simply not possible to answer every call that comes in. This is particularly true if property managers handle more than one property, which most do. While they’re attending to one matter, two or three other issues are likely to pop up, each one requiring immediate attention. In order to manage calls while still being able to work efficiently, property managers are increasingly turning to real estate answering services for 4 main reasons.

Attend To Tenant Needs

When a tenant calls about an urgent matter like a water pipe that has burst in an apartment or office building, they certainly don’t want to be sent to voicemail and then not responded to for who knows how long. When property managers have a live answering service on their team, they know that all their calls will be answered, even if they’re busy attending to a pressing issue.

Professional answering services have the staffing and technology to manage several calls at once. Based on the property manager’s preferences and instructions, they can relay information to potential and current tenants, schedule showings, and dispatch service providers like plumbers or HVAC technicians when necessary.

Attend To Maintenance Issues

Property maintenance issues fall into two basic categories—emergency and routine. Emergency issues like water leaks or a broken HVAC unit are urgent and must be attended to immediately. Routine issues involving minor repairs or general upkeep of the property can be scheduled at a time that’s convenient for both the property manager and the tenant.

Property managers can specify to the answering service which criteria they use to determine whether a maintenance issue is routine or is an emergency. For example, a broken door lock might not be an urgent issue if the door opens to a supply closet that doesn’t have to be accessed right away. A broken lock on the front door of a business or apartment, however, is an emergency.

With the property manager’s specifications, the professional receptionists at live property management answering services can consistently determine which calls are routine and which are urgent, and then take appropriate action like scheduling a repair or immediately dispatching a service technician. No matter when a tenant calls, day or night, they speak with a real person. This level of attention sends a clear signal to the tenants that the property manager cares, which goes a long way when it comes to loyal tenants and the longevity of their leases.

24/7/365 Coverage

If a property manager is sick or on vacation, or their team is short staffed, tenants needn’t suffer. A live answering service is equipped to take calls from current and prospective tenants any time of the day or night, and on weekends and holidays. So even if a property manager is sick or out of town, or if the team is busy trying to put out other fires, the answering service handles each and every call promptly.

Even for commercial properties, calls to request rental information often come in the evenings or weekends. And for residential properties, it’s common for tenants to call at any time of the day or night, particularly if their issue is urgent.

Lead Generation

Beyond providing basic information, answering services can help property managers capture promising leads and close the sale in numerous ways, including:

• Schedule showings based on the manager’s availability and preferences.
• Call, email, or text reminders of showing appointments to potential tenants.
• Cancel showings for prospects who are no longer interested.

In addition, there are many other ways a live answering service can help property managers operate more efficiently and productively, such as CRM management, reporting, and job candidate screening.

The trick is to find the right answering service that has a long record of success in serving the property management industry. If you’re in the property management business and you’d like to learn more about how a professional, live answering service can act as an extension of your business, contact Voice Link of Columbus, Inc. Our professional call representatives have years of experience working with property managers, and can save you valuable time and money while keeping your tenants happy.

Voice Link offers month-to-month service agreements to meet your unique needs. Our excellent reputation, expert staff, and state-of-the-art technology will exceed your expectations. Request information online or call us at (800) 262-2799 for a free consultation.