Many property management companies are now open to new possibilities to adapt and thrive through the pandemic. One of the new possibilities that has helped property management agencies adapt to the new normal is property management outsourcing.
Learn more about what property management outsourcing is.
The introduction of property management outsourcing to the real estate industry has positively impacted property management businesses, from startups to established agencies. And, if you’re new to this term, it simply means delegating your general administrative tasks related to property management to someone outside your property management company. The person who accomplishes these tasks is commonly referred to as a property management virtual assistant or VA, an outsourced property management assistant, a real estate virtual assistant, or sometimes, a remote staff member who manages your chaos. They may come in different names, but there’s one thing they all have in common: they are the extra pair of hands that are much-needed in your property management company; an extra pair of hands that will help you save time, money, and sanity.
Learn about how much you can save by employing a property management virtual assistant.
Although the tasks carried out by your in-office team and outsourced property management assistants do not entirely differ, the management style does. Managing your remote employees requires a different approach, so you can manage your property management virtual assistants with confidence.
#1: Take Advantage of Modern Team Management Tools
One of the reasons why property management business owners and property managers are skeptical about outsourcing property management assistants offshore is that it takes more effort to manage a virtual team compared to managing an in-office team. As well, sharing sensitive information across the internet could result in a data privacy breach if both parties aren’t careful. It’s true that these are common risks when it comes to hiring outsourced property management assistants offshore if, and only if, both parties are negligent.
But, fortunately, modern business tools have taken virtual team management to the next level. Offshore staffing solutions, like the Purple Powered VA, utilize different tools, such as the Sprout HR Hub, to keep tabs on the remote team’s clock-ins, clock-outs, and payroll.
Another tool that works like a charm is Flussos. Flussos holds the team accountable, creates cooperation and flow between in-office and remote employees, increases efficiency and effectiveness of task share, and improves performance and productivity as well as the task outcome. It enables consistency, ensures compliance, and measures and monitors completion times.
#2: Giving Outsourced Property Management Assistants Top-Notch Training to Provide a Top-Notch Service to Property Management Businesses
Every property management virtual assistant is unique. They may differ in the years of experience, expertise, and/or adaptability. But not all VAs may have enough knowledge and expertise to be able to carry out the tasks a property management company needs. This is why practical property management training must be provided to each VA prior to presenting them to property management clients.
The Purple Powered VA makes sure that each outsourced property management assistant is underpinned by great systems, that is why they put each VA through ireviloution intelligence International Property Management Academy training (iiIPMA) prior to deploying them to their respective clients. iiIPMA training is more than just training for property management virtual assistants. It has proven to be beneficial to those who are starting their career in property management and even those who have been in the industry for years. This training will help you advance your skills and knowledge in your property management career.
Learn more about the iiIPMA training.
With the pool of professional property management assistants supporting different property managers and property management business owners, it is only logical that they are led, managed, and supported by a management team. The Purple Powered VA makes sure that each property management virtual assistant is supported in every way possible to be able to provide the top-notch service that clients rightfully deserve.
#3: Maintain an Open Line of Communication with Your Property Management Virtual Assistants
One of the reasons why a client-virtual assistant relationship fails is that some property managers tend to communicate only with the property management virtual assistant when delegating tasks. They forget that these VAs are actual living, breathing human beings. Just like how you would treat your in-house property management assistants, VAs should not be treated any less. After all, outsourcing property management assistants offshore makes a big difference in terms of increasing your bottom line. It pays to know your virtual team’s personal life and that they know you appreciate their hard work. A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected of them.
Touch base with your remote staff at least once a week to see their progress and if they need assistance in any areas. You may also offer internal training to hone their skills to best fit your property management needs. The best part about hiring an outsourced property management assistant offshore is that they are always up for training as they are eager to learn and grow. Open lines of communication will make it easier for your client-VA relationship to work. And, once it does, you’ll never feel like your remote staff are on the other side of the world.
Offshore staffing solutions must offer initiatives that encourage the property management clients and property management virtual assistants to stay engaged to avoid any disconnection in a client-VA relationship. For example, the Purple Powered VA supports property management virtual assistants by conducting a Pump Day meeting every Wednesday to empower each VA and make them understand that they are a significant part of the company.
Learn about the support you can get from Purple Powered VA.
#4: Build Trust in Your Team, Whether with the In-office Team or Outsourced Property Management Assistant Team
In building partnerships and relationships, it is of utmost importance to build trust before deciding to engage. As a property management business owner, it would require you to trust your in-house employees. The same goes with employing a property management virtual assistant or a remote team. Keeping an open line of communication with your property management VA is one thing, but establishing trust with your remote team is another thing. Empowering your team will naturally motivate them to perform better. Your property management virtual assistant shouldn’t be treated any differently just because you are paying them less compared to in-house property management assistants, or that they don’t share the same office space.
#5: Set Goals and Deadlines for Your Outsourced Property Management Assistant
In the business world, setting goals, deadlines, and milestones is critical to your success. That is why it is of paramount importance to set up goals, deadlines, and milestones when you outsource property management assistants offshore, much like you would with your in-office team. These are also referred to as key performance indicators (KPIs).
Every time a task gets delegated, you must make sure that you are providing enough time for the VA to accomplish the task. See to it that the deliverables are accomplished within the given timeframe. Be clear with your objectives and expectations from the get-go. If there is a delay within the task completion time, you may want to touch base with your property management virtual assistant to learn the cause of the delay; there might be some areas that they need to improve. As you get to the bottom of this, you will identify and resolve the issues that are affecting your property management virtual assistant’s productivity and efficiency.
This may give you the opportunity to provide internal training and support to your VA until such time they get the hang of it. However, if the delay and inefficiencies persist, this could be a cause for concern because the VA may not be putting in enough effort to make the business run seamlessly.
#6: Track Your Outsourced Team’s Work and Work Progress
Once you’ve considered outsourcing property management assistants, you may come to realise that tracking your remote team’s work accomplishments could be challenging. This is true considering it is easier to track your in-house property management assistants’ performance as you share the same workspace compared to property management virtual assistants who work outside your local office. Always make sure that you have the right systems in place, so you and your VA can both meet each other’s expectations.
One of the reasons why a client-VA relationship also fails is that the business is not ‘VA-ready’. Before considering hiring a property management virtual assistant, you must have processes, protocols, and systems in place to set your business goals. Once you have those in place, you can easily track your remote team’s work and work progress and measure your success in the long run.
Learn more about five things to know before outsourcing to a property management virtual assistant.
On a side note, to keep your remote team motivated, you could also organise employer initiatives to recognise hard-working remote employees, such as those who efficiently carry out their deliverables, accomplish a new achievement, have anniversaries, and reach milestones. Publicly celebrate wins and effort. Take care of your team and they will take care of your business. You’d be glad to know that there are tons of reasons to hire a property management virtual assistant.
In this digital age, employing and managing a remote team is no longer impossible. Learn more about property management outsourcing today by booking a free demo and hiring your own VA.
This blog is such an excellent. It’s motivate me to read more of your blog.