Automated Work Order software increases productivity by eliminating waiting time for the WO to be personally processed, allows both landlord and tenant to track the WO and archives details in case of a tenant contest. Eliminating the paperwork will save you time and money.
For property maintenance teams, the cycle is familiar. Tenants must jot down work orders and submit them to your staff, who in some cases will not be able to give the go-ahead until a higher-up sees the WO. This person must then sign-off the actual paper to agree work to succeed or for the materials to be ordered. In some cases, this can lead to delays that will allow the problem to get worse and can cause your tenants prolonged discomfort.
Companies need to strive for increased response time to work orders by transferring the steps outlined above to automation
parcel tracking
. There are software systems that will let you automate the entire process. Here I present the ultimate in automation where everything can be done with simple clicks of a mouse.
While not all landlords will be comfortable with the first step, the option is certainly available. This involves giving tenants access to a web site linked with their network. This can be done via internet access, whereby the tenant has a unique site on the management's website or as some larger firms are doing, by installing a kiosk in the entrance hall of their buildings. The tenant records of activity into their account which records what unit they occupy and allows for the work order to be entered. If a landlord makes a decision to forgo this, the building manager or super can collect the WO and then log the details on the software and the electronic process can then begin.
Once submitted, the software will route the WO by way of a predefined route. It can be set to appear on numerous employees' computers or just one "Central Command" where all the decisions are made. From here, the approval process is simply clicking a button Okaying the work order to be done. You can have the option to direct it to someone specific and make additional notes. This is where you typically save significant time because with this click of a button, you are forwarding this approved work order : similar to email : to the person of your choosing while not having to re-input any information. Maintenance personnel receive this directive by email or by recording in to their account. Thorough WO systems will allow maintenance staff for the work order entirely on their PDAs. This really cuts the time needed to go to a workstation and log on or go to the office to receive a stack of WOs for that day. Finally, the maintenance staff can update the work order on their PDAs by recording notes or marking it done.
A major good thing about WO systems is that each individual WO can be followed, updated and followed for the benefit of the company and the tenant in real-time. Even when the work is completed, the details are archived. In case of tenant contest or obtain an update, employees will be able to get an amazing picture of what the status is right away.
To go completely paperless can seem quite daunting for many companies who have previously relied in some recoverable format hiking trails. However, as mentioned in the first step, there are compromises in these systems that will still accelerate the process without creating any damage or downtime.
One final word about WO tracking is to find one that integrates with your tenant management software. To have a fully integrated system where you can find the entire history of your tenants, units and buildings with associated work and accounting is really how to make your online business run lean and efficiently.