How Can Managed IT Services Benefit Real Estate Companies?

June 17, 2019Homefield IT

Business IntelligenceCloud ServicesIT Consulting & StrategySecurityTech Support & Managed IT ServicesTelecommunicationsReal Estate

Real estate companies are embracing technology to work more effectively, just like many other small and midsized businesses, but many lack the tools to effectively manage their IT infrastructure. This shortcoming can manifest as downtime, poor employee communications, inefficient business processes, or lackluster cybersecurity. If left unaddressed, these problems can have a major impact on the financial health of the company.

Achieving truly great technology is even more complex. A new set of tools, collectively called property technology or “PropTech,” is now coming to the forefront, driven by larger trends like cloud computing and enterprise mobility. These new tools offer real estate companies an opportunity to improve every aspect of their operations, while also providing a richer experience to their tenants and other stakeholders.

Embracing these technologies requires a level of expertise and commitment that most real estate and property management companies can’t manage on their own. That’s why many companies are looking to professional technology partners, like managed IT services providers (MSPs), to help them stay ahead of these important changes.

MSPs Provide a Foundation for Uptime and Reliability

The primary job of a managed IT service provider is to help ensure a high level of IT services and support that increase network reliability and performance. By combining a set of specialized tools and skills for the monitoring, maintenance, and security of your IT infrastructure, MSPs bring predictability to your network technology, enabling you to better focus on serving your tenants and partners.

• Proactive technology maintenance
  The fundamental difference between an MSP and what’s known as a “break/fix” service firm is proactivity. A reliable MSP will be vigilant about updating your software and maintaining your network infrastructure to prevent problems from occurring. They should also provide 24/7 help desk support so that any new technology problems that do arise are addressed quickly and efficiently.

• IT services for a fixed monthly fee
  MSPs provide predictable, flat-rate pricing that helps businesses plan and stick to a clear IT budget. This is in stark contrast to break-fix service providers that thrive on your IT systems crashing and then charging you an hourly rate to “fix it” — often suboptimally — because it is in their financial (conflict of) interest to see your technology break down often. Charging the same fee every month — no matter how many IT problems a business faces — aligns the financial interests of the business and IT service firm, providing the foundation for a strong, honest, and win-win partnership.

Strategic Software Consulting to Simplify Back-Office Tasks

In addition to the benefits listed above, an MSP that has experience working in the real estate industry can assist your team with any technical due diligence effort, further increasing their value as a partner. With years of experience helping businesses choose and configure the line of business applications that best serve their needs, we can guide your decision-making process and help you select the most suitable property management software. The right software suite helps you address many of the pain points that real estate companies face, which includes the following:

Faster tenant screening and approval

An integrated property management suite will help you run credit checks, analyze payment records, locate potential conflicts with previous landlords, as well as provide other features to help you bring in and retain high-quality tenants.

Digitized lease agreements

While many companies still use paper leasing contracts, they can impede company efficiency. They’re not only harder to access and share, but they also add clutter to your office and require more space to store.

In contrast, digital lease agreements can easily be created from pre-written templates, are accessible on a wide variety of mobile devices, and can be conveniently archived for legal or compliance reasons. These are just a few of the reasons that property management software has seen such consistent growth over the last several years.

Streamlined book-keeping and rent collection

Collecting rent can be a time-consuming affair, but most of the property management suites have built-in tools to make the process easy.

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Increases Staff Flexibility

A critical aspect of the property management business is ensuring your employees are in regular contact with each other and with tenants. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) – a modern digital telephony that uses the Internet to transmit voice calls – is a particularly potent tool in achieving this connectivity.

• Simplify infrastructure – lower costs
  VoIP often reduces the usage fees and taxes associated with traditional phone systems, reducing cost-per-call fees down to almost zero. According to well-cited industry statistics, switching to a VoIP phone service saves businesses on average 45% each month when compared to traditional phone systems.

• One phone number per staff member
  With a VoIP system, a single phone number can reach a staff member no matter where they are or what devices are closest. VoIP systems can be configured to contact an individual’s devices in a round-robin sequence (one device at a time), or all at once. More accessible employees lead to faster resolution of issues and happier tenants.

Security Cameras Reduce Crime and Improve Tenant Satisfaction

According to this research report from the University of North Carolina, a security camera solution can help bring about a marked decrease in burglary attempts and other crimes. In addition, camera solutions reduce liability for your company and prevent unwelcome visitors from using parking lots and other facilities.

We have experience configuring a variety of Internet Protocol (IP) security cameras solutions from the industry’s top vendors. Our IP camera solutions allow you to access all your security video feeds from a standard web browser on a single computer. They can also be configured to provide motion and change detection alerts to help identify people and objects that have entered or exited a picture, based on your needs.

Manhattan Tech Support – A Trusted Technology Partner For 20 Years

For over 20 years, Manhattan Tech Support has been helping real estate companies work faster and more effectively with the latest technologies. If your company could benefit from a technology partner with this expertise and would like to find out more about our decades of experience companies in your industry, contact us to find out more at [sales-phone] or [email-address]

We’re always eager to help real estate companies make the most of the wonderful new technologies that are becoming available, and look forward to speaking with you soon!