Benefits of Using a Property Management Answering Service

California Property Management Answering Services Bay AreaThe world of property management and ownership is extremely challenging. You’re pulled in so many different directions during the day and as Murphy’s Law would have it as soon as you go to sleep your phone starts to ring again; yes with another “emergency”. Here in lies the problem; you can’t be effective when you’re on-call 24/7, nor can you achieve any significant kind of work-life balance. You’re constantly taking calls, checking voice mail, answering e-mails, pre-screening applicants, or you’re out of the office. It just never seems to stop, does it? No wonder you’re exhausted all the time. Even the best Property Managers get overwhelmed and distracted.

The Benefits of Property Management Answering Services

Urgent/emergency dispatch and after-hours answering service.

As you know and have experienced on many occasions, the first impulse for many tenants when faced with an emergency, even if it’s a perceived one, is to pick up the phone and call you, their Property Manager. So you’re answering all kinds of calls regardless if it’s an emergency or not. So here are a couple of questions for you… the first being, how much time would you gain if your calls were pre-screened? The second one being “what if some of the so called “emergency” calls where just routine? What we’re talking about here sounds something like this…

Call Agent: “Thank you for calling East Bay Rental Property Management. How may I help you?”
Caller: “Hello, I have an emergency!”
Call Agent: “What type of emergency are you having ma’am?”
Caller: “I have a light out and it needs to be replaced right away.”
Call Agent: “Alright, thank you for that information ma’am. Where is the light located?”
Caller: “In my apartment hallway.”
Call Agent: “I see ma’am. Thank you. Since this issue does not qualify as an emergency, let me gather a bit more detail and I will be happy to relay your service request to our maintenance department for follow up. May I have your name and unit number please?” etc., etc.

The reality is, without a call screening solution, you’d be getting these types of calls only to determine they really aren’t urgent. So what has happened in this particular scenario is that the Call Agent was able to determine that this was not a dire situation and that a message could be taken and sent to your office for next day follow up and you on the other hand, continued to enjoy your evening with no interruption.

Even though it’s not federally mandated for Property Managers to provide 24 hour emergency service to tenants, there is a universal standard of care that should be exercised in order to provide a safe and responsive environment for your tenants. So what do you do? How do you provide the best responsive tenant service 24/7 and achieve that ever elusive balance in life?

A good option to consider here is enlisting the support of a professional 24 Hour Live Answering Service. They can add tremendous value to your business. You will need to conduct your due diligence though, after all, they will be the voice of your company to whoever calls in. By utilizing a quality property management answering service here’s what you should expect and most importantly require:

  • All calls answered especially when you’re not available.
  • 24/7/365 live phone coverage.
  • The ability to determine which calls are routine and which ones are emergencies.
  • Provide accurate, quick and efficient message taking.
  • Professional well trained empathetic Call Agents.
  • Accurate dispatching protocols especially after-hours.
  • Easy on-call schedule management process.
  • Custom scripts that assists Call Agents in routing calls to the appropriate on-call staff.
  • Uninterrupted service.

California property management phone answering serviceEvery tenant, regardless of socio economic status deserves to speak to a live person any time they need to, regardless if it’s an emergency or not. That’s just good tenant service and as a Property Manager, you’re obligated to ensure incoming calls are addressed quickly, efficiently and with great accuracy.

If you miss a call, you could very well be increasing some sort of risk exposure. You’ve got to have confidence that these calls are not going to be missed. Be sure that your new property management answering service is able to determine what exactly constitutes an emergency and how to relay the information to on-call personnel. A simple solution to a satisfied tenant is to just answer their call with a live, knowledgeable and empathic voice on the other end.

So we’ve discussed what’s in it for your tenant’s to have 24 hour live service, but what’s in it for you as a Property Manager?”

Well, here’s what’s in it for you:

  • Reduced stress
  • Work-life balance
  • Decreased interruptions
  • Improved tenant service
  • Business growth
  • Improved office efficiency

Contact Direct Line for Professional Property Management Answering Services

Your solution lies in the care of Direct Line Tele Response, an award-winning 24 Hour live property management answering service. Direct Line provides outstanding answering, call screening and urgent dispatch services for any type of property you manage or represent. Direct Line is headquartered in Berkeley, CA. You can contact us at 888-365-2424 or use our email form.

We are the perfect extension of your business.

Contact us today to learn more about our services, at 888-365-2424.