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| Department Structure 3 replies 4 voices |
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Clint A
on Jun 13, 2012 5:10pm
Property Manager Theo Poulos Real Estate Katoomba NSW |
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Hi All, I have noticed recently changes to job titles and descriptions when I see a position advertised. It’s certainly true that the roles and responsibilities of a PM have changed over the years but I am struggling to see the benefit. It seems that some offices are moving away from a Senior PM, PM, PO, Admin staffing structure and you are starting to see things like Client Manager, Tenancy Manager, Maintenance Manager, Leasing Manager, BDM etc. While I can see this to be a benefit for having specialist skills and people can it not interfere with the relatonship and continuity of owners/tenants/contractors/etc dealing with the one person for all matters concerning a particular property? Then that PM knowing all that is going one with all aspects of managing the property? Our office are subscribers of Best Practice (Robert Bevan) and their research shows that the majority of investors only want to deal with one person. Imagine if I client had a property, the current tenant was vacating but and also in arrears. Also, there is outstanding maintenance that is taking place. Would that client then have to talk to one staff member about the repairs, another for the arrears and then another to make sure the property had been advertised and if there were any interested parties? Are companies changing the way they do business as a point of difference? Is it a way to try justify a higher fee? Are clients expectations and needs changing? Do you operate your business how you want or is it about what the customer wants? I guess I’m just throwing this out there to see others views or experiences on different structures. Maybe share how their departments are set up and who is responsible for what. |
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Ian Morrison
on Jun 14, 2012 10:15am
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Morning Clint, good post. I believe that many in our industry are ‘overthinking’ it, and that job titles are just a way of feeling good about themselves. This does little to add to client service, which is the goal. You are right in my opinion, and that client’s do like to deal with one person. If there are others in the office ticking along with specified chores then so be it, but coordination through one person makes communication with the clients, both landlords and tenants much easier, and clearer. We don’t have titles on our cards in my office, although we all have designated duties. Having said that though, if a client calls with a query any member of staff can assist to avoid that “so and so is out of the office, so you’ll have to wait..” or worse “away for 4 days so no-one can help you until they return..” It all comes down to good cross-communications within the office to ensure top customer service. |
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Melanie Seden
on Jun 14, 2012 12:30pm
Property Manager Property Portfolio Brisbane Queensland |
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Hi Clint, I think that the titles depend on the structure of the office, being either task based (one person for maintenance/arrears/etc) or portfolio based (one point of contact). I much prefer portfolio based management & I market this as a positive to my clients. I agree with Ian though that if one person is away, systems should be clear across the office so that a different staff member can easily assist with any clients question. |
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Rachael Jenkins
on Jun 15, 2012 2:08pm
Rent Roll Analyst/Consultancy/PM Independant Contractor The Property Management Doctor Tamworth NSW |
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Hi Clint, Definately from my experience, clients want communication on all matters for the properties with one person who knows all of the details. If you structure your department based on task rather than portfolio, ensure ALL of your staff make extensive notes ALL the time, in the same place. This should be done anyway (making you a systems reliant office, not a person reliant office), but that way even without doing an inspection yourself, when talking to an owner you can give detailed information on the results, or conversations regarding arrears etc. I think the job title is less important than the record keeping & easy reference of conversations & occurances – as Ian & Melanie said, someone being away should not effect your ability to inform a client of a stiuation in relation to their property. |
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