Exploring Property Management Customer Service Outsourcing Solutions

Feel like your customer service team needs a little bit of help or maybe a complete overhaul? No matter what degree of backup is needed, Property Management Customer Service Outsourcing could be the solution you’ve been dreaming of. 

Understanding Outsourcing in Property Management

Outsourcing property management involves hiring a third-party company to handle a variety of tasks. Such tasks might be for the property management company itself, like benefits and insurance. Tenant-focused tasks might include rent collection, maintenance, lease enforcement, and tenant screening. 

Handing over these assignments to professionals, whether inside or outside your country, can bring various benefits that can encourage business growth.

3 Types of Outsourcing Models

Cost reduction is usually the top reason why businesses decide to outsource. But did you know that there are three outsourcing models based on your location? 

Let’s take a look at them and discuss their pros and cons:

1. Onshore Outsourcing

Onshore outsourcing involves hiring your team in the same country. This allows faster coordination and collaboration because of no or minimal time zone differences, especially in larger countries like the US and Canada.

• Pros: Since you share culture, regulations, customs, and language, cultural mismatches and language barriers could be less likely.

• Cons: Lacks flexibility due to limited talent pool. It might not effectively lower development costs due to a lack of a global talent pool.

2. Nearshore Outsourcing

Nearshoring is a middle ground between onshore and offshore outsourcing, where a developer is hired in a nearby country with a time zone of three hours or less.

• Pros: It combines offshoring and onshoring benefits, providing access to a wider talent pool, time zone differences, and similar languages and cultures. However, it requires choosing the right country to outsource to.

• Cons: It’s still possible to have cultural differences and potential challenges during the outsourcing process.

3. Offshore Outsourcing

Offshoring is the most common form of outsourcing. This entails hiring a remote team from geographically distant countries for cost-efficient project implementation. The most common countries for offshore outsourcing are the Philippines and India because of their lower labor costs.

• Pros: Offshoring has saved US companies tens of thousands of dollars a year, all while providing better access to unique skills. You can also benefit from time zone differences if you set it up correctly. This enables offshore teams to work 24/7, thus potentially speeding up development processes.

• Cons: Time zone differences and language barriers may make things tricky. That’s why the Philippines is an attractive option for US-based companies as the Philippines scores extremely highly on English proficiency exams. English is one of the country’s official languages. 

Services Offered in Outsourcing

There are various tasks that revolve around property management. From small and tedious ones to big and increasingly complex tasks, these can often pile up on your plate and lead to inefficiencies and losses. 

So here are some of the most common functions you can outsource:

1. Administrative Tasks

Administrative tasks in property management, including record-keeping, data entry, and scheduling, are essential for a successful business. Outsourcing these tasks can increase efficiency and productivity, allowing companies to focus on core operations. Outsourcing can also result in higher-quality work since the supervising employer of record supervises and checks for quality control procedures.

One admin role is to take care of payroll — another to-do list item that your outsourcing team can take care of. The savings can be significant. STAFFVIRTUAL’s clients saw an average cost savings of 65% when they outsourced their payroll. 

2. Repairs and Maintenance

Property maintenance and repairs are crucial for maintaining a safe, habitable, and attractive property for tenants. Outsourcing property maintenance helps ensure tenants can make requests or check in on repair requests at any time of the day or night. 

3. Tenant and Owner Communication

This is crucial for meeting tenants’ needs and addressing issues efficiently. Outsourcing can help with this by providing regular interaction and timely responses. They are skilled in customer experience, tenant retention, and conflict resolution. Property management companies can offer excellent communication and service to owners and tenants by outsourcing.

4. Accounting and Bookkeeping

Outsourcing property management accounting and bookkeeping tasks is a cost-effective option for property owners. Skilled professionals can maintain accurate financial records and ensure compliance with local laws. Besides making it more affordable to hire skilled accountants, you can get access to advanced (and expensive) software that helps with critical processes. 

5. Sales and Marketing

Property management companies are outsourcing marketing and sales tasks to offshore professionals. These professionals can create compelling marketing materials and advertising campaigns to attract potential tenants and increase occupancy rates. Your outsourced marketing team could take on campaigns across social media, content curation, email, PPC, SEO, and more. 

Benefits of Customer Service Outsourcing

Outsourcing property management services can save business owners time and stress, as it can be more efficient and beneficial in the long run. Let’s discuss more about these benefits.

Cost Savings

Outsourcing allows businesses to save on operational costs and allocate their resources to core functions. Outsourcing is also cost-effective compared to in-house hiring, especially for new businesses.

Professional and reliable providers conduct surveys, background checks, and skill testing to find suitable employees for your company. They also handle compliance, payroll, and HR, saving on administrative expenses. This allows owners like you to focus on expanding income-generating assets.

Flexibility and Scalability

Property management companies operating in volatile markets deeply appreciate the flexibility and scalability the outsourcing industry offers.

Temporary workers can be a valuable resource for businesses when they’re short-staffed. Short-term employees can meet current demands without the costs of full-time employees, allowing for flexible workforce adjustments. Plus, since the outsourcing company deals with hiring, property owners won’t have to agonize over the average 44-day hiring timeline; your BPO provider can typically do it much faster. 

Customization and Flexibility in Solutions

In outsourcing, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach. Each client has their own specific needs and requirements. Just like in property management, each customer has their own unique demands.

Tailored solutions and outsourcing are a great match because they make sense. You receive a customized solution when you outsource your customer service. By delegating your customer service needs to professionals, you can save time and money by streamlining company operations. These professionals can also modify their services to meet your specific requirements, offering a genuinely customized solution for you and your customers.

Additionally, outsourcing offers unparalleled flexibility to swiftly scale operations up or down in response to evolving business demands. This agility allows organizations to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and seize opportunities, especially in the property management industry, where these changes are evident.

Integration With Existing Systems

How do you successfully integrate your business operations with your outsourced services? It’s achievable as long as both parties work together.

Knowledge Transfer

Poor knowledge transfer can lead to negative outcomes for both companies involved in an outsourcing relationship. These outcomes may include unclear features or scripts or failure to meet expectations if the provider inherits an ongoing project without clear documentation.

That’s why it’s wise to create a detailed knowledge transfer plan for your outsourcing provider. Collaborate with the outsourcing company and team to discuss possible challenges and questions.

Project Control

In the initial stages of outsourcing, businesses often face a loss of control due to in-house staff handling similar projects. Outsourcing service providers can keep all team members easily in the loop to help prevent critical information from being lost in the cracks. 

It goes to show how important research is before you choose your outsourcing partner. Assess the company’s client-handling experience, tracking strategy, point of contact, deadlines, and monitoring KPIs and metrics. A solid process summary can encourage you to collaborate with them seamlessly and communicate clearly.

Selecting the Right Outsourcing Partner

While it’s true that outsourcing brings numerous advantages, your success depends on who you partner with. One of the most crucial steps to success in outsourcing is selecting the right partner. You have to research thoroughly and weigh your options to maximize these benefits.

Here are some of the factors to consider when choosing the right outsourcing partner:

• Skills and technical expertise
• Industry reputation and credibility
• Flexibility
• Communication and collaboration
• Business ethics and culture

Future Trends in Outsourcing for Property Management

With all the modern innovations in the business world, the property management industry is experiencing a technological revolution as well. Driven by artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and smart building technologies, property management is rapidly adapting to modern problems and needs.

AI is transforming processes, enhancing operational efficiency, and increasing tenant satisfaction. Automation, including automated billing systems and Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled systems, can streamline routine tasks.

Smart building technologies, like smart sensors and IoT devices, improve building systems and tenant living environments. These technologies enable real-time, data-driven decision-making, leading to optimized operations and reduced costs. They also contribute to sustainability efforts.

Get Started With Property Management Customer Service Outsourcing Solutions

Property management is rapidly evolving due to outsourcing and technology. Outsourcing offers benefits like cost savings, improved efficiency, and flexibility for your business. Still, it’s important to remember that successful integration into your existing systems requires careful planning and collaboration. 

Additionally, choosing the right outsourcing partner based on their skills, technical expertise, industry reputation, flexibility, communication, and business ethics can ensure successful property management customer service outsourcing.

If you want to get access to dedicated professionals who can cater to your business needs, then STAFFVIRTUAL is the perfect outsourcing partner for you. We offer top-notch services and customized business solutions that can enhance your internal operations.

Schedule an intro call with us today, and let us help you explore the world of outsourcing!

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Sources:

PH highly proficient in the English language — 2023 English Proficiency Index | Inquirer News

How Long Does It Take To Get Hired in 2023? | Business Insider

KPIs: What Are Key Performance Indicators? Types and Examples | Investopedia

How IoT Is Reshaping The Real Estate Industry | Forbes Technology Council