Maintenance Takes Center Stage at Blueprint
Maintenance Work-Order Management at Center Stage at Blueprint
Industry conference focuses on how the latest technology boosts onsite operational efficiencies.
Maintenance operations and efficiency continue to dominate apartment industry conference sessions like never before. The latest being Blueprint, held in September in Las Vegas.
Three sessions in the multifamily track addressed the efficiencies and strategies that operators crave. Key issues included maintenance as part of a loosely defined centralization approach, greater use of maintenance specialists in the field, and incentivizing the technicians through a “gamification” approach. Game On: Maintenance Gamification
These are foundational aspects of AppWork, which is at the forefront of centralized maintenance mobile work-order management by optimizing operations with an advanced business intelligence layer that turns data into strategy.
Centralization gives operators relief and creates upward mobility for their staff, says Dustin Lacey of Mark-Taylor, who employs many Gen Zs.
“They find that specialist roles give them more happiness. They enjoy being ‘good’ at something.
“And we are paying these specialists more.”
Specialized maintenance is the next page in centralized services.
Aaron Maas, EVP of Asset Management at Olive Tree Holdings in Atlanta, hired a maintenance tech who only does plumbing.
“There’s plenty for him to do, especially in older assets,” Maas said. “He’s a shared service within our portfolio.”
AppWork Devotes Itself to Client Collaboration
Suppliers and operators need to realize that it's crucial to have someone from the on-site maintenance team take the lead when choosing tech and, for suppliers, as products are being developed. Attendees spoke of AppWork’s dedication to seeing its product launch through for its clients.
Adrian C Danila, CAPS, CAMT, Chief of Global Multifamily Operations at PropTechBuzz, said suppliers must continuously communicate with the on-site maintenance team once the product is implemented and thereafter.
“It’s not just 'Here you go, hope it's everything you were hoping for,” Danila says.
Stephanie Gonzalez, VP of Property and Customer Innovation at Venterra Realty, says:
“Don’t chase squirrels or go down a rabbit hole” when implementing new technology. Make sure it solves a business problem. I love to look five or ten years into the future, but I’ve still got to solve the problems of today.”
She says getting there means looking at KPIs, such as efficiency.
“How fast can the [solution] get to your customers? That rate of speed equates to better service.”
Boosting Quality and Satisfaction
AppWork uses AI and advanced algorithms to categorize and automatically assign tasks, saving you valuable time. Its work order index page displays a complete view of all tasks, including work orders, make-readies, and inspections, and provides extensive ways to search through and organize them.
Its performance metrics boost quality and satisfaction by assigning work orders to the most capable technician.
AppWork recently introduced a map-based function through Engrain that enables a more cohesive daily strategy for assigning work orders.
Engrain’s state-of-the-art interactive maps are now integrated into AppWork’s software to advance work order efficiency, property maintenance troubleshooting, and budgeting.
An interactive, unit-by-unit apartment property map now overlays AppWork’s powerful data analytics platform, offering enhanced visual storytelling at no additional cost to all AppWork clients.
Property management companies can now visualize key maintenance data points directly on their property maps. This integration enables more efficient operations, streamlined maintenance workflows, and improved resident experience.
The apartment industry is taking advancing, innovative technology more seriously than ever.
“Proptech wasn’t even a keyword 10 years ago,” quips industry professional Stéphanie Versin. It is now.