Showcasing the Benefits of Smart Maintenance to your Vendors

Oftentimes, all it takes to convince a property manager of the many benefits of a smart maintenance solution is a walkthrough of the software. Once they find themselves onboard, however, their next concern usually shifts to how they’re going to convince their vendors to see the light, too.

What’s In It For Me?

The most effective way to demonstrate an smart maintenance software, like Property Meld, to vendors is to show them how it will make their lives simpler and wallets fatter. Using data gleaned from our software, we’ve found using our software drastically reduces the time it takes a vendor to submit an invoice and, consequently, for a vendor to be paid.

How?

For one, the moment a job is complete, a vendor can use our software to upload a before and after photo of the work and an invoice for the job, no matter their location.

But that’s just the start. How about the mere act of scheduling an appointment that works for both vendor and resident?

We see 85 percent of maintenance jobs scheduled in Property Meld take less than four minutes.

We facilitate such quick scheduling by the chat application, which allows vendors and residents to instantly connect and find a time that works for both parties. The chat application also helps vendors communicate with property managers instantly when a straightforward job comes with an unforeseen surprise. Further, our software allows property managers and vendors to send and receive real-time notifications — like when a work order or invoice is submitted into the system.

The result: An 87 percent increase in resident satisfaction and a 60 percent reduction in the time it takes to coordinate a work order.

Smart Maintenance

One Size Does Not Fit All

Understanding what works for one vendor may not work with another is important. Some vendors may be tech-savvy and search for ways to streamline their processes. For them, adopting Property Meld makes sense. Other vendors may be wary of change, clinging to handwritten, hand-delivered invoices. In situations like this, an approach tailored to their situation is necessary. Next time they drop in to deliver an invoice, you can comment on how much easier it would be for them if they could save time and gas by merely uploading the invoice through an automated maintenance software. It wouldn’t hurt to mention they’ll get paid quicker, too.

We stress the importance of thorough communication with vendors before implementing the software. Some vendors may quickly get on board. Others may take a few in-person meetings before they understand how to effectively use it to reap the benefits.

A positive side effect of this communication: stronger relationships with your vendors.

Reap The Rewards

Another easy way to convince vendors that using Property Meld will benefit their business is to reward them. The types of rewards can vary as much as the types of vendors, from thank you notes for adoption of the software to gift cards for five-star reviews by residents pleased with the vendor’s work.

But we believe the most effective way is to simply let vendors know that those using Property Meld software will be prioritized when work orders are sent out. It’s not coercion; it’s communicating to vendors that using Property Meld makes business easier for you. As the client in this relationship, that should be enough.

As the old adage goes, you can bring a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink. During onboarding, you may run into an issue with some recalcitrant vendors to change. Remember your first responsibility is to help the owners and residents of your properties. Property Meld will increase the happiness for both. If vendors aren’t willing to assist in that effort, perhaps it’s time to move on.

With Smart Maintenance You’ll Never Walk Alone

One final point to communicate to vendors is that as questions, issues, and concerns arise, they are never alone. Our support team is always just an email or online message away.

The ways to get in touch with our support team are endless: search our help center for relevant articles related to your issue or chat live with our customer service team.

Take the time to demonstrate the benefits of using a smart maintenance solution, like Property Meld, to your vendors, create open lines of communication, tailor your approach, reward adopters, and show them the avenues of support should difficulties arise. In the end, everyone wins. It may take a bit of time, but if “You can make the time. It’s definitely going to be worth it.”

Want to learn more about how you can join others and automate your maintenance process? Arrange a customized demo by connecting with one of our maintenance experts.

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