Technological ineptitude of PMs !

[boomtown]

Oh dear.

New PM first time dealing with them. They are an onsite manager. They are trying to send me a PAMD form so that I can sign and return to them.

She cannot get the .pdf to work (her words) so she is going to express post me the forms. This is after she (i) sent the forms to the wrong email address and (ii) then sent to the correct email address but somehow managed to embed the PAMD forms into the email rather than as a printable attachment.

I asked if she could send by fax machine and she told me she doesnt have one.

Although she is lovely over the phone I am fairly troubled by their inability to deal with basic office tasks. I have my doubts about their ability to put an ad up on REA.com. Probably going to go with an offsite agency that can actually handle a computer.

Another PM I have constantly complains about how hard computers are. This is someone who until a couple of years ago was a schoolteacher. Meaning she was responsible for teaching young people about the world.

It never ceases to astound me how the computer revolution of the 1990s has just completely passed some people by. They must live in on a different planet.

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

I definitely get where you're coming from. A lot of people don't have great computer skills and it's not just the older generations.

Personally though, I think good property management is about the people skills, procedural and process. Being good with computers can certainly improve productivity, but I don't thinks it's a requirement to being a good property manager.

 

[Andrew_A]

If they have the ability to qualify tenants well and are just a little bit pro active in finding tenants then everything else should be easier. As they are an onsite manager they might not have a large rent roll and staff to manage office work.

There's a whole lot of people who struggle with how to use a computer mouse, you can see it in the people who are attending the 'how to' classes at local libraries for the internet and basic computer skills.

For some properties you are really hurting your chances if you only advertise online, the sign out front is still powerful.

 

[willb]

She was sending it as rich text. its best to use HTML.

This also comes down to the IT Guys not training people propery how to use the system as well.

 

[russellpeter]

I would be lost without good computer skills as 90% of Pm jobs are now online.

It makes you wonder is the can do the other things.

What if her software goes down.
gets a virus
looses emails.
Are backups of her systems in place.

As it’s a one person show she needs to have these skills or have access to them on short notice.

Any one of the above could cost you as an owner.


And then there’s the thinks Like checking prospective tenants facebook status?

If a simple email with a PDF attached is causing her troubles you have not heard the last if it.

 

[santaslayer]

These are basic office skills. Do they not have a business admin person in the office to deal with these small tasks?
My solicitor's office is the same, but at least she knows how to print screen the document when she has trouble PDF'ing LOL.

 

[boomtown]

After various errors on their part they finally got the PAMD forms to us a week later (although to be fair there was a public holiday in there).

I told them yesterday that we would not be proceeding. I cannot have someone that takes a week to get application forms to a tenant. She was really lovely but she is running a business and needs to have base level business skills.

Given it is the onsite managers I think she relies on other family members for IT support but clearly the arrangement is not working.

The worst part is when I approached the local agent who was my second choice they told me they had sold their rent roll in that complex to the PM in question and had a non compete for 3 years. So had to go with my third choice.

 

[Scott No Mates]

Hopefully your 3rd choice is better skilled to meet the challenge than the first. Being able to use the technology available is essential in re today. If it takes a week to get a form off the web that has cost you a week in lost rent. If the agency can't email or fax it post it the same day.