For many board members, managing a homeowners association is a tedious and challenging task. They aim to boost operations externally and internally so the community reaches both long and short-term goals. It’s understandable if you want to improve your current management processes to increase efficiency.

When HOA boards are inefficient

One of the most common problems residents have with their associations is inefficiency. They raise up their concerns on the appropriate channels but the board takes so long to respond to them. When they do get a reply, the resolution takes so long to implement.

Prolonging problems creates a huge void between the board and the rest of the community. An increase in miscommunications, funding issues, complaints, and lawsuits is merely the tip of the iceberg. In order for your neighbourhood to thrive, efficient solutions are a necessity.

Memberships and volunteers are crucial to keeping the HOA running as smoothly as possible. No association wants to be in a situation where nobody wants to volunteer. However, what happens when you’re able to hire staff in the Philippines but productivity remains low?

Why integrate technology in your HOA

Though you may have a number of board members, there are just as many responsibilities and tasks to tackle. From communicating with vendors to scheduling maintenance, the day-to-day activities of a community are time-consuming and stressful.

Putting the right tools in place enables you to provide better services to residents. The problem is that technology isn’t extensively used in the sphere of homeowners associations and management companies. This is understandable considering there’s always apprehension towards new technologies.

The coronavirus pandemic made it clear that older solutions are no longer effective. Businesses including HOAs have realised that remote work is now the norm. There is a need to adopt applications and tools for maintaining smooth operations even as the pandemic ends.

How technology helps HOAs

Tech companies offer many solutions—from hardware to software—that are easy to implement and adapt within your association. With many other HOAs already adopting them, you don’t want to be left behind. Here are the six different ways that technology is able to increase efficiency:

It increases information security

Your association is responsible for sensitive information about the homeowners, tenants, buyers, and sellers. Hence, any chance to improve the security around this data is always welcome. Platforms providing custom profiles and guest authorisation for different members assure everyone that their data is safe and secure.

It helps you meet expectations

Technology has made everything, from submitting documents to buying groceries, convenient. There are tools that allow the board to hold polls, manage accounts, and review service requests. These offer the same convenience that residents and the team experience in other parts of their lives.

It creates greater transparency

Homeowners want to know what their board is doing to improve their neighbourhood. Rather than keep everything behind closed doors, it’s better to use online storage for documents on community guidelines, service request forms, and so on. This helps to build relationships based on trust between the board and the residents.

It allows for faster payments

One of the best ways to improve community experience is by simplifying the payment process for vendors and residents. Reduce the paperwork and slowly switch to a paperless office through online payments. This also makes transactions easier, reduces delinquencies, and ensures vendors are paid promptly.

It reduces any liabilities

We’ve mentioned before how online storage increases transparency among residents and the board. Actually, it also lessens any liabilities the association may face simply because homeowners are unable to access records to requests, minutes of meetings, and other information. These platforms also allow you to track who accessed certain documents last.

It enables system linking

When hiring a property management company, you want communication to be swift and accurate. The good news is that there’s a way to link your system with theirs. This allows both sides to access daily reconciliations, accounts receivable postings, account-to-account transfers, and more.

Why arrange for HOA assistance

Technology is a developing solution in the community association and property management field. However, integrating technology is no longer enough to increase your HOA’s efficiency. Tools come in many forms and they may not always be satisfactory or effective.

A survey reveals that some associations are dissatisfied or neutral regarding their current technologies. Thus, even though they adopted technology for improving productivity and streamlining operations, they feel that it’s not bringing the expected results.

This indicates the persistent need for human touch even with the prevalence of artificial intelligence. In other words, nothing beats hiring a rental property manager or hiring customer service representative for boosting efficiency at the present. Robots and other tech are unable to replace humans to HOA assist.

To that end, this is an opportune time for your association to hire a virtual executive assistant. We at Remote Workmate are a digital recruitment agency experienced in connecting HOAs with skilled online professionals. We cater to custom requests like when you want to hire a property manager for an Airbnb too.

You may say this is also a way technology helps your community since you need the internet to connect with candidates. They’ll also need to use tools to hold meetings, send documents, edit photos, schedule advertising, and the like. It’s just that admin assistant hiring is easier than doing everything yourself.