Executive Summary
Lisa Bienvenue is the Vice President and Secretary of Sierras of Inglewood, a condominium community. Lisa was using a software system before Condo Control, but the previous software lacked several key features, including online payments. On top of that, managing records was a time-consuming, inefficient process, and Lisa knew there had to be a better way to manage day-to-day operations. Once she and her board found Condo Control, they were able to complete a large project in record time, and streamline several tasks that were being done manually.
About Lisa
Lisa Bienvenue has been on the condo board of Sierras of Inglewood for about two years. She has lived in the condo community for just over five years. Lisa holds the role of Vice President and Secretary. Lisa goes out of her way to make Sierras of Inglewood a great place to live. When the community did not have a condo manager, she volunteered her time to help the President with the day-to-day management of the building.
Background Information
Sierras of Inglewood is a mid-sized building with 124 units. It is a 35+ community, and it has a mature demographic. Sierras of Inglewood has security, guest suites, and popular amenities such as an indoor pool and games room. Owners are largely present and engaged, and most were eager to use Condo Control’s online features. They were particularly excited about Condo Control’s mobile app.
Challenges
As a board member who has a solid understanding of how her building operates, Lisa identified two major issues that were impacting everyone; the community’s process for taking payments, and its record-keeping system. The software solution the building was using before Condo Control did not address those issues.
Payment Processing
“We only took cheques. We didn’t take cash, we didn’t take debit, we didn’t take credit, so it was really tough,” shared Lisa. With a large PEX piping repair project coming up, collecting cheques from everyone would not be an easy process. Any sort of fee collection would take up valuable time from both owners and management, and it was inconvenient for everyone.
Keeping paper records organized
Sierras of Inglewood’s record management system was paper-based, and difficult to search. Documents also had to be mailed to each owner, and while many condos do this, it does use up a lot of paper and financial resources over the course of a year. The software system that the building had before Condo Control didn’t have anything for records management in place. “We wanted to go paperless, but had no way of doing that.”
Lack of formal request documentation
While not a major issue for everyone, owners would talk to the property manager about issues that should have been submitted as written service requests. It’s good that owners are forthcoming about problems they are experiencing, but it’s also hard for the property manager to remember everything if it’s not properly documented.
The Solution
Tired of sluggish manual processes, Lisa and her community decided to find a solution that would address the things that were slowing down productivity. The solution had to provide convenience to Sierras of Inglewood, be accessible to the board and owners, and help the community reduce the amount of paper they were using.
The board decided to try Condo Control because it had the features they were looking for. “We couldn’t even compare Condo Control with the old system. They were like night and day.”
Online Payments
Cashing cheques wasn’t cutting it for Sierras of Inglewood. Condo Control’s Online Payments feature gave owners more flexibility, and management a better way to collect fees. “We had payment options which we never had before,” said Lisa.
Now that owners had the option to make payments online, it was much easier for the board to complete their large repair project. A few of the pipes were starting to fail, and this was causing flooding in the suites. With support from the majority of owners, the building changed over 100 pipes. Owners were expected to contribute to the cost of the project, and Condo Control helped facilitate a streamlined payment process. Money goes right to the corporation’s account when payments are made online.
File Library
Sierras of Inglewood is much closer to being a paperless community thanks to Condo Control’s online record-keeping feature. They can share all of the financial statements, AGM materials, newsletters, and more on the File Library instead of printing out and distributing individual copies. The ability to create folders and set permissions allows management to be productive and organized. Owners can find exactly what they’re looking for within minutes, and even access this feature from the mobile app.
Service Request
Instead of having a quick informal chat about issues, the property manager asks owners to submit service requests online through Condo Control. This way, every issue is documented, and the property manager can be more accountable. The PM appreciates that she can communicate back and forth and update owners about the status of their requests. Furthermore, the board can see what’s being done and always has a way to stay connected to what’s going on in the building.
Mobile App
Speaking of staying connected, the owners love the Condo Control mobile app because of its simplicity and convenience. In addition to having the option to make payments from their phone, owners can submit a request, book an amenity or simply catch up on announcements, no matter where they are.
Results
Since Sierras of Inglewood began using Condo Control, owners and management are able to do more in less time. It has allowed the community to operate with far fewer glitches.
Lisa and the Board
- Have the ability to complete important projects in less time
- Have a better system for processing payments and can monitor payments made
- Can store and locate documents more efficiently
Property Manager
- No longer has to collect and cash cheques
- Does not have to make mental notes of service requests received from owners
- Can seamlessly communicate with owners using a method they prefer
Owners
- Have several online payment options
- Can book amenities or submit requests in a few clicks
- Have a convenient way to communicate with management
Final Words
“We really love that you can pay for things online. And we also really like the retention of all the historical data. If someone sells their unit and moves out, all of that data about the unit stays with the corporation.”
“I’m looking forward to a long relationship with Condo Control.”
Want to know how Condo Control can improve the way your community operates? Get in touch with us today.
Or, view our solutions to see what we can offer your community.