A quick search of property management on the internet describes it as the overseeing of real estate units on behalf of property owners.
“Overseeing “, nevertheless, is a more detailed and heavy operational process as told by property managers on the ground.
Juma who has been managing rental properties in Nairobi for the last 5 years says his day to day involves checking emails, Facebook messages, WhatsApp, and text messages from tenants
Some want repairs in their houses, some are following up on repairs that haven’t been done while some are raising their complaints about noise and anything they find uncomfortable.
“It gets overwhelming , “ says Juma as he chuckles.
Since he receives both personal and works messages on his phone, he cannot ignore any notification and pass it as personal since it could be an angry tenant whose sink is still leaking days after the complaint was made.
He goes ahead and says that at the beginning of every month when rent is due, he always has to contact every tenant to collect rent payment details on WhatsApp or text messages.
Later he goes ahead and inputs those details in an excel sheet where he will do his calculations and report.
This is the reality of Juma’s job who is part of a property agency that manages over 20 rental properties in Nairobi.
At least 40% of all business will die in the next 10 years if they don't figure out how to change their company to accommodate new technologies.
John Chambers ,Cisco
Talking to him made us feel the need to better his reality.
We suggested how important it is to create a structure, however small for his business to cater from the moment a tenant rents a house to when they vacate.
We made it clear that his job typically involves information collection to fulfill services to both the tenant and the property owner.
From getting a tenant’s dream house to ensuring that his or her stay in the house is smooth as he collects payment details.
As much as he currently collects this information through existing communication platforms, they not only get mixed up with his personal messages but he has a difficult time tracking and tracing them.
Creating a structure, we told him, starts by just having a simple form !
Juma could not hide the shock on his face.” you want to tell me that simple form will make my work easier?”
This expression was not unique to Juma because forms have always been seen as just tools for data collection especially since they are mostly issued as papers, the thought of it restructuring your integrated process sounds exactly like an imagination never to be realized.
Honestly, Juma did not need a form, he needed more than just a way to collect data from his tenants.
He needed to quickly respond to complaints, have a way to manage data, and get property insights that will have him stay on top of the property management industry.
Moreover, his tenants deserve quick repairs and smooth submissions of their payment details.
Therefore, He needed more than just a form…
Forms have been the most powerful tools of collecting data since time immemorial and their digital transformation makes it even easier and faster.
We walked Juma and his colleagues through the Eleka platform.
He created different forms for different apartments that will be used to collect monthly payment details such as Mpesa code, bank receipt photos, and one that collects repairs and tenants complaints.
He then generated links attached to every form which he will later share with his tenants through the current platforms that he already communicates with his tenants.
On getting the link, the tenants will interact with a chat-like form where on submission, Juma will receive a notification on the same thus ensuring that he acts promptly especially in the case of complaints.
With this platform, Juma and his team have a simple yet powerful tool to transform his business.
Eleka doesn't just stop at form creation but extends all the way to manage your data, documents making it easier to access them whenever wherever!
Join Juma in embracing a painless digital process where you create, share and manage your data seamlessly with Eleka; the simple and fun way