Facility Quality

Maintaining facility quality at the maintenance level is a key piece in the successful operation of a virtually managed property. Preventative maintenance, quality control, the timely response to tenant reported issues, etc. are all areas of focus that must be addressed to bridge the gap between having a physical manager onsite, and virtually managing a facility. 

Below are some suggestions for addressing these common maintenance issues.

Day-to-Day Quality Control

As you know, things are happening at your facility all day, every day, and it may seem difficult to manage these occurrences when you are no longer physically onsite. Though it may feel challenging initially, with the help of your maintenance technician, as well as having a few key procedures in place, the facility quality will still be maintained.

1. Consider creating a checklist of items for your maintenance to address each time they are onsite to ensure no aspect is being overlooked. These could include cleaning restrooms, sweeping floors, sanitizing units, checking locks, taking out trash, etc. Have your maintenance send these checklists in at the end of every visit to maintain accountability.

2. Consider conducting virtual walkthroughs with your maintenance technician. These can be done weekly, monthly, and/or quarterly. Possibly incorporate video calling via WebEx, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. This will help hold your maintenance accountable to what has been done in the checklists, as well as give you visibility at the facility level to identify issues that may not otherwise be noticed.

2. Utilize your camera systems daily to get ahead of identifying and addressing possible issues. Create a log of what you see and pass those observations along to your maintenance to address when they are onsite. 

3. See Something Say Something. Incentivize tenants to inform of any verifiable issues they may notice when on site. Their vested interested in the quality of the facility makes them your best resource for identifying possible issues when not on site! Determine frequent visitors to the facility and offer a small account credit towards their account as repayment for their insights into what may be happening at the property. 

Managing Tenant Reported Issues

When issues at the facility level are reported by a tenant, it is imperative that these problems be addressed in a timely manner. Over multiple facilities, it can be challenging to keep the details and status of these issues in order. Below are a few suggestions to aide in the organization and resolution of these issues, as they arise.

1. Consider using a ticketing platform or software. This will help to organize and log issues as well as dispatch them to be addressed by maintenance. This can be as simple as an inbox specifically for maintenance, or through a more sophisticated platform (Slack, Flowpath, etc). Maintenance will provide status and completion updates for each ticketed issue, which can then be communicated back to the tenant. 

2. QR codes for direct tenant reports. Consider placing QRs around the facility to allow tenants to report issues directly through the ticketing platform. This will decrease call volume, while improving efficiency of facility level issue resolution.  

Vendor Management 

• National Vendors
  • Landscaping, pest control, locksmiths, HVAC maintenance, etc. are all examples of facility maintenance and upkeep that must be regularly tended to. When no one onsite, it can be more challenging to ensure that they services are being completed. The use of national vendors can streamline the communications needed across facilities when issues arise, as well as regiment the scheduling and completion of services.