The Importance of An Association Management Company for Board Members

3 min read · Written By: May Galan, Senior Vice President, Association Management

Board members are responsible for finding and partnering with an association management company that will best service their needs and the needs of their communities.  Many board members work full-time jobs while volunteering for an association position which can have many responsibilities. Having an association management company that communicates well and carries out their duties properly is essential for boards’ to effectively serve their association.

According to a survey, which polled over 200 board members, 66%, said lack of responsiveness was the number one reason why they switched – or are considering switching – management companies, followed by failure to quickly and accurately follow through on projects (65%) and overall poor customer service (61%). More than half the board members polled are unhappy with their management company.

So, what do board members want from a management company?

Financial Management is a top priority for board members as per recent polls. Collecting dues, negotiating vendor contracts, reducing cost, all important responsibilities of a management company to effectively to run a community. Board members need association managers to follow through with projects and address the community’s needs in a timely manner.  Another top priority is customer service.

Who is the customer?

Every owner, resident, and vendor of a community is a customer and the reason why communication is key to service these customers. Board member hate to hear an owner complaining to them that they received poor customer service, especially a service that owners collectively pay for. Association Managers have to understand the importance of being proactive with customer service and responsiveness. It is as simple as answering and returning calls and emails in a timely manner, something that many managers fail to do. Clearly communicating procedures and rules and regulations to a community can save association managers and board member’s time.  An association management company that can’t accomplish the above responsibilities effectively can negatively impact a community association’s income, property resale values, and even online reviews of what it is like to live in a community with poor customer service. I’ve seen some bad reviews of associations all because management wasn’t doing their part.

For an Association Management Company to be great, they must have a team in place that can provide these services and the tech to back them up. Ease of HOA documents retrieval, financials report access and owner account access are HOA members’ (the customer) number 1 request.  If an association management company does not have these tools to provide easy access, they will not be able to provide the customer service that today’s owners want.

So how are association management companies different?

There are large, mid-size and small management companies all over the United States that board members can chose from. Sure, the large ones have large marketing budgets, along with large executive salaries and many, many customers, ultimately the association just becomes another number or account to service, doesn’t even matter if it is serviced well. Then, you have a mid-size company with sometimes many associations, these companies are little quicker to pivot to customer needs, can provide more personalized service to their customers but often times also fail to change with the times. Finally, you have your small management companies. They usually have the same clients for years and many just because of loyalty and no other reason. There is no room for streamlining or creating efficiencies, don’t like emails and well owners just accept the poor service. But Precedent Association Management is shaking the industry up a bit. They are razor focused on customer service and tech that can help association managers and boards effectively manage the association.

Precedent Management’s executive team has heard it over and over again about the lack of options for board members to partner up with a management company that will listen their individual needs, that will pick up a phone call or return an email. Hearing these frustrations lead them to create Precedent Association Management to help provide operational leadership to homeowner and condominium associations throughout South Florida. Full-Service association management does not have to be expensive, and your community deserves the best. Our association management services include planning and coordination of association meetings, site visits, enforcement of restrictions, contract supervision, collections, and detailed financial and manager’s reports.

We provide first-rate and complete Homeowners Association Management, regardless of the size of your community. We work with Boards to help them run their properties cost-effectively and give residents the kind of lifestyle and customer service they want. Reducing operating expenses and providing the highest-level of customer service is our #1 priority.

For more information on what services we can provide or to request a proposal please contact us at  info@precedentmgmt.com.