July 25th, 2017
12 ways to attract quality tenants
Property Management
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Bricks + Agent is the latest app to join the comprehensive PropertyMe Integration ecosystem. Described by Charter Hall as the “Uber for property maintenance”, Bricks + Agent helps property and facility managers ensure maintenance and inspection tasks are handled effortlessly.
Let’s dive into this month’s PropertyMe Integrator Spotlight on Bricks + Agent:
What is Bricks + Agent?
Founded in December 2016, Bricks + Agent is a cloud-based property maintenance and inspections solution servicing Melbourne, Sydney and London. It connects all stakeholders – property managers, facility managers, service providers, property owners and tenants – to the same ecosystem to ensure full transparency and visibility.
Bricks + Agent Co-founder Jon Stul said “We have created the tools, workflows and automation that are second to none for all users in the ecosystem.”
When asked about why Bricks + Agent was developed, Stul said that the inefficient tools available to property and facility managers hampered their ability to effectively handle large volumes of maintenance requests.
“In our research, we noted that an average maintenance request can have up to 20 touch points with various stakeholders. None of these stakeholders were connected to one another, which meant lots of back and forth emails, phone calls and SMS. No party had complete visibility of the maintenance process.”
Bricks + Agent solves this problem by providing multi-party chat and video functionality, push notifications and dedicated mobile apps for all users. This way, the number of touch points is reduced, communication is centralised and maintenance tasks can be completed quickly and efficiently.
“Tenants can log maintenance requests via their phone in less than 60 seconds. Property managers can triage and use some of the hundreds of workflows to review and post maintenance requests. Owners can review the requests and approve them if the property manager wishes. And service providers can schedule time directly with the tenant and use our tradie tracker and check-in functions. There is now complete transparency and visibility over the process.”
Additionally, Bricks + Agent has an inspection module which allows property managers to complete on-site and remote inspections. Full videos can be attached to rich inspection reports, which can then be shared with owners and tenants.
How does Bricks + Agent work with PropertyMe?
When you switch on the Bricks + Agent integration in PropertyMe, your property, owner, tenant and supplier information is seamlessly transferred to Bricks + Agent. Bricks + Agent will also help you review supplier licence, insurance and ABN status moving forward at no cost.
The entire maintenance flow is handled through Bricks + Agent. Once the supplier completes the job, they attach their invoice to the system either manually or directly through their XERO or MYOB accounting integrations. Once the property manager marks the job as complete, the invoice and job details are automatically populated into PropertyMe as a pending payment against the relevant owner ledger.
What does the future of Bricks + Agent look like?
In the coming months, Bricks + Agent will continue advancing both their inspections module, one-click maintenance requests and assets register. They have also recently developed “Jenny”, a virtual assistant that helps Bricks + Agent users navigate the app, post jobs and more.
In addition, machine learning for maintenance decision support, integrating electronic keys, triage advancements and Google Glass connectivity are all on the horizon for Bricks + Agent.
“With machine learning and the data that we’re capturing on each maintenance request, we will be able to provide real-time improvements on decision making around maintenance,” said Stul.
“Not to mention, with Google Glass, we can improve workflow efficiencies with voice activation. Users can connect and collaborate with coworkers and tenants to troubleshoot in real time and access training videos, instructions and checklists.”
Thanks for reading this month’s PropertyMe Integrator Spotlight on Bricks + Agent. You might also be interested in 12 Ways to Attract Quality Tenants and Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Cloud Property Software.
Did we miss anything in PropertyMe Integrator Spotlight: Bricks + Agent? Please email [email protected] to let us know.
