In a computer world dominated by Microsoft it is easy for property management companies to feel intimidated by change, but in order to progress with your clients it is vital you embrace change as the only constant. Have you heard of a little company called Google? Turns out, Google makes a kickass email/collaboration system; perfect for small businesses! With Google Apps, once implemented, businesses are left wondering how they ever made do before. Although cloud computing sounds like a complex idea for most, it is in fact an innovation that offers easy solutions and an increase of efficiency in the workplace.
As a property manager, clients are entrusting you with not only their rental properties, but the critical and private information you hold about them. This can include their finances, social security number, bank records, as well as their tenant’s details. If either tenant or client’s information was compromised the management company can take a huge blow. When using software programs such as Microsoft Outlook property managers are constantly taking a risk with security. Not only can Outlook crash, which means data loss, but if the computer holding the program is lost or stolen, so is your data.
Enter Google Apps! Google Apps are cloud collaboration tools that can be accessed from any computer anywhere. Currently, most property management companies spend too much time making sure their email, Outlook, works versus putting time into increasing effective communication and growing as a business. However, with Google Apps one of its many features is Gmail, which stores over 7 GB of free storage. With an almost unlimited capacity you never have to worry again about not receiving an email due to limited space. If you’re thinking, “How can I possibly navigate through so many emails?” It’s simple; Gmail stores each conversation you have with an individual into one email. Not only does Gmail group your emails, but it also has an archive button making any search effortless.
Check out few short scenario based training videos on their YouTube channel. Impressive, no?
So what exactly are Google Apps? Well Google Apps are, as I’ve mentioned before, an “ecosystem of business productivity tools.” To ensure you are using a successful program it needs to be simple, affordable, and save you time. With Google Apps there is no software program to install and therefore no necessary future upgrades. Unlike Outlook, Google Apps work with any operating system; whether you have a PC or Mac, it does not matter. Google Apps require minimal administration and let your employees take advantage of the user interface, while Google does the server work for you. Some of Google Apps amazing features include; Gmail, calendar, instant messaging, Google site, and Google docs. This may sound like too much and you might think it will extract more time from your employees than gain, but if anything, it’s the exact opposite. Google Apps has an incredible learning center, that’s simple to train and pass on to your employees. With Youtube videos demonstrating how to use each feature it can take less than two weeks for all your employees to effectively use Google Apps.
It’s time to leave the dark ages of messy and disconnected software programs like Outlook behind and enter the golden age of technology. In order to run an effective business you need an effective program; welcome Google Apps. Guess what, if you have less than 10 employees Google Apps is free and if there are more well then it’s only $50 per user, per year. Never again will your property management company be slowed down by crashes in the systems or pricy required upgrades; the problems literally disappear. Besides with a well-known name like Google behind you, it’s impossible to fail. Check it out; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
