Congratulations! You’ve decided to implement a brand new property management system. After carefully reviewing numerous operations service providers and applications, license agreements have been signed; tenant and equipment data has been collected; and you’ve set a target date for your tenant launch. The next (and most critical) step in the deployment process is to prepare and train your property management staff – the ones who will be using the system on a daily basis.

So what are the three primary ways you can ensure your staff is equipped to use your new property management system to deliver an industry leading tenant experience? Have your staff…

• Attend a training session.
  Expertly guided, live webinar training sessions are an integral part of the deployment experience here at Building Engines. During a training session, trainees should take notes on aspects of the system that are most important to their daily tasks. If needed, they can ask their Account Manager or Support Specialist for a recording of the training session. This can be a valuable resource for any members of your property management team who would like to review all of the details of a training session, or for any new employees who need to learn the system at a later date. Training sessions provide the perfect opportunity to review key aspects of the system such as workflow configuration, work order life cycle, user management, and reporting – and by attending a training session, your staff is able to get answers in real time from true experts.

• Practice, Practice, Practice.
  Once your building team has been introduced to the new system, it’s critically important to put their training to work as quickly as possible. Learning by doing is a powerful tool. Not only will they gain a certain confidence with the application that will lead to more broad use and greater value, you’ll also gain valuable insight into your priorities in advance of your tenant launch. For example, you might find that you’d like your engineering team to practice submitting work orders or completed Preventive Maintenance Tasks via your new system’s mobile app.

• Consistently review their knowledge base.
  If your new software platform is anything like Building Engines, it should have a well-built, centralized, and easily searchable Support Center. The reference materials found in your database should include webinars, user guides, self-help FAQs, and numerous other resources for improving your workflow and expanding your knowledge of the system. While the initial training sessions for your deployment will provide a comprehensive overview of the key modules (such as work orders), the Support Center may provide articles and tutorials that pique your interest into more advanced, deeper system functionality. You’ll enhance your deployment experience by learning more about the system, and gain greater value from the system over the long term.

It’s no secret that success is a direct result of hard work, dedication, and determination. By attending training sessions, practicing your workflow, and reviewing supplemental system knowledge base resources, you’ll be right on track to deploy an outstanding product.