LISA SERRA
Lisa has been involved with eUnify behind the scenes since the company’s inception and is now formally joining the team as Director of Customer Relations. We are excited about the work already in progress under Lisa’s leadership, which includes a complete revamping of our customer support operation. As a part of this revamp, Lisa is applying her IT consulting background in building a team of support personnel, formalizing procedures and policies, and creating a library of support materials. As a company, eUnify is committed to continual improvement, both in the development of our products and in customer support. We will stay in touch regarding progress on the exciting work Lisa is engaged in.

Conserving water is a year-round activity. In fact, the best way for you to conserve water is to make it a regular habit. I thought I would take a little break from 'technology' and open the month by sharing the H2O Glossary I wrote for the CAI Central Arizona Chapter Community Resource magazine: HOA's and H2O.  While some of the "terms" are related specifically to Arizona (where I am based) many apply regardless of location nationwide.  Every state has their own local organizations and I encourage you to read up more on them. 

We all know the rhyme, “April showers bring May flowers”.  Taking a broader view, what May brings is renewal.  At this time of renewal, there are challenges for HOA management and opportunities with new software designed to meet those challenges.

The growing ubiquity of cloud-computing is built on the assumption of stable and secure remote access. For association managers, this has meant the transition from pen and paper to mobile account lookup, and violation and work order capture on smart phones and tablets. When your work depends on a data connection, what happens when the signal is weak or lost? This issue has been a major challenge and frustration to managers all over the country as management companies have adopted cloud-based systems. From the very first version of our mobile app for compliance, over 5 years ago, eUnify has addressed these concerns. Offline access continues to set our mobile app apart from others. These are the key features of the uManage mobile app keep your mobile inspections uninterrupted:

Property managers and HOA Boards often get a bad rap because most of the communication with homeowners skews negative, such as, “you painted your house the wrong color and now you must redo all of it!”, or “hurry up and pull those weeds!”  While these messages to homeowners for compliance issues are necessary for community maintenance, often they are interpreted as personal attacks, or at least a nuisance.  With the warmer spring weather, homeowners are usually more interested in beautifying their homes, which presents a great opportunity to property managers for positive reinforcement.  Here are some ideas on how to use uManage and the eUnify homeowner portal - Community Link to facilitate positive community yard campaigns:

When it comes to technology and selecting software providers, it is extremely important to consider the cost of software. Equally important is assessing the true IT costs of your operation. Shopping for software comes with some degree of sticker shock, but if software can offset other IT costs, it might be well worth updating your budget and maybe earning a few extra rewards points/miles on your credit card. Let’s consider one key “must-have” when it comes to choosing software and ensuring a quicker return on investment: Cloud-computing. Below is a quick rundown on what it means to be “in the cloud” and why it is so critical in terms of cost-savings, and adding true value to your business.

Technology for property management software has evolved. A growing number of managers are replacing pen and paper with tablets and smartphones on compliance rides and even HOA boards are discovering the benefits of association web portals with important functions, such as, online payments, homeowner accounts, eBlasts, and community calendars. While the industry as a whole has been slow to adopt new technologies, many property management companies are realizing the competitive edge software can provide by streamlining operations and making it easier to provide quality service to HOA clients.

Being home with our loved ones is a way to celebrate family, friends, and the successes of the year. As we gather in family homes, decorated for the holidays, the role of our HOA’s might become more apparent, especially when it comes to enforcing the rules.