GO DIGITAL, SAVE A TREE

WE LIVE IN A DIGITAL WORLD. NOW MORE THAN EVER, THERE’S A HOST OF OPTIONS FOR DOING AWAY WITH PAPER, AND SAVING TREES (AND MONEY) IN THE PROCESS. HERE ARE A FEW TO CONSIDER.

By Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR

Are you looking for an easy way to please your homeowners and residents? Are you looking for an easy way to simplify your work life? Does there really exist something out there that will please your residents and make your work life easier at the same time? If you are a believer, keep reading. If you don’t think it’s possible, well… keep reading anyway.

For the ‘Graduate’ it was plastics, but for us today it’s ‘Digital Forms.’ If you understand that reference to plastics then this article is for you. If you don’t, then most likely you don’t need this article since you are probably already doing all of this at your associations. Either way, if you have ever attended a trade show or a conference you are well aware of the plethora of companies out there offering everything from online forms to online room reservations and everything in between. In this article I will provide ideas for the do-ityourself crowd and then highlight a few of the companies out there for those who would rather not re-invent the wheel.

DO-IT-YOURSELF FORM BUILDERS

Have you ever discovered something and wondered how you ever lived without it? Well, I have and that something is a Form Builder. While you can certainly make use of the free Google Forms platform (https:// docs.google.com/forms/u/0/), if you want something easier and with more features then you’ve got to try out JotForm (www. jotform.com). Heck, even Facebook uses JotForm.

JotForm will make form building easy and even fun if you’re into that sort of thing. At the property I manage we use JotForms for new residents to fill out their information with an e-form that is fillable on a computer or smartphone. We use it for room reservations, release of liability waivers, vehicle registrations, move and delivery reservations, and plan to use them to collect room usage fees with their payment integration widgets.

A great way to direct your residents to your e-forms is to use another wonderful invention – QR Codes. Dating back to 1994 a QR code is an easy way to direct your residents to your e-forms. For example, outside the conference room you can post a QR code for residents to scan with their phones in order to reserve the room.

LET THE PROFESSIONALS DO IT

If you are not into building your own forms, there are plenty of nerds out there who have developed some great companies where all the work has been done for you. For example, if you want to direct new owners and their agents to pay for and download documents, you’ve got the docLineApp (https:// biminicorp.com). Once you set up the account, you do nothing other than receive immediate payment based on the fee structure you provide to the docLineApp folks, and the person requesting the documents gets them immediately. Imagine a world without angry agents venting that they ordered the documents X number of days ago and can’t believe they still haven’t received them.

Tired of the tedious architectural review process? Looking for a full-service type of platform where everything from work order processing to room reservations to text alerts can be found? You can find all of these resources and more by searching CACM’s Industry Partner Directory. Select the service categories of TECHNOLOGY SERVICES and MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS. You’ll find California’s finest listed there.

HOW TO SEARCH THE INDUSTRY PARTNER DIRECTORY

Search by name

Search by Service Category

Search by Service Area

Badges showcase their support of CACM by highlighting advanced membership levels, donations, etc. Thank them when you speak with them for supporting California community managers.

Hamlet Vazquez, MCAM-HR, is General Manager with Action Property Management, Inc., ACMC in Long Beach.