Summer is almost over! The news, despite this, is still full of worldwide severe weather events. Every property manager is reminded that the days of a storm are guaranteed to be almost impossible to control. Usually dealing with a multitude of leaks, damage and fallen trees. That’s not to mention the subsequent surveys and repair and reinstatement works.
At Adiuvo we compile extensive statistics as our part of the property management cycle. This is because it is completely responsive and whilst we can predict call volumes at 3am on an April Tuesday in normal circumstances, we are acutely aware of the effects extreme weather patterns can have.
Unfortunately, our research shows this is going to get worse. With the help of our historic data and the Met Office severe weather events record we confirmed;
- that between 2000 to 2014 the average number of these severe events was 3.2 per annum.
- In 2015 the Met Office started the practice of naming storms (definition is anything requiring an Amber warning). This was in order to be able to give clearer advice to the public. They felt their prevalence were increasing and since then the average number of severe events is 6.33 a year or almost double.
So where does that leave Property Managers and services like ours? Storms can regularly result in an uplift of 400% of maintenance issues reported and obviously delays. Our experiences have led us to suggest the following can be implemented to improve service in extreme circumstances;
- They are multiple services you can sign up to that provide weather information and warnings, the best still being the Met Office site which will email all relevant warnings for areas of choice. These do at least provide some notice.
- Have pre-recorded standard messages to add to your phone system to warn incoming callers of any suspected delays and why they are occurring. We have found callers are much more content to hold if they know why they are doing so. If you utilise this make sure you have easy access to those systems and they can be configured remotely and that you don’t leave incorrect messages once the event has passed.
- Use of communication systems (whether it be mass SMS, email or WhatsApp groups) in order to push notifications.
- Having a pre-agreed/opt in overtime or quick response lists of staff willing and able to help out at short notice. We have found that since work from home became the norm our staff find it easier to offer immediate help.
Adiuvo are the leading Call handling and Out of Hours Emergency Response for the Property Management Sector
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