Time for change

Changing software systems can be a business manager’s greatest fear. An inferior system, however, may be preventing growth of your business. It’s time to bite the bullet, make the change... and realise it’s a painless process. Michael Johnson & Co Professionals share their software changeover experience. Story by Emma Gaunt.

The real estate industry is a frequently changing and increasingly diverse environment, therefore, property management software designed for real estate agents must be continuously monitored, modified and improved.

Customer Profile
Michael Johnson & Co Professionals is a strong leader in the real estate industry of Western Australia. Established in 1967 in Mount Lawley, Perth, Western Australia, its operations date back over forty years. Now, Michael Johnson & Co has three offices located over the Perth Metropolitan area, managing over one thousand residential and commercial properties. Michael Johnson & Co has grown substantially, from only six staff members to a total of 52, and strives to deliver the best possible service to their clients. They take a ‘hands on’ approach to customer service, and utilise the most technologically advanced developments in property management software to do so.

Principal, Ian Cornell says, “Our company objective is simple, direct, and goal-oriented: Delivery of excellence in service to our customer base. We do this by adapting the newest technologies and methods.” He continues to say that Michael Johnson & Co “embrace the advances and developments of technology as quickly as possible and adapt it to our strategies, needs and requirements.”

The Challenge

The real estate industry is a frequently changing and increasingly diverse environment, therefore, property management software designed for real estate agents must be continuously monitored, modified and improved. Michael Johnson & Co are constantly in search of the best for their business to ensure the achievement of their organisational goals and objectives. Michael Johnson & Co pride their business on being up to date with developments in software products and technologically progressive so they in turn can deliver the best experience and service for their customers. With such a large company covering three offices throughout Perth, Michael Johnson & Co were experiencing challenges with their previous property management software resulting in them not being able to achieve their overall company goals and objectives.

Requirements

Michael Johnson & Co needed to utilise the advances in technology that other suppliers were providing in order to sustain their leadership in the market. They were in search of a product and provider who could facilitate their organisational objectives, as well as satisfy their property management requirements.

The Solution
One of the qualities of their company is the reliability and trust they place in their staff. To ensure their staff could maximise the value of the tools provided to them, Michael Johnson & Co have always made a conscious effort to attend all training classes relevant to their software. This dedication and commitment allows Michael Johnson & Co to gain the maximum value from their software investment.

Ian says, “Rockend has always had the capacity to listen. They fulfil an area of need with ongoing support and ongoing training, and proactively advise us of new releases and relevant training available.”

Since their move to Rockend, Michael Johnson & Co have adopted all features applicable to their business, including RockendSMS and REST Professional’s Inspection Wizard. Ian and the team at Michael Johnson & Co have adopted RockendSMS, a new electronic method of communicating with their owners, tenants and suppliers quickly and cost efficiently. “SMS utilises cost effective ways of contacting people and confirming appointments.” Kathryn agrees with Ian, saying they “find SMS particularly useful for rent arrears, and we use this valuable method frequently.”

With REST Professional’s Inspection Wizard, the inspection order and the charge for the inspection order are transactions done efficiently and simultaneously rather than by two separate transactions, which is how Michael Johnson & Co were operating before, making this method for inspection prompt and reliable. Ian says that “REST Professional keeps us on program, and it has the capacity to eliminate human error with automating tasks.”

Kathryn Massey is Business Development Officer and the Property Management supervisor for Michael Johnson & Co who has worked with the Mount Lawley team for over fifteen years. She explains that they were unaware of the benefits they would gain until they too changed from their previous software supplier to Rockend.