Efficiently Managing Work Orders When Understaffed 

In today’s work force, it is hard to keep a full staff, and this is not good for keeping work orders at bay and tenants happy. Regardless of how many maintenance staff you have, you must get the work orders done to get your properties in order. With work orders rushing in at an alarming rate, it is imperative to have an action plan in place. 

Tackle the High Priority Stuff First 

It is important to organize the order or importance with work orders by what absolutely need addressed first down to what can be scheduled for a later date. High priority things include plumbing leaks, HVAC not working or any other issues that prevent the home from being inhabited. You can have plans to ensure there can be temporary cooling or heaters taken to tenants if even the HVAC tech is backed up. Plan ahead for any emergencies and have a supply of temporary air conditioners, fans, heaters, dehumidifiers just in case a situation cannot be addressed immediately. 

Keep the Communication Flowing 

Making sure your tenants are well informed of the timeline of maintenance repairs at their property should be a high priority. You will want to be sure they are aware of any delays and scheduled shifts that change. Nowadays, texting is a great form of communication between tenants and landlords. Answering a call in the middle of the day is not always feasible. Sending periodic texts could be a good option because they can view it and respond if needed. Leaving a tenant in the dark with their maintenance concerns is the quickest way to leave your tenant feeling like their needs are not a priority. 

 Stay Organized 

Having a system that is meant to keep your work orders organized and easily filed through is important when it comes to being productive with resolving issues. When multiple issues are being thrown your way, it’s easy to let things get jumbled up and forget what came first and to even forget a work order all together. Create a system, whether paper system or digital, where you can track when orders are inputted and when they are completed.  

Outsource when Necessary 

There may come a time when the laundry list of things that need to be done greatly surpass the amount of time that you can get the projects done in a timely and proper way. When this happens, you should have a few trustworthy contactors in your back pocket to help you keep your work order pile from growing too high. Having a plumber, electrician and a general contractor that you know you can trust to get the job done will be great to pick up the overflow of projects that you may have.  

However, you will want to be sure that the companies or people you are hiring are insured and licensed. If an accident were to occur and the company was not insured or licensed, this could leave you in worse shape than you were in before. 

Preventative Maintenance  

Making preventative maintenance a priority when your to do list is already overflowing may seem like a nonsensible thing to do. Even though it may not seem like it, preventative maintenance is so important in preventing any major issues from escalating and causing any serious and expensive issues to happen unexpectedly. Tasks such as furnace filter changes, cleaning roof gutters and checking sump pumps do wonders in preventing any future problems from happening.
 

Cross Train Staff 

While it may not be the favorable thing to do when the work orders don’t stop coming, it can be helpful to train your office staff on simple tasks such as changing batteries in the thermostat, changing furnace filters, or trouble shooting what could be happening with their internet. Sometimes the things that residents ask for are very simple and an office staff member can assist them with. 

Finding the perfect employees that mesh well with your company values and have a good work ethic can sometimes prove to be a difficult task. Having a system in place to complete these work orders will do wonders in keeping tenants and staff happy. Just remember to keep communication flowing, stay organized and seek out help and support when you need it.