While turnover can be an obstacle for some property management teams, technology is helping to provide viable solutions to ongoing staffing challenges. 

Companies are turning to technology to fill any knowledge gaps and make operations seamless. While the adoption of new technological processes can be daunting, embracing tech can help you combat key challenges and support your staff. You’ll be able to ensure new teammates are well-trained and prepared to respond to any issues or projects the right way, and quickly adapt to new or changing processes.

Let’s learn how implementing specific tech into your workspace can help bridge the knowledge gap and ensure your team is prepared to tackle any task in front of them. 

 

Here’s How Knowledge Transfer Impacts Your Work

Knowledge transfer at its core is passing down critical company information so that employees have the materials and expertise to do their jobs well. For example, things like providing your team with property history and ensuring they have access to records on particular buildings and units/residents.  

When knowledge transfer is lacking (someone left, or there’s no set training program in place), gaps are created. That can lead to pieces of missing knowledge within a team. Perhaps no one has expertise in a certain area, or there are new best practices to understand. Prioritizing knowledge transfers helps prevent these kinds of gaps, account for worker shortages, and make for a more efficient workspace.  

To put this in perspective, imagine Sally is the only person on your team who performs turn inspections. Say she retires and leaves – there becomes a huge knowledge gap without her expertise. If there were electronic instructions on how to do Sally’s job, or records of various projects she completed that detail the process for specific turns, others would be able to learn her role and prevent a knowledge (and efficiency) gap. 

Within the United States, many teams have felt the repercussions of national labor shortages. It’s not just a property operations problem; teams across industries are seeking to close knowledge gaps, especially with news about nationwide labor changes. To prevent this knowledge gap on your team, it’s essential to ensure that multiple members of your team have well-rounded industry knowledge and can step in and help or quickly learn as needed. 

Let’s explore a few specific problems property operations teams may face and how technology can solve them.

Problems and Solutions of Tech & Knowledge Transfer 

 

Problem 1: Having paper records 

One frequent problem that prevents seamless knowledge transfer is paper property records. With only one physical copy, paper property records are easy to lose and can only be visible to one person at a time. Storing records on paper ultimately slows you down and limits what your staff can do and when they can do it.

Solution 1: Electronic Work trails 

Electronic records can include many valuable documents, including:

• Inspection and maintenance records 
• Invoices and proof of payment 
• Property photos and videos 
• Work requests, assignments, and historical data  
• Additional records that give a full scope and deeper details into building conditions  

Easy access to these materials give workers an in-depth understanding of property and resident history and help them do their jobs even better. Not only does it close the knowledge gap by ensuring workers have a clear picture of a specific property’s operations, but it also allows everyone else involved in these processes to track progress and share records with colleagues, residents, or building occupants at any point in time.  

 

Problem 2: Lack of task visibility 

When managing numerous buildings, it can be difficult to keep track of all ongoing tasks over various property groups; the easier it is to know who’s responsible for what, and when, the better and faster everyone will be able to do their jobs. 

Solution 2: Centralized task list 

With cloud-based technology, managing your task list and seeing tasks through are simple. Using software with smart automation helps you save time by adding in dependencies so folks know when they can start their part of the project and keep track of when other tasks are completed onsite. By implementing technology and automation into your daily operations, no tasks slip through the cracks, and everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing and when they need to step in. 

 

Problem 3: Unclear information and instructions 

There is nothing worse than someone walking into a job unknowledgeable and unprepared to tackle the task at hand – it’s an uncomfortable situation for that staffer and for the entire team. Virtually storing instructions on how to complete commonly requested tasks can prevent poor communication and a lack of understanding among your team – and help them get things done the right way.

Solution 3: Easy to use technology with step-by-step instructions 

When property operations companies store information virtually (including instructions), workers can see exactly how they should respond to resident requests, perform specific kinds of work, and prioritize different jobs. Having job-critical information in the palm of their hands, on-demand, is invaluable to the quality and quantity of work your team can perform.  

 

How Knowledge Transfer Improves Your Bottom Line  

A recent study showed that employees are 94% more likely to stick around when companies prioritized knowledge transfer. Using tech to make information more accessible to your staff is an easy way to share and store knowledge. Technology also allows for better organization of reports based on property type or group and makes information that is stored in a sea of documents easily searchable. With access to information, it is easier to share details with new employees to help them learn and pass on that training to other employees, diminishing the knowledge gap.  

Giving workers access to more information won’t just close the knowledge gap – it’ll create better and easier days for your team members and a stronger working environment for your organization. Implementing technology can help you get there faster – and deliver more benefits to your bottom line.