Most of the apartment associations or resident communities rely on chat apps like whatsapp or platforms like Google to keep in touch with their members. Communication, engagement and sending important information becomes cumbersome and inefficient in chats apps. Messages don’t reach the right time. Printed circulars are lost. Cost is incurred in printing. People miss important information in chat and struggle to catch up and more. These are just a few to name. Residents need a residents association app that will simplify the way they communicate and engage with each other.
To start with, let us look at what key members of most resident associations are doing to keep communication active and engaged with their residents.
Current Behaviour using Chat apps
- Multiple WhatsApp groups to keep in touch with your residents
- Another WhatsApp group for just the committee members
Now let us look at the issues they face while relying on chat apps for their residents association and also 11 reasons why you need an app for your resident association.
The issue with Chat Apps like Whatsapp to manage Residents Associations
1) Whatsapp/Chat Apps are Noisy
Too many groups in Whatsapp makes it difficult to manage residents association work effectively. You need a community/residents association app to have spam-free communication.
Also Read: 5 Reasons why Whatsapp or Messenger are Bad for your Business
2) Unnecessary Scrolling
If you send a message in Whatsapp, let’s say a week ago, members have to scroll continuously to find it. Unnecessary ‘Good Morning’ messages and ‘Spam Messages’ flood chat groups usually. In ONNE residents association app, residents can have a structure in what they send. Everything has a heading and comes in separate widgets, making it easy to retrieve information for residents and the committee members.
3) Member Privacy
Residents can see other members’ contact info in a WhatsApp groups. In ONNE app, residents cannot see or get in touch with other residents. You can avoid unnecessary spam and unwanted messages sent to others by copying numbers from WhatsApp groups.
4) Committee Information
Just add the committee members’ names, numbers, photos, designation, and email addresses in your ONNE app. Any resident can access this information and get in touch with the main members directly if they want. Chat Apps do not offer such features.
5) Maintenance Fee Collection
Create invoices in your app on ONNE and send them to all the resident members. Residents can also pay maintenance charges to the association within the app itself. We have a payment gateway integrated for your ease. An automatic payment receipt is generated and sent to residents who make the payment through the app as well.
6) Payment Reminders
When you create a payment invoice and share it with your residents, the app will start sending regular reminders to the residents so they pay the maintenance charges on time. All you have to do is set a due day to receive your maintenance fee and your resident association app will take care of the rest. Save time.
7) Events
Create Events within the app and get members to RSVP. You will know exactly how many of them are coming for the event or not. Eg. Diwali get-together or Committee Meeting etc.
8) Multiple Admin Access
Assign committee members as admins for various groups in your resident association app. These admins can manage their group members and you as an owner or super admin will be able to see what they are doing in the app and how members are engaging with them. Three-level of admin access makes it easy to have a hierarchy in communication
9) Have Complete Control
Want to share information with your residents and want them to engage with you? You can keep the comments section open in your messages. If you want to send notices which need no engagement, switch off the comment option. Have control of how members engage in your app. For example, if there will be no water supply from 10 AM to 6 PM on a specific day, just send an alert and keep your comment section off. Information dissemination is made easy. The issue with WhatsApp is that you either have a broadcast group or an open group for engagement. Your resident association app gives you flexibility and ease in managing residential activity.
10) Emergency Contact Details
Use the handout facility in the app to upload important contact details such as ambulances, doctors, hospitals, etc that will benefit your residents. Residents can access any of this information from your app. Whatsapp or chat apps do not offer these kinds of features.
11) Save Paper
Do you print circulars and notices and send them to the residents? Do you print notices and add them to your apartment notice board? You can now become environmentally responsible by avoiding the printing of these notices. Send them using your app to your residents for instant access
Originally published at http://blog.onne.world on November 23, 2020.
