ApartmentAdda conducted a first-of-its-kind gathering of Estate Managers of Gated Communities yesterday – 29-July-2010, 2PM-5PM.
The workshop was designed to provide a platform to discuss challenges, exchange best practices and learn how to leverage software to make their work easier. Networking was the obvious byproduct.
It turned out to be a highly successful workshop, with all participants showing great enthusiasm in excelling in their role, and an eagerness to know more about ApartmentAdda. Many participants wanted such workshops to be conducted frequently and making some as full-day workshop with technical topics.
The organizers were inspired by the healthy turnout with 90% of the registered participants attending this workshop, despite the torrential rains that lashed down on Bangalore! There were some walk-ins as well.
The session started with Mr. Sridar Chari – Admin Head of Palm Meadows and a District Chair Person of Lions International, delivering a highly motivating keynote. His focus was on the role of Estate Manager itself, and how the whole community looks up to this role for support and adherence to the rules & by-laws. He stressed the fact that Management Committee has peace of mind when there is an efficient Estate Manager in-charge of the Association Office, who can hold his ground despite various challenges.
Sridhar Chari-Palm Meadows, delivering the KeyNote
This was followed by a presentation from the ApartmentAdda team, on the discipline of Estate Management and the Focus Areas of an Estate Manager - Complaint Management, Vendor Management, Asset Management, Financials Management and interfacing external parties such as Govt. Officials and Banks.After this presentation, the ApartmentAdda anchor grouped the participants into 4 teams. Each team could take a focus area and present a 5 minute case-study.
The hall buzzed with enthusiastic discussions, with networking and a high-tea.
In the Picture below: Rajan Babu-Royale Habitat & Vinoda-Prestige Greenwoods
In the Picture below: (clockwise from left) Gopinath-Madhuban, Aminath Babu-Petra Park, Martin- Sobha Rose, Ganesh-Manjunath Enclave
In the Picture below: (clockwise from left) Madan-SJR Redwoods, Ravichandran-Sobha Opal & Kalyan-Sobha Rose
The presentations started with the first one being on Asset Management – specifically understanding the STP – Sewage Treatment Plant. It was agreed by all that the STP while being the most-utilized common Asset in a Gated Community, also becomes the most maintenance intensive when not understood properly or not installed correctly. Mr. Sreedhara from Salarpuria properties explained with a diagram how an STP works and clarified subsequent questions from the audience. He also offered his help in case any of the participants needed in future.
In the Picture below: Sreedhara-Salarpuria Properties, presenting STP Technical Diagram
Other three presentations were on Complaint Management, Experiences of a new Estate Manager and liabilities of an Estate Manager.
All presentations were throughly interactive with the participants chipping in their inputs in a very constructive manner.
This was followed by a walkthrough of ApartmentAdda, participants were most interested in Online Complaint Management, Preventive Maintenance Tracking and Financials Tracking.
The focus of this workshop was Online Complaint Management – ApartmentAdda’s COMPLAINT TRACKER. The ApartmentAdda Product Manager walked the audience through the COMPLAINT TRACKER and the reasons why it is important that all Complaints be logged in one place, no matter from which sources they originate. The audience also stressed that it is important to get acknowledgement from the Complainant whenever a Complaint is closed. This is the functionality met by the Feedback loop triggered by ApartmentAdda’s COMPLAINT TRACKER. and track them to closure. Escalating complaints which the Estate Manager has no authority to work upon was also discussed.
A short overview of the ASSET TRACKER was provided. There were interest from the Audience about the online Billing and Collection management – the INCOME TRACKER, which has been agreed to be part of the next Workshop.
Online Complaint Management session
Overall, all of us took back a very wholesome 3 hour experience of learning from each other. Everyone agreed that we need to have such workshops with longer duration and more of ApartmentAdda can be covered.
The ApartmentAdda team wishes to sincerely thank the Management Committees who signed up their Estate Managers, and the Keynote Speaker and all the Managers who made the workshop such a success!
Last but not the least, the ApartmentAdda team feels proud for conducting this workshop most professionally and getting such overwhelming response and request for further workshops!
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Wishing success to all!
