Kylie Walsh: The role of the property manager is changing

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Has our dependence on technology taken away some of the skills property managers need for face-to-face interaction?

Technology makes our lives easier in many ways, but it can also foster over-dependence to the point that communication doesn’t feel natural anymore.  Kylie Walsh, General Manager at Di Jones Real Estate, joins us in this episode of Rockend Rockstars to discuss how to strike a proper balance between using technology and our human gifts.  

Kylie Walsh is a licensed real estate agent with over 24 years in the industry. She has held a variety of roles and has won numerous awards at the Elite level for sales, property management and leadership. She was a State Finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year award and was named as The Most Influential Women in Real Estate this year. 

Customer experience is king

Kylie Walsh and Di Jones are on a mission to make sure everyone in their business is focused on the customer. It sounds obvious, but most business are actually not concentrating on the customer, but instead on their own businesses.  

Whilst the difference is often subtle, this mindset helps keep employee’s laser focused on creating a great customer experience. And if your customers are having a great time, then they become vocal fans, and your business grows. 

No more “keyboard warriors”

The skill set of a property manager needs to change. No longer is it about sitting behind a computer and managing arrears and inspections. Instead, Kylie says, “a PM needs to be able to have a compelling discussion with an investor about what their needs are and how they can get their investment to perform better”.  

Unfortunately most property managers aren’t equipped to have this conversation – it’s not what traditional property management training focuses on. But in her eyes it needs to. Property managers need to provide the value to customers that justifies the fees their agencies are being paid. 

Too much tech can be confusing

Whilst increasing service levels benefits greatly from software like Property Tree and the automation it provides, Kylie finds there is so much choice across many aspects of a Real Estate business, that adopting too many can sometime cause confusion.  

To best prepare her team when introducing new technology, Kylie and her IT team typically test and validate the new technology. They develop use cases for the technology, so when they introduce the new solution, their property managers can see the benefit and are ready to use it efficiently. 

Supporting your Property Managers with the right tools and the right training can go a long way as revealed in the 2018 Report: The Voice of the Property Management.  

*Rockend Rockstars is a video series in partnership with Property TV. As part of the series, property commentator Kevin Turner talks to some rockstars of the property management industry about their business, tips, and personal stories.

Watch more Rockend Rockstars episodes: Emily Sim, Head of Property Management, Ray White Corporate. Tamsin Wilson, Head of Property Management. Belle Property Parramatta.