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EPM: Technology & Social
Life begins at 40
Rockend will mark 40 years in business in September. This is an impressive milestone for any technology company, especially when you consider the internet only became widely available to Australians and New Zealanders in the mid-90s. Reaching this milestone lends itself to looking back on how much the real estate industry has changed over the past four decades. As a…
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EPM: Customer Service
What matters most
Why is there the need for more innovation in property management in Australia? It’s because renting a property is such a difficult experience in this country,filled with administrative tasks – from communicating with stakeholders, filing paperwork, meeting legal requirements or dealing with maintenance issues. This rings true for everyone involved in the process. Also, today’s customer expectations mean they have…
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EPM
It’s time to change
The 2018 Voice of Australian Property Management Report revealed the best property management businesses are well led, have great career structures in place and encourage their teams to be more than just property administrators. Yet only one in four property managers feel this way about their business; 28 per cent of property managers talk the industry down and 12 per…
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EPM
5 ways property management needs to change
The 2018 Voice of Australian Property Management report found that property management is suffering from a high level of disillusionment and defection from the industry, with the bulk of those employed in the sector passive about their roles. Here’s what needs to change in 2019: 1 How we work needs to change The data revealed that while most property managers…
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EPM: Technology & Social
How to unlock your technology superpowers
While it can’t magically give you more time, the right technology can help you do more and provide your customers with a valuable and personalised experience. But there’s no point simply using technology for technology’s sake. The value of implementing the right technology lies in its ability to save everyone time, over and over again. Here are three ways technology…
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EPM: Leadership
Why EQ triumphs over IQ
Being a leader often meant you had to be the smartest person in the room or the person with the most grey hairs. But things have changed. Importantly, strong leadership can be the difference between a thriving and successful business, and one that suffers under the pressures of disruptive change. So what does it take to be a successful leader…
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Elite Agent
Stress-free end of financial year
Here are five things you can do to ease the EOFY burden. 1: PAY OUTSTANDING INVOICES The EOFY tends to see phones running hot and inboxes overflowing. Owners want the peace of mind of knowing that any outstanding invoices relating to their property are paid before the clock ticks over to a new financial year. When you receive a request…
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EPM: Technology & Social
Using Technology to Build Relationships: Alister Maple-Brown
Today’s world is filled with technology; so much so that many feel it’s making us ‘less human’. Our mobile devices are never far from reach. We sit at the family dinner table using one hand to eat and the other to tap away on our iPad. We go to our kids’ soccer game on the weekend with our smartphone pinging…
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EPM: Leadership
A Simple Roadmap to Review your Business and Reap the Rewards: Alister Maple-Brown
What can we learn from past performance? Often when looking forward we forget to take the lessons from the past. Reviewing your people, processes and systems is a great way to understand what does and doesn’t work for you, and will put you in a strong position for growth in the year ahead. Here’s are my eight simple steps to review…
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EPM: Technology & Social
Unplugged and Plugged In: Alister Maple-Brown
While you can’t lean on the latest app to set your goals for you, it’s possible to use some clever tech to track your progress. Alister Maple-Brown from Rockend offers five steps you can follow to keep motivated and on track in the New Year. While technology isn’t a wand you can wave to magically achieve your goals, it can…
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EPM: Customer Service
Great Expectations
Technology can help you to create the best possible experience for your clients. Here are a few questions to ask yourself when deciding on the right technology to elevate the client experience and effectively position your business for the future. 1. DOES IT MAKE INFORMATION ACCESSIBLE? You don’t need to control every bit of information that flows to your clients.…
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EPM
Why Tech Is No Threat to Property Managers: Alister Maple-Brown
Since its explosion in the 90s, technology has become central to everything we do in property management, and in business today. Completely changing the game was the iPhone, invented 10 years ago, which gave us access to the world in our back pockets. But will technology ever completely replace property managers? Absolutely not. The rate of change when it comes…
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EPM
Virtual Reality: Are We Nearing the Tipping Point?
Pokémon Go gave us a sneak peek into augmented reality, but the technology still has a long way to go before it will be adopted on a large scale, says Alister Maple-Brown. Thanks to Pokémon Go, 2016 was the year the world paid attention to augmented reality. Men, women and children rushed to download it to their smartphones and started…
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EPM
The Power of Pure Cloud Computing
What is the cloud? Where is the cloud? Am I using the cloud? These are all questions you’ve probably asked yourself at some point when you think about ‘cloud computing’. In the simplest terms, cloud computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the internet instead of your computer’s hard drive. The cloud is just a metaphor for the…
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EPM
Is Artificial Intelligence the Future of Service?
As consumers, we are never really satisfied with customer service. In fact, business reviews today are showing that this is one of the few areas of differentiation between competitors. Alister Maple-Brown looks at the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in improving customer service and whether it means the end of the ‘human touch’. There’s just something about picking up a…
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EPM
Consumer Tech Goes To Work
The way we work today is so very different to the way we worked even a short number of years ago – and one of the key drivers of this change has been consumer technology. Alister Maple-Brown shares two cloud-based tools that are gaining traction in the workplace. Traditionally, businesses have kept a tight rein on the devices their employees use…
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Transform
Transform PM Insights: Foreword
Introducing Insights #1From Alister Maple-Brown, CEO, Rockend. It has been a privilege for Rockend to be a part of the inaugural Transform PM program this year. This program provided four agencies with the opportunity to take a step back and analyse their business with the guidance and coaching of industry professionals. Over the nine weeks it has been fascinating to…
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Brand Editorial
Smart Homes: A Window to the Future
The humble window has always been iconic, a go-to design differentiator for architects and an important feature for homeowners. With the increase in the number of ‘smart homes’ now popping up, their features may soon even include the ability for self-cleaning. The term ‘smart home’ conjures up images of modern architectural masterpieces of the future, complete with robot butlers and…
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Brand Editorial
Rockend Rolls Out New Benchmarking Tool
I’M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE a new product which sits within Rockend’s core service offering. Our latest development, realbenchmark, is a cloud-based business intelligence solution for Rockend’s REST Professional clients. The new platform boasts a one-click, highly visual dashboard that allows property managers to easily compare and analyse their KPI data results in one place. Being cloud-based it is accessible on…
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EPM
The Three Trends in Tech That Will Improve Your Business
TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING rapidly, and keeping up to date with the latest trends can be challenging. Here we examine existing and upcoming tech developments that can help your agency work faster and more efficiently. Technology in your agency should do one of two things: enhance the tenants’ experience or make your internal business processes more efficient. The former will help…
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EPM
Top 5 Apps for Australian Real Estate Agents
Smartphone applications are changing the way real estate professionals operate. With thousands of property applications available, real estate agents and property managers now have a multitude of tools at their disposal to improve their productivity, sales and service. Below are some beneficial tools and technologies for professionals in the real estate industry. CO Everywhere CO Everywhere is an iOS mobile…
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EPM
Fostering Innovation in Real Estate
Alister Maple-Brown examines the importance and value of innovation within a workplace. Is your business doing enough to foster and harness creative energy? LATE LAST YEAR I had the pleasure of travelling to the United States to explore their real estate market and discover the latest trends in Silicon Valley. The trip gave me many insights into the future of…
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EPM
Automation Transformation
Automation is a major trend in technological developments that is set to provide new ways of working. With the ability to deliver and receive better service, work more efficiently and reduce the need to search for information there are new tools and trends that are about to make life easier. The future of technology is a topic which could expand…
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EPM
Productivity And Personalisation: The Future Of Technology
While it is impossible to predict exactly what the future holds, there are definite trends emerging which will shape the course of the next decade. Alister Maple-Brown from Rockend looks at some of the things that may be on the horizon. Ten years ago smartphones, social media, tablets and wearable technology were non-existent. Today it’s almost hard to imagine a…
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EPM
Planning for Success
IMAGINE YOU’RE AT A DINNER PARTY in 12 months’ time and someone asks you to explain your business to them. What will you say? Is that explanation any different to what you would say if they asked you today? WHAT ARE the differences between your business now and where you want to be in 12 months? And how did you…
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Elite Agent
New Financial Year, New Technology
Updating technology can improve productivity and provide new opportunities for your business. Alister Maple-Brown from Rockend explains. The phrase ‘End of Financial Year’ often brings a combination of dread, stress and fear to the minds of many business owners. Another year has rolled by and we are already in the midst of the new financial year. Was your tax time…
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EPM
What’s Your Disaster Recovery Plan?
New South Wales recently experienced some of the worst flooding and storms we’ve seen in over 10 years. Many businesses were left without electricity for days, and some were completely destroyed in the horrific flooding. Alister Maple-Brown, CEO of Rockend, discusses how you can take better precautions to protect your critical business data. As you can imagine, unexpected events like…
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