Last modified on December 18th, 2018
By Rachel Jefferson

Accidents happen. Toilets clog. Pipes burst. Trees fall. Windows shatter. It may sound a bit like the plot of a bad disaster movie, but these things can and do happen often. And with the threat of a harsh El Niño, it’s extremely important to have a well-prepared maintenance staff ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.

But not every property management company has enough manpower to cover every property efficiently and quickly when something unexpected occurs. Not only is it dangerous—and potentially costly—to leave issues unresolved for extended periods of time, but it’s also stressful for your residents. That’s where AppFolio’s Maintenance Contact Center (MCC) comes in.

Our Maintenance Contact Center team handles all your incoming maintenance calls for you; trained and experienced staff answer your phone 24 hours a day so you don’t have to. They will record the service request and dispatch your pre-selected vendors based on the emergency level of the issue. It’s an extension of your property management team, relieving the burden off your staff. Watch this video for more details.

I wanted to share a few real maintenance issue stories that our Maintenance Contact Center has assisted with. You may have experienced similar issues. I’m sure you’ll agree that attention to maintenance calls is important to your residents, and it’s essential to be able to get them resolved quickly.

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Ice, Ice, Baby

“The tenant didn’t have any electricity in her unit and resulted in her not having any heat. She didn’t know where her breaker box was located. Because there were unit images in the system, I was able to guide the resident to where her breaker box was located, which was across from the front door, behind the wall her fridge was against. She flipped her breakers from top to bottom and her electricity turned on! I was able to completely avoid having to dispatch a tech or call a vendor, saving her from having to wait for working heat.”

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A Bad Hair Day

“A tenant, Jennifer, called in to report that she had no hot water in her suite, which was problematic because she worked in a hair salon. Jennifer seemed anxious. She let me know she was unable to provide an effective service to her clients because she needed hot water. The priority set for this category of issues was listed as normal, but given the circumstances—that the hot water was an essential need to operate the salon—I thought I would try and push it through to property management. After speaking to property management, a tech was sent out to the location right away. The tenant was especially grateful.”

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Duck Tales

“A tenant called in extremely scared, explaining that she was currently locked inside her car with her children, in her own driveway. The tenant told me about a savage duck that lurked around her property and would attack her and her children without any notice. The tenant had run into the bird when she came home from errands that day, and rushed ran back into the car, locking the door to protect herself and her children. I attempted to calm her down, asked her if she felt comfortable making a run for her house, but but she remained frozen in fear.

After understanding how afraid she was, I followed up with a technician to scare the duck away.

I called the tenant back and stayed on the line with them until the technician arrived. The PM and the tenant were thankful for MCC handling such a unique request, and that we were attentive to the tenants.”

And although we’ll probably never know what happened to that duck, we do know that the residents are happy with the service they received and can rest assured knowing we’ve got their backs, any time, day or night. We’re just a phone call away.