In a recent Q&A on LookUpStrata, our general manager Will Marquand answered a question about improving communications between owners, committee members and your body corporate manager.
Question: What communication platforms work well for body corporates to effectively manage discussions, email documents, budget deliberations etc among committee members?
Are body corporates effectively using business communication platforms to manage discussions, email documents, budget deliberations, etc, among committee members? Businesses use Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace and Slack. What works well for body corporate committees?
Answer: If the committee and body corporate manager are committed to making these platforms work, they can be useful tools to streamline decision-making.
William Marquand, Tower Body Corporate:
Effective communication is what every body corporate owner says they want and what every body corporate manager says they provide. However, we still live in a world where miscommunication is a standard rather than a rarity.
As you indicate, many businesses have moved on from email as their only or main form of communication, using various alternative systems depending on their needs. Many body corporates do something similar, such as sharing messages across social media or other management platforms. The success of these largely depends on the users. If the committee and body corporate manager are committed to making these platforms work, they can be useful tools to streamline decision-making. On the other hand, if people aren’t interested, it doesn’t matter what platform you try. You can only do so much if owners and committee members are apathetic. If you think a program would work for your scheme, give it a go. It would also be good to hear from owners in the comments about what platforms they have tried and whether these are successful.
In my experience, there are two key issues with alternative platforms. Firstly, most of them aren’t designed for strata, so they can be helpful, but they also have limitations in terms of their practicality. Then, you need to consider record keeping – there is an obligation to maintain strata records. While generally good systems are in place to keep email records and meeting papers, that is often not the case for things like a WhatsApp chat. I don’t think this precludes using these systems, but it is something to consider.
Strata-specific apps are certainly a growth area. Many body corporate companies use systems like Strata Vote, Vote Max or Vote Now for recording meetings, and they are a huge leap forward from the not-so-old days when managers collated vast reams of paperwork to tally votes. Most individual companies will also have online portals providing varying interactions. They all give you access to documents, but some can also provide chat boards and other facilities to promote discussion. A few specific apps have been developed for strata. We use Resvu as part of our business. It saves the strata manager time while providing owners with quick, easy access to information.
These platforms offer back-end support to management companies, allowing them to provide a site-specific app for each scheme. Over the next couple of years, this technology will become standard and hopefully move us closer to the ultimate goal of seamless communication.
Brett Baillie, Resvu:
A small number of targeted technology solutions in the market effectively unite management companies, body corporates, owners, and residents. They may include features like a committee hub, request workflows, resident hub, proactive communication, levy notifications, payment gateways, and more.
Considering interconnectivity and integrations is crucial when evaluating a tech stack beyond a comprehensive industry-specific solution. While numerous excellent tools are available in isolation, the key is how they interconnect and offer visibility across all stakeholders while meeting your compliance requirements for documentation. If you have the time and internal resources to build and maintain a solution specific to your business using these individual tools, that’s fantastic. For everyone else, there are industry specific solutions.
William Marquand
Tower Body Corporate
E: willmarquand@towerbodycorporate.com.au
P: 07 5609 4924
Brett Baillie
Resvu
E: brett@resvu.io
This post first appeared in Strata News #685.