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Effective communication in a world of information overload and instant gratification is difficult to achieve. But this becomes even more challenging when the accuracy of the information on which these communications are based comes into question.
This is the challenge that community managers and HOAs face on a daily basis, so they ask themselves:
- How do I manage all the information across multiple spreadsheets and databases?
- Is our information accurate and available in real time?
- Who owns the information, is it secure, and who has access to it?
- How do I effectively manage information that is captured in different formats?
- How can I eliminate duplication of information across multiple channels?
- Is our chosen technology solution evolving and adapting with the technology demands of the time, or is it a legacy solution?
Typically, there are multiple databases with multiple entry points, and the consistency and accuracy of the information is an ongoing battle for community managers and HOA administrators.
One source of truth
These days, community managers and HOAs are faced not only with managing communities but with the unenviable and unsustainable task of managing vast amounts of data in multiple databases that include everything from home owners and property information to club membership and security access. While the security company may have one database, the HOA may have another, and the golf club yet another. And that’s before we even consider special interest groups like dog walkers, birders and parents with children at the same school.
If that challenge weren’t enough, people (residents, administrators, etc.) now demand real-time access to information. This vast amount of information across multiple information silos, combined with allowing varying degrees of real-time access to information that is constantly changing, proves to be a challenge to even the smartest among us.
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At REDi we understand these challenges, and this has driven us to create platforms that assist communities with both communication and management of information through various digital platforms such as our Community Portal.
We strive to create one source of truth in which property and resident information is kept up to date in real time. Our platform selfoptimises every time information is updated, rendering the data more effective and accurate than ever before.
People before technology
Every community is unique, and the reality on the ground is that there are multiple stakeholders with their own databases, controls and ways of operating.
For this reason, we believe in first understanding the community’s needs and goals before simply applying a solution. One solution does not fit all, and so at REDi we have created an integrated digital platform that addresses the various complexities, and looks to integrate with the best-ofbreed technologies that ultimately make community managers’ lives easier. Simply put, we create one database that doubles up as a communication channel that can be configured in a number of ways. You may want a one-way push system to inform residents of developments, or you may want a two-way channel over which you can engage with residents. And as for those dog walkers and birders, you can set up as many opt-in forums as you want for like-minded people to coordinate activities, or just to compare sightings of some lesser spotted lifer lurking in the reeds on the edge of the wetland.
Let’s grab a coffee
A community portal, correctly implemented with a central database, will continue to yield long-term benefits. With time, these will not only continue to prove useful and sustainable, but will also continue to be optimised, as the data is updated. Managing information is a multi-pronged undertaking, from harvesting to accessing, and then sharing. The movement between these various phases is not only critical, but highly advantageous when done right.
Let’s grab a coffee some time soon and begin to draw out the blueprint for your specific community needs.
