The Highest Quality Telephone Answering Service in the United States

Centratel

Telephone Answering Service

property mangement live answering service

Dealing with Difficult Tenants: The Advantage of a Property Management Live Answering Service

December 29, 2023
Property Management
By Centratel

Dealing with Difficult Tenants Made Easier Through a Property Management Live Answering Service

Dealing with difficult tenants can be a daunting task for any property management company. The complexities of tenant disputes can escalate quickly, often requiring immediate attention and resolution. This is where our Property Management Live Answering Service comes into play, acting as an extension of your front office staff. We understand the urgency and intricacies that come with property management calls. Our commitment to human engagement and our industry-leading low error rate ensures accurate and prompt responses, making the process of dealing with difficult tenants significantly easier. Our service is not just about answering calls, it’s about understanding the nature of tenant queries, relaying the complexities of their inquiries, and improving tenant relations. We are not just a live answering service, we are your reliable partner in the property management field.

Ease the Stress of Difficult Tenants with a Property Management Live Answering Service

Difficult tenants can often be the cause of significant stress for property management staff. The incessant calls, the constant demands, and the unpredictable nature of their queries can take a toll on even the most seasoned professionals. This is where a live answering service can be a game-changer. At Centratel, our Property Management Answering Service acts as an extension of your team, handling tenant interactions with the same professionalism and dedication as your in-house staff. This not only helps in mitigating stress for your team but also improves tenant satisfaction, leading to better tenant relations and a more harmonious living environment. 

So, let us handle the stress of difficult tenants, while you focus on what you do best – managing your properties and growing your business.

The Role of a Live Answering Service in Crisis Management

When crisis situations arise, the role of a live answering service becomes pivotal in managing the chaos. Difficult tenants often escalate situations, leading to a flurry of angry calls that can disrupt the smooth functioning of your property management business. At Centratel, we understand the gravity of such situations and the impact they can have on your operations. Our Property Management Live Answering Service steps in as your reliable partner, adept at handling high-pressure scenarios with utmost professionalism. 

We are equipped to manage a wide spectrum of tenant issues, taking messages and relaying them to your on-call maintenance team with unbeatable accuracy, as if one of your staff members would answer your calls. Our 40 years of experience in answering phone calls for the property management industry ensure that urgent calls are promptly identified and relayed to you, minimizing interruptions and maximizing efficiency. You can rest assured that every call is handled with precision and accuracy, mitigating the risk of miscommunication in crisis situations. In the volatile landscape of property management, having a live answering service like Centratel can be a game-changer, providing stability and reliability when you need it the most.

Relaying the Complexities of Tenant Inquiries

Relaying the complexities of tenant inquiries is a nuanced task, one that requires a deep understanding of the property management industry. Our live answering service is adept at handling these complexities, ensuring that every call is treated with the utmost professionalism and accuracy. We recognize that each tenant inquiry, whether it’s about a lease agreement, a maintenance issue, or a simple question about rent, carries its own set of challenges and urgencies for your team or on-site staff. Our team is trained to handle these inquiries with precision, ensuring that your maintenance team or property manager is promptly alerted to urgent calls. 

We understand that in the realm of property management, every call matters. Our commitment to human engagement and our industry-leading low error rate ensures that we relay the intricacies of each tenant inquiry accurately and promptly, acting as a seamless extension of your property management team.

Improving Tenant Relations: The Impact of a Live Answering Service

Improving tenant relations is a pivotal aspect of property management. A live answering service like Centratel’s Property Management Answering Service can significantly impact this area. We understand that every tenant interaction, from relaying a rental agreement query to managing a property maintenance emergency, contributes to the overall tenant experience. This fosters trust and enhances tenant relations, contributing to improved occupancy rates and property value. Our stringent call protocols ensure that urgent calls are promptly relayed, minimizing interruptions and enhancing the efficiency of your property management operations.

By offering a consistent and professional point of contact, a live answering service not only enhances tenant satisfaction but also streamlines communication processes, allowing property managers to focus on more strategic aspects of their roles. In essence, a live answering service acts as a vital bridge, strengthening the connection between tenants and property managers, leading to improved relations and a more harmonious living environment. Our service is not just about answering calls; it’s about building positive tenant relations, managing your property portfolio effectively, and enhancing the value of your real estate investment.

Experience the Efficiency of Our Service with a 30-Day Free Trial

Experience the efficiency of our Property Management Answering Service firsthand with our 30-day free trial. This risk-free opportunity allows you to witness how our commitment to human interaction and accuracy can enhance your property management operations. Our service is akin to having an additional front office staff, ready to handle tenant inquiries, maintenance emergencies, and even lockouts with utmost precision. We understand the intricacies of the property management industry, from lease agreements to property inspections, and we are equipped to handle them with speed and accuracy. Our unique offerings, such as flexible message delivery options and online access to message history, provide a seamless extension to your team. We are confident that our service will resonate with your needs and challenges, providing a solution that not only manages your calls around the clock but also improves tenant relations. Get a Free Quote today and experience the difference of our Property Management Answering Service.

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A Telephone Answering Service Representative taking calls at Centratel

Centratel is an elite national telephone answering service headquartered in Bend, Oregon. Across the United States, Centratel’s Property Management Answering Service assists hundreds of property management operations handle overflow calls, screen after-hours inquiries, capture leads, and forward calls. Whether you’re managing rental homes, renting out apartments, managing an HOA or operating a senior living facility, an elite-quality property management answering service such as Centratel is the ideal solution. Call us today. Your first 30 days are free.

Taking the Next Step

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or to just talk to us, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed below.)

For more specifics on cost, to start the onboarding process, or to just talk to us, fill out this form with your basic information and if it’s during regular working hours (M-F 8am to 8pm EST or 5am to 5pm PST), we’ll get back to you within minutes. Or, during the above hours, you can simply call us at 800-664-7159 or send us an email to inquiry@centratel.com.

(And note: for a quick orientation on how we operate, take a moment to review one or more of the key points listed on the right.)

Terms of Service

Why Choose Centratel

BY SAM CARPENTER
October 1, 2024

1.CENTRATEL’S UNIQUE 30-DAY FREE TRIAL

Why is this important? Because it will provide you a truly accurate estimate of cost (we bill monthly), it will demonstrate our quality, and it gives both sides of this equation—you and Centratel—the necessary time to refine and perfect operational details.

Here’s a testimonial from a new medical client that had just finished their 30-day trial: “Of course, I love the cost as it is close to the amount I was allowed by the president of the company. I told him that if we did not continue with Centratel, I would resign as the Director of Customer Service, and I meant it. It’s a great fit. We have had NOT ONE complaint from a patient or in-house which, as you know, we received daily with our former answering service. I love you, Centratel, and the price. I’m ready to sign whatever documents you require. Thanks for the great service, and the free month! To a great partnership! -KB, Phoenix“

2.STATISTICALLY, THE BEST IN THE U.S.?

Answering service quality is 100% dependent on human action and reaction, and in the course of a single day a multitude of human decisions are made by the people who process the calls: Telephone Service Representatives, or TSRs. (Some answering services refer to them as “agents.” Others, “operators.”)

Like any other answering service, at Centratel we’re dealing with real live human beings and so human errors occur. But within this labor intensive service industry that is historically known for marginal quality, Centratel’s error rate is light years ahead of established standards. Our most recent Customer Reported Error Rate (July through September, 2024) was 1 customer-reported error for every 6,077 message transactions processed. That statistic is unmatched.

There’s no artificial intelligence manipulation, we do not offshore calls, and we were founded and have always operated within the United States. (Note that since early 2020, the COVID six-foot social distancing mandate drove thousands of small-to-medium sized answering services out of business. Large, foreign-owned multi-nationals, often disguised by the name of the local answering services they acquired, now thoroughly dominate the industry. Hence, an even further decline in general service quality. See this analysis.)

3.CUSTOMER SERVICE EXTRAORDINAIRE

Your concerns and requests will be instantly acted upon. It’s a work ethic that stands out in stark contrast from the general quality decline in human-to-human business-customer communications. You’ve seen it yourself, all around. At Centratel you will know the customer service people you’re working with by name, appreciating their special listening abilities as well as their take-action-now comportments i.e. see the testimonial in point #1 above. ‘Nuff said!

4.GETTING STARTED: IT’S SIMPLE AND FAST

Getting your new Centratel answering service 30-day free trial started is accomplished within 24-48 hours. From the start, your “onboarding” customer service representative will be with you every step of the way, listening carefully to your concerns, answering questions, and offering suggestions.

5.NEW TO USING AN ANSWERING SERVICE?

A majority of our current answering service accounts switched to us from another service because of quality problems. However, if you have not used a service before, you are not familiar with the options, benefits, and pitfalls. As noted, our 30-day free trial provides you—and us—plenty of time to precisely refine your desired message-taking and delivery protocols; to get things exactly the way you want them to be without any financial risk, undue pressure, or obligation. 

6.PRICING

Starting at $89 per month, our rates rank in the mid-range of the industry. For call processing, we charge by the “transaction unit” rather than the duration of time spent handling calls. Large “mega-services” operating in the U.S. prefer time billing because it ensures the company is compensated for lower-paid/high-turnover — and thus slower — agents. No matter the quality or how long they keep your callers on hold, they still make a profit. And yes, it can get expensive.

In any answering service, it takes a long time for a new agent to become fast, efficient, and stable. At Centratel, we pamper and reward experienced agents (via higher pay and great benefits) and therefore have extremely low staff turnover. Needless to say, experienced agents make fewer errors than trainees who learn on-the-job.

7.ACCURATELY COMPARING ANSWERING SERVICE PRICING IS COMPLICATED

It’s apples and oranges. There isn’t an industry standard for billing, and each answering service has its own formula. Also, as noted above, some services charge by agent “time” while others charge by “work units.” Some others combine the two. At Centratel, we charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend. The raw truth is that the only reliable way to determine monthly cost for a new service is to use that service for a solid month. Most answering services offer a 7-day free trial or no trial at all.

8.BEWARE: MONTHLY OR 28-DAY BILLING?

Important! At Centratel, we use a “monthly” billing cycle in which invoices are compiled from the first day of a month to the last day of that month. When soliciting quotes from other services, be sure to ask if the base-rate charges are billed monthly or on a “28-day billing cycle.” There is no good reason for a 28-day billing cycle! It’s bait-and-switch: customers billed on a 28-day cycle actually receive thirteen billings per year and therefore the overall cost is higher.

9.NO CONTRACT AND SIMPLE TERMS OF SERVICE

We do not require a yearly contract for service because we believe you should have the opportunity to evaluate us real-time, without restraint. Our terms of service are simple and straight-forward.

10.VALUABLE FREE GIFT FOR CONTACTING US

If you take the time to discuss answering service with us, on the same day we will ship you a hardcover copy of Sam Carpenter’s bestselling book, Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less, now in its 5th edition. We’ll send you a copy just for contacting us. (Sam is the founder and President of Centratel. December 1st 2024 marks his fortieth year of ownership.)