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Centratel

Telephone Answering Service

A castle in the snow featuring the busiest season for a property management answering service

Winter is Coming: Property Managers be Prepared

November 8, 2018
Property Management
By Centratel

For landlords who manage properties in cooler climates, the threat of a winter storm is always a possibility. Of course, as winter nears, unexpected weather patterns and snowstorms can also impact nearly any climate, causing havoc for those who are not used to dealing with such weather.

Residential property managers have a duty to their tenants and to the property owners to be prepared for such events. Actions can be taken to help better equip you in handling such an emergency. Here are some tips and advice to prepare for a winter storm.

Track the Weather

Make sure you are always up to date on the weather patterns in your area. You should make it a habit of checking your local weather forecast every morning and night. The more advanced notice you have, the better your opportunity to prepare.

There are many different ways to access the weather forecast, so you should choose the one that best fits your daily routine. Three of the best and easiest methods for tracking weather patterns are the watching the Weather Channel, going online, or using an app for your phone or other mobile device. There are also numerous apps available for your mobile devices which provide you with up to the minute weather forecasts and severe weather alerts. There are numerous options to choose from, including apps from The Weather Channel and the NOAA.

Inspect Every Property & Winterize

You will want to winterize your property well before the winter season actually begins. Making sure your property is ready for cold conditions and potentially heavy snow can help prevent problems down the line.

  • Inspect Trees and Branches: You will want to inspect the perimeter of your property for any trees or tree branches that may not be able to survive a winter storm. Strong winds or the weight of snow or freezing rain can cause trees and branches to fall. Before the storm hits, you should have dead branches removed and, if time permits, have especially dangerous trees removed. It may be a large expense, but it certainly outweighs the alternative of having the tree fall and damage your property, someone else’s property or worse yet, fall on a person.
  • Make Sure All Furnaces or Boilers Are Functioning: A winter storm involves snow, sleet or freezing rain, which are created by very cold temperatures. To have snow, for example, the temperature must usually be below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius. Anticipating frigid temperatures such as these, and potentially being unable to get to your property because of the bad weather, it is imperative that you make sure the boilers or furnaces at your properties are working properly before the storm hits. You would not want your tenants to be without heat in these adverse conditions.
  • Insulate the Property: Having the proper insulation in walls and attic space can help keep out the cold. You should also caulk or add weather-stripping to windows and doors.
  • Insulate the Pipes: Pipes freezing and ultimately bursting are a concern in colder temperatures. You should make sure all pipes are properly insulated. Another tip for avoiding freezing pipes is to allow faucets to have a small drip so that there is constantly running water in the pipes.

Alert Your Tenants

When you are aware that a winter storm will be hitting your area, it is important to notify your tenants. You should alert them to stay indoors if possible and minimize travel to reduce the risk of accident or injury. Advise them to stock up on supplies such as food and water in case they are not able to leave the property for a period of time. You should also advise them to have warm blankets and flashlights in case the property loses electricity.

Make sure that you have a subcontractor that is responsible for snow removal and de-icing possibly treacherous areas like stairways and common areas in the event you cannot make it to the property. You may even be able to offer a tenant a reduction in their monthly rent if they agree to put down salt and shovel regularly during a storm.

Have the Appropriate Materials on Hand

As a property manager you should take extra steps to make sure all of your properties are equipped with the essentials for handling a winter storm. You will want to make sure each property has at least one shovel that is readily accessible and a medium which will melt snow or ice. There are many options to choose from depending on your preferences. These include rock salt, calcium chloride and even cat litter. Keep your tenants safe and your property owners/investors protected and happy during the winter months. You will see the benefit of your efforts reflected over time in your growing portfolio.

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
September 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 (April through June, 2024) was 1 customer-reported error for every 6,491 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. We’ll bill you based on the number of calls we handle per month, not on total minutes/seconds expended. (Be careful here as you shop for an answering service: the time-billing formula naturally induces caller/agent conversations to drag out, thus increasing client cost.)

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 “time” while others charge by “work units.” 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 4th edition…but soon to be released in a 5th edition (August 2024). We’ll send you a copy of this 5th edition, too, when it’s released. (Sam is the founder and President of Centratel. December 1st 2024 marks his fortieth year of ownership.)