How the other half holiday: Life after legacy systems
Ailo
18 December 2024
Say less to stress, and more to seafood cocktails and swim up pool bars!
Felicity runs a property management team in Goulburn, NSW and Mariah heads up a team in Adelaide. They share what it’s like to finally take a holiday now that they’re on the Ailo platform 👇
What is it like taking a holiday now that you’re on Ailo?
MARIAH:
Very different. So I did 2 weeks in New Zealand, I think it was the end of August. I took my laptop in preparation for the fact that, you know, usually when you go on leave, you need to do some work.
It didn't actually come out of my suitcase once, which was amazing! For the first time in probably 10 years.
The team could see exactly where things were at, exactly what needed to be done. The communication was all in the system, so it was all very clear for them, you know, what had been said or what had been promised.
I actually got a full 2 weeks off!
FELICITY
I take holidays, Christmas and New Year every year without fail. I used to FaceTime back to the office to talk someone through end-of-month and make sure it got done properly.
I don't have to worry about that anymore. I can actually enjoy my Christmas break with my family and come back knowing that everything's been done, and I don't have to stress about that.
What is the vibe in the office now when team members go on leave?
FELICITY:
The team's a lot more confident. Things are a lot more peaceful and time management's been much easier as well, so it's just a happier environment to be in.
I mean, life was chaotic then, with lots of Post-it notes and to do lists and mess on the table and, you know, trying to coordinate with everyone.
Now, I don't even have a paper diary or any notepads on my desk, because everything's just through projects and my actions. It's just so much smoother now, coming to work and dealing with everything.
For example, if I need someone to do something for me, I create that project and I assign them their actions. I don't have to ring them or text and say I need you to do this for me. They just look at their actions and know that that's what needs to be done.
How do you manage customer communication over the holiday period with a skeleton staff on?
FELICITY:
Being on Ailo has made such a difference to our arrears. We aren't making daily calls anymore, there's just no need for it. The number of tenants that are in arrears has dramatically decreased.
Most of our arrears are 3 to 4 days now. We're not seeing over 7 days very often. Just being able to see when those payments are immediately being made, has been so helpful for our team. Not spending daily time on arrears anymore, it's just freed up so much time because the system does the majority of the hard work for you.
And for our investors, there's so much transparency in the app. They can see everything we can see from a rent perspective, so the communication has been a lot better around arrears. They can log into their app and see where their tenants paid to and when payments have been made.
What is the craziest place you had to log in to work from holidays (pre-Ailo) 🏝️
A mountain top during a torrential downpour, floating on a lilo in Fiji, your cousin's wedding,mid-labour with your second child... We asked property managers what was the craziest place they had to log in to work from while on holidays (before Ailo!).
Property Manager
Emily did end-of-month from a mountain top during a torrential downpour
"In 2019, I went to Fiji with my family and still had to trust account, run wages and accounts for the company (between time zones)," she said.
"To get reception, I had to carry my laptop to the top of a rocky outcrop to get the internet (daily) When it rained, I had to carry an umbrella up there so I could work. The walk up and down was 35 mins 😂"
Director
Jeremy's team was "absolutely astounded" at how little they had to catch up on after the holidays
"We get to actually enjoy our holidays now we are in Ailo. My team can truly switch off and enjoy their break. And when they return to work, they’re not snowed under a mountain of catch up work," he said.
"Take last Christmas for example, normally it takes anywhere from three to four days of catch up work before you start getting the momentum back in the business - but this year it only took us one day. My property manager came back after the break and was absolutely astounded by how little he had to catch up on - and that’s someone with 20 years of experience."
Principal
Mel can easily jump in to help a colleague out when they're on leave
"When someone is on holiday, all they need to do is pop the client call on hold, scroll up in the Ailo Chat to see what correspondence you’ve had with them, and then you’ll be up to date," she said.
"Having all of that information on hand means that holidays are just that – there’s no working in the background."
Business Owner
Elia was able to take his first vacation in 4 years
"I haven’t been away since 2019 like many people. This will be the first time I’m going to be overseas for eight weeks and I don’t have to do end-of-month, and I don’t have to transfer any money and I don’t have to cross check what statements have gone where," he said.
"I’ll be happily sitting somewhere in Greece sitting on a beach just watching the chats flow through."
