Moving to Mobile First!
Today we are living in a mobile-first world when it comes to technology. We do our banking and shopping through mobile apps, book our vacations through mobile apps, and even manage our home appliances through mobile apps.
Unfortunately, the same is currently not true in the HOA Management industry. Hestia is looking ahead and attempting to address this oversight with the rollout of HOA Toolkit.
Our initial rollout of HOA Toolkit has focused on allowing our managers and inspectors to perform their inspection on a mobile app operating in offline mode, not requiring any Internet connectivity in the field. The offline mode has been a critical feature for us since many communities are in areas with poor cellular coverage which could mean long wait times when uploading pictures or in worst case inability to complete the inspection without resorting to pen and paper. Even in areas with excellent coverage, the ability to cache the violation information on the device and upload at the end of the inspection has made for quicker and more accurate inspections.
The transition to a mobile app from a mobile-friendly webpage has paid significant dividends as well. This transition has allowed us to make a more intuitive interface and enable features on the device that are not feasible in a traditional web format.
The results have been better than we could have hoped. Even the most technology-resistant users have fully and gladly embraced the new tools. We believe the feedback has been so universally positive because there is now a tool in a format people are used to and prefer using, combined with the fact it has helped cut the typical inspection time in half.
The success of Offline Compliance has emboldened us to deploy a module for Resident Information. We realized that managers are often away from their computers, in the field doing inspections, meeting with vendors or at meetings with their boards. This means a lot of issues that could quickly and easily be addressed have to wait until our managers are back at their desk, where they have access to their computer and accounting software. Providing a tool to our managers giving quick and easy access to all the resident information from their phone, anywhere and anytime, allows issues to be addressed more quickly and allows the managers to have one less thing on their ‘to-do’ list.
Seeing how impactful these tools have been for our customers has caused us to shift our thinking from “What can we deliver via a mobile app” to “What can’t we deliver via a mobile app”. We have already added Work Orders, Architectural processing and vendor management to our roadmap of tools. Over the next few years, we will have a full suite of apps and transform your mobile device into the primary device for how staff do their jobs.