Why is healthy communication required in an apartment society?
Healthy and good communication is very important in an apartment society in order to maintain good relationship among members and in growing together. Good communication will help a person to understand the other person’s thoughts and ideas which in turn will lead to the sharing of their own needs and concerns.
The role of healthy communication in an apartment society:
One of the most common complaints in an apartment society is the lack of healthy and frequent communication among its members. Communication across all levels is the key to success and a fundamental aspect in developing, securing and maintaining long relationships with the management as well as the apartment owners.
Apart from this, regular and healthy communication helps in keeping the vendors, contractors and owners in a single loop in case of any event. It also helps the apartment owners to address their problems without any hesitation to their association. Once the problem is addressed, the association can take necessary steps to solve the issues and also get feedback from the residents.
How to maintain a healthy communication in an apartment society?
In a multicultural country like ours, gated communities have people from various cultures and diversities living in the same community/apartment and sharing a ‘common floor’. Therefore, when the concept of gated communities started in 2007, some amount of hesitation of getting to know the neighbours existed.
Here comes the role of the Apartment Management Software (AMS) which has gained popularity in today’s world. CommonFloor is one such firm that provides the apartment management software. An apartment with AMS application will help neighbours e-connect on an online platform and communicate with each other.
This in turn helps the admins/association members/property managers while communicating with the residents of the community which faces problems. The AMS, introduced under CommonFloor, helps admins communicate easily with the residents online, as well as provide a platform for residents to share information and knowledge with their neighbours.
This communication tool works wonders and simplifies the whole process of managing the information sharing in the communities. A person looking to buy a flat in a particular community could get the relevant information about the neighbourhood, the best schools, restaurants and health care in the vicinity, etc., from the residents in the respective community. A person who has rented out his/her apartment can be a part of the discussion on CommonFloor to stay updated on all activities happening in the community. Residents can form various like-based groups such as rock music lovers club, Cricket fan club, etc. and can also engage in discussions online about an upcoming event that is to be conducted in the apartment or celebration of a festival, etc. in the comforts of their own homes.
The administrators of the apartment on the other hand, can put up online notices of all relevant information, notify members of their maintenance dues via email and SMS, communicate all day-to-day operations, conduct online election and voting, maintain the income and expenses of the association, generate automated invoices for dues paid up, etc. Communication, in this kind of a community set-up, is extremely crucial for the smooth functioning of the management but at the same time is a huge challenge for the admins/property managers.
What should an apartment association do when there is a complaint about lack of communication?
The ?rst step to improve the communication in an apartment society is to arrange a face to face meeting with all the members using a single venue.
Brainstorm the issues/problems with the members, who have been facing problems to understand the situation and solve their issues.
Make a list of all the problems faced by the apartment members and agree on a reasonable amount of time-frame for the issues to be resolved.
In case there is a delay in the timescale promised, it is advisable that the management member informs the apartment owners beforehand.
An effective way to solve communication gap is to distribute the lists on email for all the owners and send regular updates.
Effective communication:
Effective communication not only plays and important role in an organisation but also plays a vital role in our personal life.
Every individual should be on the same platform and the clarity of ideas, messages are mandatory for smooth flow of work.
E-mails are a better option for effective communication.
The sender must have clarity of thoughts, must express his/her ideas in the best possible way and also cross check with the receiver.
Effective communication also reduces the conflicts and results in a better understanding among individuals. Thus speaking only is not important, you need to make sure that your information is passed on and received correctly.
Communication barriers:
Any obstacles which come in between an effective communication are called communication barriers.
• Unorganised thought
• Wrong interpretations
• Ignoring the content
• Not confirming with the recipient – Always cross check with the listeners, whether they have received the correct information or not.
• Not understanding the mood of the recipient – Try to understand the interest or the mood of the second party.
• Different cultural level – In any organisation, an individual can never think on the same line as his boss does.
Types of communication
• Face-to-face communication
• Email – Email is convenient and cost-effective and allows business communicators to reach one or more individuals at the same time with the same message.
• Telephone – Telephones can be used for one-on-one conversations and, increasingly, to bring larger groups of people together for audio conferences.
• Print Media – Print can be used effectively to share information with a wide range of people in multiple locations and allows the opportunity to include text, graphics, and photography.
Some issues in apartment communities
• Lack of participation and involvement
• Personality smashes
• Petty political problems
• Majority/minority smashes
• Ineffective communication
• Inability to come together to address solve problems effectively.
• Lack of tools to manage a society activities/day-to-day affairs
Communication tools which an apartment association should have:
Admin forum
Forum and sub groups
Residents list
Notice board
Meeting calendars
Vendor list
Document repository
Broadcast
Poll
Website
Information about the apartment
How do communication tools help in the peaceful functioning of an apartment?
Through these tools the members of the apartment stay informed anywhere, anytime.
It results in increased participation from members.
It results in better recognition of the management committee team.
The association can save on circulating information.
It is effective and is a timely communication way which is carried out through portal, email, and SMS.
It guarantees the delivery of SMS to all the registered users of an apartment.
CommonFloor.com an online tool to communicate in a better way
• Enables to get updates over mobile and email
• For smooth day-to-day activities, Issues and Complaints Tracker
• Notice Board
• Event calendar creates an online notice & automatic SMS reminders
• Ask a question & start a discussion
• Residents Directory
• Photo album to share community event snaps
• Handbook for useful contacts of vendors & service
• SMS announcement
Henceforth if you are living in an apartment and are facing any sort of communication issues, kindly follow the below link to get an idea on how you can get it solved conveniently.
http://www.commonfloor.com/apartment-management-software?f=sem-apt-mgm-2&gclid=CJzg8K_1_7ECFUR76wod32IAeA
