These days it’s more important than ever to be aware of the impact we’re having on our environment. Businesses of all shapes and sizes are taking measures to reduce their carbon footprint and make a conscious effort to preserve our precious resources. Have you taken steps to make the shift over to a more “green” office at your property management business? If not, here are a few tips to get you started.

Encourage online payments

It may not seem like a lot, but the paper used to make checks, envelopes and stamps adds up. You can make a small but highly impactful difference by making it easy for your customers, clients and tenants to make payments electronically through a secure online portal. If you find people need a little motivation, here are some tips to help sweeten the pot a little.

Find out how technology can make life easier for your customers, your staff, and YOU! The Property Manager’s Guide to Technology in the Management Office.

Create electronic versions of important documents

Need to send invoices or run reports? Why not create electronic versions and email them or make them accessible via your website rather than printing and mailing them? You’ll conserve paper and also save money on things like ink and postage. What’s more, your customers will appreciate the convenience.

Communicate via email

Rather than sending out notifications by mail, why not make the shift to email? Obviously there will still be certain documents that will require a hard copy, and some of your recipients either won’t have email or prefer not to share their contact information, but even just shifting a portion of your mailings from paper to electronic can have a significant impact.

Use technology for most of your marketing

The good news is, most everyone uses the internet to shop – including shopping for available rental properties and property management companies. Use this to your advantage by leveraging online outlets for your marketing activities. Use social media, online listings, web ads, forums and any other area where you can get the exposure you’re looking for. As an added bonus, marketing online is much more cost-effective than other methods so you’ll save money!

Take a tablet or netbook with you everywhere you go

Rather than lugging around paper ads and other documents that you may need to access when meeting with prospects or customers, keep all of your information at the ready on your tablet or netbook. When you need to access it, you can do so at the click of a button and without wasting precious resources.

Every one of us has a duty, both personally and professionally, to do our part in protecting the environment and preserving resources for future generations. By employing these simple tips, making the shift to a more “green” office will be easy and painless.

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Find out how technology can make life easier for your customers, your staff, and YOU! Download a free copy of The Property Manager’s Guide to Technology in the Management Office.