Condo Media - July 2019 - 39

"Technology is great, but this is a value-added,
people business, and you have to have people answering
phones," says Arel. "Owners don't want answering machines, they want a live person, so we make sure they get
a live person. They also want their questions answered,
and it's great to get them answered 85 to 90 percent of
the time on the first call."
"By having a live body answering phones and emails,
we can provide exceptional service," says Gwynneth
MacKenzie, North Point's business development director. "The response has been overwhelmingly positive."
The call center benefits North Point's side of the
relationship, too. "The call center creates free time that
didn't exist in the past, which property managers and
other people such as accounting can dedicate to being
proactive and looking into issues. Now property managers are able to get out on the properties and develop that
personal relationship by talking with owners, dealing
with vendors, and keeping their eyes open to what's
actually going on. That's huge," says Arel. "Any time you
free up time to deal with issues confronting an association, you're bringing something to the table that no one
else can do."
Offering additional support for property managers is
Bob Libin, a senior property manager with 30 years in
the business. Hired to provide what Arel characterizes
as "an additional set of ears or eyes in problem solving,"
Libin is able to jump in immediately if a problem arises.
"There's a lot that North Point offers that sets it apart,"
he says. He cites education and training as an example.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Education and training have long been a staple of North
Point's goal of going above and beyond expectations.
Internally, regular departmental meetings help employees stay abreast of industry best practices, issues, and
trends. "We try to be a lot more proactive than reactive,"
says Libin. "We do a little bit of education during our
weekly meetings to bring everybody up to speed on what's
happening in the industry so that we're at the forefront."
In addition, the entire staff meets monthly for training, with a different theme each month. "We bring in
experts for whatever that particular theme is," says
MacKenzie. "For example, if the theme is what's new in
legal statutes for Massachusetts and New Hampshire,
we'll bring in a legal expert to talk about that. For insurance or renewals, we'll bring in our insurance representative. If it's landscaping or snow removal, we'll bring in
somebody to talk to that. The more educated we are, the
more we can support our boards and our owners."
CAI accreditation is an important component of
North Point's educational initiative as well. All property
managers are required to earn their Certified Manager
of Community Associations (CMCA) designation.

Several of the company's managers also have their
Association Management Specialist (AMS) certificate,
and Arel is a Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM), CAI's highest credential. Arel is also the
only manager in New England to have been recognized
as a Top 10 finalist for national Manager of the Year.
"One of the interesting things in our industry is that
anybody can say they're a property manager. It doesn't
mean you know what you're doing," Arel points out.
"When you do the training, get the credentials, and
have the experience and a network you can rely on,
then you're making the right recommendations to
your boards."
Even North Point itself is credentialed: it is the one of
the few AAMC (Accredited Association Management
Company) property management companies in New
England. "That sets us apart, because it's quite a commitment to get and maintain that designation," Arel says.
"It means your company meets high standards and is
committed to being professionals in the industry."
North Point doesn't stop there, however. The company provides educational opportunities that extend
beyond its office walls. Twice a year, free seminars are offered to current and past board members, potential new
clients-and even competitors. "The better educated we
are as a community, the better we are," says MacKenzie.
Libin agrees, adding, "The more we know, the more we
share with our clients, the easier their job is going to be
and the easier our own job is going to be."
Carole Hunt, board chair for Wayside Condominiums
of Chelmsford, Mass., agrees that education is important. "When you start on the board, you start from the
basics of 'what do I do, how do I have to do things.' So I
think it's important for both CAI and your management
firm to be able to educate the board and even owners on
what it's like to live in a condo," she says.
She adds that, in addition to the free semiannual
seminars, Wayside's North Point property manager also
offers monthly meetings educating owners on topics
such as recycling, parking during snowstorms, smokedetector replacement, water-heater replacement, and
what to do if they're going away, and she contributes to
the association's monthly newsletter.
"Our corporate environment is to look at what we've
done in the past and think about how we can do things
differently and better in the future," says Arel. "We're not
going to rest on our laurels-we never do! A company has
to be willing to meet the challenge and take risks to be
successful. Our responsibility is to do what we can to be
better partners and providers to our clients. I think we're
creating something special."
For more information about how North Point can
provide your association with value-added service, call
(877) 423-5050, or visit northpointmanagement.com.

http://northpointmanagement.com/

Condo Media - July 2019

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