Case Study: How A Condo Community Reduced Administrative Costs 25%

Discover how BuildingLink helped One Waterfront Towers boost efficiency, enhance communication, and improve resident satisfaction.

Background

One Waterfront Towers is a prestigious high-rise condo community in Honolulu's Kaka'ako district. After 34 years in operation, they sought a solution that could alleviate the burden of inefficient processes and enhance their operational efficiency. Joe Aguon, General Manager, explains, "We were using a lot of manual paperwork, relying on Microsoft Outlook and their task and scheduling system... It was just hard to manage the day-to-day tasks efficiently."  

BuildingLink provided the answer with its centralized platform and mobile app, empowering staff to work smarter, not harder.  "They can do it live," says Aguon, describing how security guards can instantly file incident reports and maintenance staff can respond to requests on the spot. "It reduces the amount of time the staff has to come back to the office to do a report." This shift resulted in a significant reduction in administrative work, with Aguon estimating a 25% decrease in staff time spent on these tasks.

The Challenge

One Waterfront Towers sought to overcome operational hurdles stemming from manual processes and a patchwork of software solutions. 

These inefficiencies resulted in:

• Delayed service requests: Residents experienced frustrating delays in response times to service requests and amenity reservations.
• Frustration among staff and residents: Inefficient task management led to backlogs, creating frustration for both staff and residents and hindering the community's ability to address resident needs effectively.
• Cumbersome task management: The reliance on manual processes and disparate software programs for tasks like maintenance requests, reservations, and communication proved unwieldy and inefficient.

The Solution

BuildingLink's comprehensive platform provided a centralized solution to address One Waterfront Towers' operational challenges. Key features and modules included:

• Centralized Records: BuildingLink offered a single, unified platform for managing all community records, including historical data, maintenance requests, and service requests.
• Resident Communication: The platform's emergency broadcast feature, resident app, and announcement capabilities fostered seamless communication and ensured residents remained well-informed.
• Streamlined Operations: BuildingLink's mobile app empowered staff to respond to requests and complete reports in real-time – imagine a security guard filing an incident report from their phone, or a maintenance technician addressing a request on the spot. This shift resulted in a significant improvement in maintenance response times and a reduction in staff administrative time.
• Integration Capabilities: BuildingLink's ability to integrate with various systems, including access control and payment processing further streamlined operations and enhanced the community experience.

The Results

Implementing BuildingLink brought about significant positive change for One Waterfront Towers:

• Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Maintenance response times improved dramatically by 40%, while staff administrative time decreased by 25%.
• Improved Resident Satisfaction: The intuitive resident app and enhanced communication features fostered a more satisfying resident experience.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Real-time data and robust reporting capabilities enabled more informed, data-driven decision-making regarding repairs, replacements, and budget forecasting.
• Increased Transparency: BuildingLink's centralized platform fostered a culture of transparency between management, staff, and residents, building trust and accountability within the community.
• Enhanced Security with KeyLink:  BuildingLink’s key management solution provided real-time data and comprehensive tracking of all keys, ensuring only authorized personnel have access to sensitive areas and helped them crack down on unauthorized short-term rentals – a growing concern in Hawaii. 

"Before BuildingLink, I would always be on Airbnb websites... Now, I don't spend any time on [those] sites because the system can catch it.” - Joe Aguon, General Manager, One Waterfront Towers

The Future

One Waterfront Towers plans to leverage BuildingLink's integration capabilities to optimize its operations further, with plans to:

• Integrate with a new access control system for enhanced security and efficiency.
• Collaborate with BuildingLink's technical team to customize the security incident reporting system to align with Hawaii's specific regulatory requirements.
• Implement Aware Building's leak detection sensors to provide an added layer of protection against water damage and enhance peace of mind for residents.

"BuildingLink has been very valuable to us. It allows us to quickly and securely track all our data in one location.”

Conclusion

For Aguon, BuildingLink has been much more than just a software solution – it's been a key factor in their success. In his own words, "BuildingLink has been very valuable to us. It allows us to quickly and securely track all our data in one location. It's preventing us from spending a lot of time and money... trying to rewrite things or do certain reports." 

But, the benefits extend beyond streamlining tasks and saving time. Aguon emphasizes the importance of clear communication and trust between management and residents, sharing that “with all property management teams... transparency and communication is key. The owners, that's all they want. Being able to be transparent within BuildingLink has been so helpful for us; owners are very happy." 

With BuildingLink, One Waterfront Towers hasn't just found a platform to help them work smarter—they've found a solution that tackles their biggest pain points head-on, resulting in significantly improved maintenance response times, a reduction in staff administrative time, and a thriving community where residents feel heard and valued.

Discover how your condo community can boost efficiency, enhance communication, and improve resident satisfaction. Schedule a guided tour of BuildingLink's condo management software today!