Rhonda Bluff’s superpower is experience.
When it comes to property management, she’s been there and done it.
And now, the industry expert is sharing the knowledge she’s gathered as a property manager, operations manager and head of property management over 20-plus years as PMVA’s new Client Services Manager.
Not only does Ms Bluff know the ins and outs of running a PM team and department like the back of her hand, but she’s also extensively used virtual assistants.
It means she’s uniquely positioned to Property Management Virtual Assistant’s new and existing clients to get the most out of their PMVA experience.
Ms Bluff describes her role as a communications position, acting as the key conduit between PMVA’s valued clients and the virtual assistants in the Philippines.
“I’m who our clients talk to if they have any requests, want to put on a new VA, need to change any of their blueprints or tasks or if they have any issues,” Ms Bluff explained.
Ms Bluff started with PMVA in March and already loved the role, especially given it keeps her well-connected with the industry she loves.
“Even though I’m not working in the property management industry, I’m working with it, and that’s important to me,” she said.
In fact, Ms Bluff said it’s her PM experience and the fact she has used PMVA’s services herself that made her a perfect fit for the role.
“If an agent is to ring me and ask me whether they’d be able to do X, Y or Z, because I’m so experienced in all facets of not just property management but sales admin, marketing and trust accounting, I’m able to guide them,” she said.
“If they want to use outsourcing to free up their PMs’ time, I know how to help and guide them because I’ve done it all.”
Ms Bluff said it’s her ultimate goal to help PMVA’s clients achieve their goals and she does this by paying attention to their business needs, strategies and offering personal service.
For her last seven years in the property management industry, Ms Bluff also used PMVA’s virtual assistants in her teams to provide valuable support to her in-office PMs.
She said the biggest benefits of using a VA were the continuity of service and the time it gave back to her team.
“It didn’t matter if a VA was away or someone was on leave, there was always someone in the chair,” Ms Bluff said.
“We didn’t necessarily see them, but you knew the job would be done, it would be done to your specifications and the way you wanted it done.
“Having the VAs was a relief for the property managers because they could concentrate on things that mattered, like creating relationships with the owners and the tenants.
“They were able to go out and meet them and not have to worry about all the admin building up back in the office.”
Ms Bluff said one of the best examples of her teams using VAs came when it was time to do routine inspection reports.
The PM would physically attend the property, take photos, record their notes verbally and send them to the VA.
“By the time we got back to the office, they would have typed up the routine inspection, logged all of the maintenance that came out of the inspection and had our emails there, ready to go to the owners.”
Ms Bluff said other positives included not having to worry about the time or cost of training an assistant if one were to leave, as PMVA takes care of all of that.
“You never had to worry about training on new legislation either; it all gets done for you, which was something I always loved too,” she said.
“I know what a good VA experience looks like, and I want that for others too.”
