Southwest Property Management:
Space for more focus
Space for more focus
Southwest Property Management
Established: 1978\ Location: Naples, Florida\ Portfolio: Community Associations\ Previous Solutions: TOPS Pro, StrongroomSouthwest Property Management is a local, family-owned business that manages over 120 community associations in Naples and Fort Myers, Florida. In talking to Bryan Fowler, President and Owner, and Amanda Fowler, AppFolio Specialist at Southwest, we explored how they have been able to grow their business rapidly while streamlining processes with the help of AppFolio Property Manager.
Units under management
12,800+
Associations managed
120+
Increase in units managed
50%
Increase in online payments
80%
Time spent training
new hires
50% less
“AppFolio is a one-stop shop for our boards, homeowners, vendors, and staff. It’s very simple and easy to understand when you have one place to go to do business.”
Before transitioning to AppFolio, Southwest Property Management had to do a lot of tasks manually and struggled with outdated, disjointed systems. This led to inefficiencies, inaccuracies, and frustration. Amanda shares:
“AppFolio has solved a lot of issues we were having using TOPS Pro and Strongroom for our AP processes. AppFolio’s universal navigation and user-friendly programing have really helped us. We’re having fewer technical difficulties and have had great technical support. AppFolio just feels like a newer system. I was very excited when I saw AppFolio — it looked promising and had everything we needed under one platform.”
With so much data to migrate and so many processes to implement, onboarding and learning new software can be challenging for any business. While the team at Southwest’s experience in transitioning to AppFolio wasn’t without the occasional hiccup, they felt like they had the dedicated support and partnership they needed every step of the way. Amanda shares:
“It was a lot of work, but the AppFolio onboarding team put in a lot of work right there with us, and we learned together. AppFolio was great in helping us make sure our data was accurate and secure. Throughout the implementation process, we had weekly meetings so that we were all on the same page. There was so much support. I know it wouldn't have gone that smoothly without the amount of support that AppFolio provided.”
Turning heads with technology
“Over the last four years, we've grown tremendously. We have almost 50% more communities than we did in 2018. We're locally owned, but we have the capabilities and customer experience of a larger company. And I think the technology we've invested in and are using sets us apart from other companies.”
Bryan also uses AppFolio to demonstrate the value Southwest can bring to prospective associations during the sales pitch process:
“I go over AppFolio in our sales presentation, and then if they are getting kind of warm, I show them a demo of some of the ins and outs of how the software works. Usually, that seals the deal because they've been using something that doesn't have all those features.”
Since switching to AppFolio, the team at Southwest has been able to move away from paper-based processes and digitize many of their business-critical workflows. As a result, they are able to save time, increase productivity, and provide a better experience to their homeowners, board members, and teams. Bryan goes into more detail:
“Our biggest goal has really been to get our systems internally to where there's less paper and more things handled digitally. So, it's really getting our operation to deliver the service our customers expect — to make it consistent and easy and cut down on all the back-and-forth paperwork that we have. AppFolio has really helped us to move away from paper-based processes. We’ve grown quite a bit over the last few years, but anytime you do that, you have to catch up with your operational fortitude, and that's what we've been doing.”
Bringing convenience and delight to the customer
“With AppFolio, we can email and text all board members and homeowners in an instant. It makes it easy when there's an emergency or a hurricane — we can let everyone know what to do at one time. On the communication side of things, that is incredibly valuable because you can keep everyone in the loop.”
In addition to communication, AppFolio helps Southwest simplify and streamline the payment process, making things easier for board members and homeowners. Amanda explains:
“Payments are so much more accessible to homeowners and board members with AppFolio. They would originally have to drop a check at our office or in the mail. Now everything is handled online. We have a lot of resources that are dedicated to walking people through how to set up online payments because they are just so much more efficient. It was crucial during COVID as well.”
Along with shifting customer expectations, employees’ needs have shifted in recent years. They want more flexibility and tools that streamline work, among other things. As a result, it’s more difficult to find and retain great talent across the association management industry. Southwest has been able to keep up with the changing needs of employees and offer the team remote working options with AppFolio. Bryan goes into more detail:
“One thing that helps us attract new team members is that our association managers and some of our bookkeepers can work remotely. Before, because we didn’t have a cloud-based system, it wasn’t an option. AppFolio gives us mobility and flexibility. Our teams can complete tasks from anywhere. We have the possibility for remote work where we didn't before.”
A true partner
“I think AppFolio has great training videos. In the beginning of our transition, I was doing live training with every employee, literally showing them step-by-step. Then AppFolio released how-to videos for association management. I was able to take that off my plate and just say, ‘Watch these videos,’ because they explained it just as well as I could. Everything was categorized. So that was a huge help to me. They've added a lot of content since we started that applies specifically to community association management. Our team can easily troubleshoot and find answers in the Help Center without having to make a call every time.”
If the team at Southwest does need more in-depth assistance, they feel like AppFolio listens and comes up with innovative solutions based on their needs. Bryan explains:
“AppFolio feels like a partner that we can count on. If we have a problem we’re running into, AppFolio takes it, looks into it, and comes up with solutions for it. They’re also always developing upgrades and new features that are very needed and wanted. In other words, they listen to their customers. They listen to us. They explore what's going on and have a beat on the market.”
Space for more focus
When you have a technology partner that puts your business needs first and evolves alongside the industry, you have more time to devote to bigger picture initiatives. This is evidenced by the team at Southwest Property Management.
“AppFolio gives us space to focus our efforts on growth and customer service. We don't have to make huge investments in researching technology or the market because they’re doing that for us.”
President and Owner, Southwest Property Management
12,800+ units, 120+ associations
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