How Hillier Carter Properties has achieved flexibility with Cirrus8 - Cirrus8
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How Hillier Carter Properties has achieved flexibility with Cirrus8.

Chris Hands
Managing Director
Hillier Carter Properties
What property management software were you using prior to Cirrus8?

MRI

What challenges/pain points were you experiencing that led you to hunt for a new solution?

I found that the only two people in our office were using MRI were the accounts staff, for whom I admit it worked well, but the system was not at all user friendly for property managers on a day to day basis, and the work order process for FM was frustrating and therefore unused. MRI was customisable but at a cost.

What were the requirements/key features you were looking for in a new solution?

A cloud based system that was easy to use, had a familiar web style interface and was able to be used by the whole team not just the accounts staff. The calendar with key dates appearing at log-in and the dashboard interface to quickly access information particularly caught my eye when researching a new system. I also wanted a system that would give me access to information when meeting Clients or tenants at their properties without having to take physical paperwork.

˝Cirrus8 has completely changed the way we operate on a daily basis and streamlined our work.˝

What specific results have you seen from implementing Cirrus8?

Our "go-live" date for Cirrus8 was 1st April 2020, just as the first lockdown for COVID-19 occurred, and we were all forced to work from home. My accounts staff were pushing me to delay the changeover as they would not be able to sit together and learn the new system and processes. I pushed ahead. I think within two weeks of implementation my staff were telling me how much they liked the new system, and how much time it was saving in their daily routines. Having the AI system to process invoices whilst working from home was invaluable. Like many boutique Property Management companies our processes had been in place since the Company was founded and relied heavily on paper and manual processing. Cirrus8 has completely changed the way we operate on a daily basis and streamlined our work. From a Property Managers view point tasks such as inputting new leases, processing contractor invoices, issuing arrears notices to tenants, processing rent reviews, and checking standing charges are quick and easy to administer and can be done as easily at home as sitting in the office, which has given much greater flexibility to the team. In fact my two accounts staff have continued working from home since the first lock-down, and from an outside perspective our office does not operate any differently – we could not have done this without Cirrus8. I particularly like the layers of checking and authorisation, whereby data entered by the PM’s has to be checked and approved by the Trust Accountants before being processed. Our end of month reporting is quick and easy to prepare and the feedback from our Clients on the format and ease of understanding of the reports has been very positive.

How has Cirrus8 separated you from your competition?

I think the main thing we have gained by switching to Cirrus8, as a small boutique management company, is that it has given us the ability, and confidence, to pitch for new work safe in the knowledge that our systems and processes are streamlined, efficient and up-to-date. I now feel that we are now at least on par if not ahead of our competitors in terms of our technology and operations.

What advice would you give to others searching for a new property management platform?

Try MRI! (we want to stay ahead of our competitors 😊)

Would you recommend Cirrus8 to others?

Without hesitation.

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