Tag Archives: ai

Proper Vendor Management – A Strategic Necessity

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By Lydia Pelliccia and Matthew Green, CAE

We had the privilege of gleaning many insights from Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, into this particular topic. She is the community association manager for A Pocono Country Place, a 4,500 self-contained, private residential community located in the Pocono Mountains, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania and is a member of the CAMICB Board of Commissioners.

Managing vendors is a critical component of a community association manager’s role and is essential for maintaining the physical condition, financial health, and overall satisfaction of a homeowners association, which in turn reflects the professionalism and competence of the community association manager. Properly managing and overseeing vendors ensures quality of services, cost management, legal and contractual compliance, residence satisfaction and supports efficiency and problem resolution.

“In the ever-evolving landscape of community association management, the role of reliable and vetted vendors in homeowners associations (HOAs) cannot be overstated,” said Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM. “From maintenance and landscaping to public safety and technology services, vendors are pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation and enhancement of our communities. Further, the importance of thoroughly vetting and implementing the best vendors is both a strategic necessity and a fiduciary responsibility that falls to the community association manager.”

Quality of Services Has A Lasting Impact

When essential services such as landscaping, maintenance, security, and repairs are not carried out properly, the effects can have a lasting impact. Ensuring that these vendors perform their tasks effectively and to a high standard is crucial for maintaining the community’s appearance, safety, and functionality. Poor vendor performance can lead to dissatisfaction among homeowners and potentially costly repairs in the future. Said Dunn, “Vendors responsible for maintenance, repairs, or landscaping must deliver work that meets high standards to maintain the appeal and functionality of the association. Subpar performance can lead to dissatisfaction, decreased property values, an increase in complaints, with members feeling they are not getting their money’s worth.”

Legal and Contractual Compliance Matters

Vendors operate under contracts that define the scope of work, payment terms, and performance expectations. Community association managers must oversee these contracts to ensure vendors meet their obligations. This includes handling disputes, ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, and protecting the association from potential legal issues. “Choosing vendors with a proven track record and proper certifications minimizes the risk of legal issues, accidents, or compliance violations,” said Dunn. “The reputation of your homeowners association is influenced by the vendors you employ. High-quality vendors contribute positively to the community’s image.”

Efficiency, Problem Resolution And Risk Management

Vendors must be well-managed to ensure they are responsive to the community’s needs. Whether it’s addressing an emergency repair or completing routine maintenance, community association managers coordinate with vendors to resolve issues quickly and efficiently, minimizing disruption to residents. Further, poorly managed vendors can pose risks to the association, such as safety hazards, liability issues, or financial losses. By carefully selecting, monitoring, and managing vendors, community association managers help mitigate these risks and ensure the community operates smoothly and safely.

Ensuring Resident Satisfaction 

The services provided by vendors directly impact the quality of life for residents. For example, well-maintained common areas, timely snow removal, and responsive repair services all contribute to a positive living environment. Effective vendor management ensures these services meet residents’ expectations, which helps maintain high levels of resident satisfaction as well as property values.

Cathleen Dunn’s Tips For Properly and Thoroughly Vetting Vendors

  • Always establish comprehensive criteria for evaluating potential vendors. This should include not only cost but also experience, references, reputation, compliance with industry standards, financial stability, and licenses (if appliable). A well-defined set of criteria ensures that all vendors are assessed on a level playing field and helps in making informed decisions.
  • Solicit detailed proposals and quotes from multiple vendors. This not only provides a clearer picture of the costs involved but also offers insight into the vendors’ understanding of your needs and their approach to fulfilling them. You can then compare them – apples to apples – on a spreadsheet.
  • Craft clear, comprehensive contracts that outline the scope of work, performance expectations, deadlines, and payment terms. Include clauses for accountability, dispute resolution, impact fees, and termination conditions. A well-drafted contract protects both the association and the vendor, ensuring mutual understanding and agreement.
  • Engaging with unreliable or underperforming vendors can result in hidden costs, such as the need for frequent repairs, and additional oversight expenses. Conversely, high-quality vendors, while sometimes more expensive, often provide long-term savings through durability, efficiency, and fewer complications. A thorough vetting process helps to identify vendors who offer the best value and fit for your association’s budget.
  • Once a vendor is engaged, establish a system for monitoring their performance and documenting satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Open communication and addressing issues promptly will ensure a high level of standard is maintained.

While vendor management can be a challenging part of the job for a community association manager, when done correctly and effectively it’s a mutually-beneficial relationship with material results for all parties involved – the vendors, community association manager, and residents who reside in these condominiums, housing cooperatives, resort communities, and commercial tenant associations.

In the community association management industry, the selection and management of vendors are integral to operational success and community member satisfaction. By implementing a rigorous vetting process and engaging with high-quality vendors, the community association manager can ensure that their communities receive the best possible service, manage risks effectively, and uphold the association’s reputation. 

Added, Dunn “As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to prioritize vendor excellence and to continuously strive for improvement in all aspects of community association management and oversight.”

Resource Corner

Making use of the wide variety of professional development resources available to managers is critical to staying on top of industry news, trends, best practices and any changes arising in the profession.  Below is a sampling of industry resources.

CAI’s Professional Services Directory – a comprehensive directory that allows users to search by product or service https://caidirectory.onlinemarketbase.org/.

CAI also offers Downloadable Resources for Community Operations and Management? which include sample forms and templates on topics such as bidding and contracting, maintenance, human resource management and more – https://www.caionline.org/CommunityManagers/Pages/Gate-Sample-Forms-and-Templates.aspx.

CAI’s Research Library – a CAI members-only library that contains over 3,000 articles on community and homeowner association, and condominium and cooperative issues https://www.caionline.org/LearningCenter/ResLib/Pages/default.aspx#k=vendor%20management. For example a search for “vendor management” retrieves an article that ran in Community Manager entitled Playing Matchmaker by Shirley Haskew, CMCA, AMS with a helpful preview that states the following: Matching up vendors with the various communities in your portfolio can be a little like playing Cupid: “Five-member board seeks caring, reliable landscaping company for long-term relationship.” While some managers recommend using the same vendor to do similar work at multiple communities, sometimes at discounted prices, I’ve received the best results when I was able to match communities with complementary vendors.

Companies that offer specific software solutions, such as vendor management tools, may be worth exploring. Examples include CINC Systems https://cincsystems.com/resources/faq/what-association-managers-should-look-for-when-vetting-vendors-and-contractors/

and VendorSmart, https://vendorsmart.com/vs/#/public/home. Note: some of these companies provide free blogs with relevant articles that offer tips on a wide variety of topics from preparing your HOA for Spring, to determining the best time to explore snow removal vendors.

CAI Exchange –  An online forum that allows members to collaborate and connect with colleagues. These informal discussions are extremely helpful in sharing innovative approaches to common and uncommon situations as well as best practices and advice.  Additionally, this forum is often helpful when managers need a quick question answered: For example, this recent question was answered within hours of its posting:  Q: “We hired a painter. We didn’t know he was going to use a sub-contractor(s) painter.  Should we ask for lien waivers from the sub-contractor(s)?”  A: “Yes, always get a lien waiver from both the contractor and subs before you make your (final) payment.”

Proper Vendor Management – A Strategic Necessity is the fifth in a series of articles, produced by CAMICB staff, that delve into the important issues and topics affecting community association managers.  

Lydia Pelliccia is a freelance writer. Matthew Green is executive director of Community Associations Managers International Certification Board.

Proper Vendor Management – A Strategic Necessity

Posted on by

By Lydia Pelliccia and Matthew Green, CAE

We had the privilege of gleaning many insights from Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, into this particular topic. She is the community association manager for A Pocono Country Place, a 4,500 self-contained, private residential community located in the Pocono Mountains, in Monroe County, Pennsylvania and is a member of the CAMICB Board of Commissioners.

Managing vendors is a critical component of a community association manager’s role and is essential for maintaining the physical condition, financial health, and overall satisfaction of a homeowners association, which in turn reflects the professionalism and competence of the community association manager. Properly managing and overseeing vendors ensures quality of services, cost management, legal and contractual compliance, residence satisfaction and supports efficiency and problem resolution.

“In the ever-evolving landscape of community association management, the role of reliable and vetted vendors in homeowners associations (HOAs) cannot be overstated,” said Cathleen Dunn, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM. “From maintenance and landscaping to public safety and technology services, vendors are pivotal in ensuring the smooth operation and enhancement of our communities. Further, the importance of thoroughly vetting and implementing the best vendors is both a strategic necessity and a fiduciary responsibility that falls to the community association manager.”

Quality of Services Has A Lasting Impact

When essential services such as landscaping, maintenance, security, and repairs are not carried out properly, the effects can have a lasting impact. Ensuring that these vendors perform their tasks effectively and to a high standard is crucial for maintaining the community’s appearance, safety, and functionality. Poor vendor performance can lead to dissatisfaction among homeowners and potentially costly repairs in the future. Said Dunn, “Vendors responsible for maintenance, repairs, or landscaping must deliver work that meets high standards to maintain the appeal and functionality of the association. Subpar performance can lead to dissatisfaction, decreased property values, an increase in complaints, with members feeling they are not getting their money’s worth.”

Legal and Contractual Compliance Matters

Vendors operate under contracts that define the scope of work, payment terms, and performance expectations. Community association managers must oversee these contracts to ensure vendors meet their obligations. This includes handling disputes, ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations, and protecting the association from potential legal issues. “Choosing vendors with a proven track record and proper certifications minimizes the risk of legal issues, accidents, or compliance violations,” said Dunn. “The reputation of your homeowners association is influenced by the vendors you employ. High-quality vendors contribute positively to the community’s image.”

Efficiency, Problem Resolution And Risk Management

Vendors must be well-managed to ensure they are responsive to the community’s needs. Whether it’s addressing an emergency repair or completing routine maintenance, community association managers coordinate with vendors to resolve issues quickly and efficiently, minimizing disruption to residents. Further, poorly managed vendors can pose risks to the association, such as safety hazards, liability issues, or financial losses. By carefully selecting, monitoring, and managing vendors, community association managers help mitigate these risks and ensure the community operates smoothly and safely.

Ensuring Resident Satisfaction 

The services provided by vendors directly impact the quality of life for residents. For example, well-maintained common areas, timely snow removal, and responsive repair services all contribute to a positive living environment. Effective vendor management ensures these services meet residents’ expectations, which helps maintain high levels of resident satisfaction as well as property values.

Cathleen Dunn’s Tips For Properly and Thoroughly Vetting Vendors

  • Always establish comprehensive criteria for evaluating potential vendors. This should include not only cost but also experience, references, reputation, compliance with industry standards, financial stability, and licenses (if appliable). A well-defined set of criteria ensures that all vendors are assessed on a level playing field and helps in making informed decisions.
  • Solicit detailed proposals and quotes from multiple vendors. This not only provides a clearer picture of the costs involved but also offers insight into the vendors’ understanding of your needs and their approach to fulfilling them. You can then compare them – apples to apples – on a spreadsheet.
  • Craft clear, comprehensive contracts that outline the scope of work, performance expectations, deadlines, and payment terms. Include clauses for accountability, dispute resolution, impact fees, and termination conditions. A well-drafted contract protects both the association and the vendor, ensuring mutual understanding and agreement.
  • Engaging with unreliable or underperforming vendors can result in hidden costs, such as the need for frequent repairs, and additional oversight expenses. Conversely, high-quality vendors, while sometimes more expensive, often provide long-term savings through durability, efficiency, and fewer complications. A thorough vetting process helps to identify vendors who offer the best value and fit for your association’s budget.
  • Once a vendor is engaged, establish a system for monitoring their performance and documenting satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Open communication and addressing issues promptly will ensure a high level of standard is maintained.

While vendor management can be a challenging part of the job for a community association manager, when done correctly and effectively it’s a mutually-beneficial relationship with material results for all parties involved – the vendors, community association manager, and residents who reside in these condominiums, housing cooperatives, resort communities, and commercial tenant associations.

In the community association management industry, the selection and management of vendors are integral to operational success and community member satisfaction. By implementing a rigorous vetting process and engaging with high-quality vendors, the community association manager can ensure that their communities receive the best possible service, manage risks effectively, and uphold the association’s reputation. 

Added, Dunn “As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to prioritize vendor excellence and to continuously strive for improvement in all aspects of community association management and oversight.”

Resource Corner

Making use of the wide variety of professional development resources available to managers is critical to staying on top of industry news, trends, best practices and any changes arising in the profession.  Below is a sampling of industry resources.

CAI’s Professional Services Directory – a comprehensive directory that allows users to search by product or service https://caidirectory.onlinemarketbase.org/.

CAI also offers Downloadable Resources for Community Operations and Management? which include sample forms and templates on topics such as bidding and contracting, maintenance, human resource management and more – https://www.caionline.org/CommunityManagers/Pages/Gate-Sample-Forms-and-Templates.aspx.

CAI’s Research Library – a CAI members-only library that contains over 3,000 articles on community and homeowner association, and condominium and cooperative issues https://www.caionline.org/LearningCenter/ResLib/Pages/default.aspx#k=vendor%20management. For example a search for “vendor management” retrieves an article that ran in Community Manager entitled Playing Matchmaker by Shirley Haskew, CMCA, AMS with a helpful preview that states the following: Matching up vendors with the various communities in your portfolio can be a little like playing Cupid: “Five-member board seeks caring, reliable landscaping company for long-term relationship.” While some managers recommend using the same vendor to do similar work at multiple communities, sometimes at discounted prices, I’ve received the best results when I was able to match communities with complementary vendors.

Companies that offer specific software solutions, such as vendor management tools, may be worth exploring. Examples include CINC Systems https://cincsystems.com/resources/faq/what-association-managers-should-look-for-when-vetting-vendors-and-contractors/

and VendorSmart, https://vendorsmart.com/vs/#/public/home. Note: some of these companies provide free blogs with relevant articles that offer tips on a wide variety of topics from preparing your HOA for Spring, to determining the best time to explore snow removal vendors.

CAI Exchange –  An online forum that allows members to collaborate and connect with colleagues. These informal discussions are extremely helpful in sharing innovative approaches to common and uncommon situations as well as best practices and advice.  Additionally, this forum is often helpful when managers need a quick question answered: For example, this recent question was answered within hours of its posting:  Q: “We hired a painter. We didn’t know he was going to use a sub-contractor(s) painter.  Should we ask for lien waivers from the sub-contractor(s)?”  A: “Yes, always get a lien waiver from both the contractor and subs before you make your (final) payment.”

Proper Vendor Management – A Strategic Necessity is the fifth in a series of articles, produced by CAMICB staff, that delve into the important issues and topics affecting community association managers.  

Lydia Pelliccia is a freelance writer. Matthew Green is executive director of Community Associations Managers International Certification Board.

5 ways AI can create stronger teams

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Jotform CEO Aytekin Tank highlights an AI-powered pathway towards more productive and more creative teams

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The question is no longer whether you adopt AI — it’s how smartly you integrate it into your business processes. 
  • Today’s AI tools can be used to radically transform meetings for the better. 
  • In the brainstorming arena, AI tools can help your team generate a larger, richer idea pool.

Throughout time, technology has empowered humans to boost their productivity. The wheel, likely invented around 3500 BCE, began as a potter’s tool but soon revolutionized transportation. With rudimentary wheelbarrows, people could haul crops more efficiently, freeing time for other activities — like inventing the earliest writing systems. Today’s tech is light years more sophisticated, but the idea is the same: less input, more output.

AI is the latest disruptive technology sending ripples across industries. Just as the wheel transformed transportation and agriculture, AI is reimagining the way teams work — and AI is becoming more accessible every day. The Economist recently estimated that 80% of organizations in the U.S. and China already rely on AI daily. For companies, the question is no longer whether you adopt AI — it’s how smartly you integrate it into your business processes.

Throughout time, technology has empowered humans to boost their productivity. The wheel, likely invented around 3500 BCE, began as a potter’s tool but soon revolutionized transportation. With rudimentary wheelbarrows, people could haul crops more efficiently, freeing time for other activities — like inventing the earliest writing systems. Today’s tech is light years more sophisticated, but the idea is the same: less input, more output.

AI is the latest disruptive technology sending ripples across industries. Just as the wheel transformed transportation and agriculture, AI is reimagining the way teams work — and AI is becoming more accessible every day. The Economist recently estimated that 80% of organizations in the U.S. and China already rely on AI daily. For companies, the question is no longer whether you adopt AI — it’s how smartly you integrate it into your business proc

Research shows that AI tools like ChatGPT facilitate faster, better teamwork — 12.2% more tasks completed; 25.1% faster task completion; and 40% higher quality work. At Jotform, we aim to leverage AI to help our teams reallocate their energy to more meaningful collaboration, not just more busywork — to accomplish more tasks that move the needle, rather than just ticking items off a to-do list for the sake of staying busy.

Here are five ways AI can help teams work smarter, collaborate better, and achieve more together.

#1 High impact meetings

Essential for collaboration but potentially hazardous time vacuums, meetings can be a double-edged sword. It’s tricky to pinpoint exactly how much time we spend in meetings, but research suggests that knowledge workers are inundated with them. That’s why we have an explicit policy of scheduling only essential meetings. If another format can accomplish the same goal — whether it’s a phone call or asynchronous communication — we choose that. When we do have meetings, we use AI to maximize utility and efficiency.

Today’s tools go well beyond AI-powered note-taking apps (although we use those, too). AI tools can also coordinate schedules, recommend prime meeting times (based on participants’ typical energy levels), and generate meeting summaries, action items, and roles and responsibilities to be distributed to participants. Copilot on Teams summarizes key discussion points. For its part, Zoom’s “AI companion” can help late arrivals easily get up to speed. It’s clear that teamwork platforms understand the needs of today’s most successful teams and are offering a growing range of AI capabilities to meet and exceed those expectations.

By letting AI handle administrative tasks, from the routine to the redundant, team members can fully focus on the substance of the meeting itself. That’s when we come up with our best, most innovative ideas.

#2 More balanced participation

As CEO for nearly two decades, I’ve grown accustomed to leading our all-hands meetings, sometimes with hundreds of participants spanning 6 continents. But having always been on the more introverted side of the spectrum, I can still recall past roles when speaking up during meetings was not my biggest strength.

As much as they enhance collaboration, meetings have the unfortunate effect of prioritizing the communications of more outspoken participants. This not only puts introverts at a disadvantage (despite recent research suggesting introverts often make better leaders), but it also worsens the quality of your discussions. Simply put, in order to take advantage of the potential creative and intellectual synergy of multiple minds coming together, all voices must be heard. AI tools can help level the playing field.

AI-powered tools like Read AI analyze various aspects of meeting participants’ behavior, like engagement and sentiment.

AI-powered tools like Read AI analyze various aspects of meeting participants’ behavior, like engagement and sentiment, and then can provide feedback on cultivating more balanced and engaged participation. With metrics like speaking time, the tool can offer insight into who contributes the most and who may need more gentle encouragement to share their perspective. If I, as a leader, realize that I’m dominating the discourse, I might make a point to listen more and speak less during the next meeting. These AI tools help foster a diversity of opinions and ensure meetings are both inclusive and productive.

#3 Seamless project management

I remember the days of keeping track of group projects on bulky whiteboards — a hasty eraser swipe could leave the team in a panic. Nowadays, team projects have largely moved to the cloud, where they’re less vulnerable to whiteboard erasers. AI-powered features have only enhanced team project management, automating routine tasks and protecting team members’ peace of mind — no need to worry about essential items slipping through the cracks.

Platforms like Asana and monday.com can enhance productivity by automating administrative items like assigning due dates and sending reminders, and providing insights on project progress. Asana can offer rolling deadline suggestions based on project timelines. For its part, monday.com can analyze workload patterns to make recommendations on how to automate team workflows.

One of the benefits of AI-powered task management is seamlessly keeping everyone aligned and moving toward the same goal. For example, if an AI task management assistant detects that a project is falling behind, it can automatically reallocate resources or adjust timelines to prevent delays. Utilizing these features is like adding an AI member to your team, to manage all of the essential, less visible parts of project execution with minimal human input.

#4 Sharpened creativity

When we think about AI in the context of teamwork, we tend to focus on the administrative benefits. But it can also facilitate more creative thinking, unlocking the key to innovation.

Wharton professor Christian Terwiesch, who pitted humans against ChatGPT to see which group could come up with better product ideas (spoiler alert: AI generated better ideas and faster), put it best: using AI to generate ideas is a no-brainer. Terwiesch explained, “Worst case is you reject all of the ideas and run with your own. But our research speaks strongly to the fact that your idea pool will get better.”

When brainstorming, AI tools can help your team generate a larger, richer idea pool.

When brainstorming, AI tools like ChatGPT can help your team generate a larger, richer idea pool. Then, they can choose the best idea and have a strong jumping off point. When creating content — be it a blog post, a newsletter, or an engaging social media caption — enlisting ChatGPT’s help can ensure your team doesn’t waste any time getting started. With the right prompt, an LLM can churn out a first draft, leaving your team with more time to fine-tune the details.

In short: there’s no reason not to use AI to supercharge your creativity.

#5 Recruiting top talent

Finally, when building your dream teams, AI can be a powerful asset in the recruiting process, making it more, rather than less, human. Studies have shown that recruiters can save up to 40% of their time by outsourcing routine, repetitive tasks to AI — like searching resumes for keywords or generating compelling job descriptions. Then, hiring teams can spend more time in the actual interviews with candidates, getting to know them and feeling out whether they’re a great fit for the team and the company culture.

Hiring is one of the tasks that I never fully delegate — to humans or AI tools. I like to meet our potential hires and understand their motivations; what they hope to bring to the team, what they hope to achieve, and how that aligns with our business’s needs. I’ve learned certain qualities are impossible to communicate in a resume or a questionnaire, which is why face-to-face conversations (even through a screen) are essential during recruitment. AI tools give me and my team the ability to fully show up for those conversations, and build stronger teams for our company.