Click Property Management is a cloud-based property management company operating in Dunedin, New Zealand.  They provide a comprehensive service for landlords from vetting tenants and collecting rent to performing meth-testing on houses, alongside regular property inspections.  While the emphasis of their business is on bricks and mortar and putting people together, the way they do business is very much online – landlords properties are listed online and tenants apply for them online; initial property inspections are conducted using smartphones, tenants can sign up for properties electronically and all the major business processes from billing to making maintenance requests are conducted via the Click Property website.

In 2014 Click Property was looking to move to a cloud-based model and needed an IT provider with the expertise to see them through the change.  They found an ideal partner in OneCall – a locally-owned business with expertise both in cloud solutions and in managing IT needs for other local businesses.

OneCall visited Click Property and made a presentation on using Microsoft SharePoint to manage their cloud-based services.  Click’s manager, Andrew Elliott, had been considering a number of options including Dropbox but was impressed by OneCall’s commitment to demonstrating their recommended product and showing how it could work for their growing business.

“Although it was more complicated, [SharePoint] was obviously the direction we needed to drive it to”.

In the years since seeking OneCall’s help in switching to the cloud, Click’s business has been growing steadily, and with it their need for hardware – a burgeoning business needs more photocopiers, printers, and desktops, as well as more staff and support.  OneCall has gradually taken on the role of Click’s IT support for both software and hardware, from basic maintenance to printing solutions.

The working relationship between Click and OneCall has also led to innovation: many property managers use the cloud-based solution Palace for day-to-day needs like property management and accounting, placing and tracking maintenance orders, and collecting and analysing data.  With role-based access permissions, a key-tracking feature, and mobile apps for iOS and Android, Palace is already a vital tool for companies like Click.  With Andrew’s support, OneCall developed a piece of software that lets staff use the office copier to scan documents and photos directly into Palace software. This has created massive efficiencies and cost savings for Click, and we’re confident other property management companies will be keen to adopt this innovation as soon as they hear about it.

Click Property has enjoyed working with OneCall because their strengths are similar – Like Click, OneCall is owner-operated, with an emphasis on employing good people, who are easy to work with and know their clients by name.  Their focus is on professionalism, providing genuine expertise, and making sure that products and services are delivered in a reasonable timeframe.  Andrew notes that OneCall performs the basics of doing business, such as billing and communication, with great efficacy – an important asset in a business partner.

“When I received my last quote from OneCall, it came as an email. It was modern – I liked it, it wasn’t overselling, it was just: this is the solution, and you click what you want.”

Perhaps the biggest common factor shared by both companies is their strong local focus – this is exemplified by the way Andrew Elliott found out about OneCall: by walking past the window display at their central Dunedin location.  The companies’ long-running and successful relationship is a fine example of how often the best partners for local businesses are local businesses.

If you’re a local business with questions about IT support, don’t hesitate to contact us.