The Value of Property Audits

August 17, 2021
Aspire Software Tips, Automation, Content

Performing audits on clients’ properties is a valuable tool for both the client and your company. An audit, in the simplest explanation, is when you review the properties quality, and identify areas for improvement and/or areas that are being maintained or performed excellently. Audits should be broken into two sections, internal and external. If you use Aspire Software, you might be familiar with the terms “Quality Audit” and “Property Inspection Report”. Quality Audits (QA) are Aspire's tool for internal audits, and Property Inspection Reports (PIR) are the external tool. Let’s dig into what differentiates the two, and what their contents should result in. 


Internal Property Audits (Quality Audits) 
A Quality Audit should be structured to score a property on a set of areas. For example, the beds, the lawn, the sidewalks, etc. Each area should be given a score which will result in a total score on the property. Along with the score, a comment or note and pictures should also be attached. When using Aspire Software, this is built into the software and allows the scores to be tied to the property and tracked over time.
 
Quality Audits are typically performed by Account or Operations Managers to determine the quality of work on site and bring back training material for their teams. The act of performing a QA should take between 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the property and if your team is on site at the same time. Since these are tools for training, to perform these audits most efficiently we suggest scheduling them for times that the crew is on site. This allows you to identify areas for improvement and provide training right then. Aside from areas for improvement you should also point out areas that they are succeeding. 

External Property Audits (Property Inspection Reports) 
Similar to QA’s, a Property Inspection Report should be structured to score a property on a set of areas. For example, shrub, turf and tree health/maintenance, irrigation, lighting, etc. PIR’s should also receive a comment and picture for each section. The difference here is that these are to be used to provide the client an overview of the property, identifying areas for improvement. Ideally, each section for improvement will lead to an Enhancement Sale. For example, this is a great chance to suggest shrubs that need to be replaced. Or you should take the opportunity to point out areas of excellence, such as a green lawn or neatly pruned shrubs.
 
These should be performed by the Account or Client Relationship Manager. As mentioned, these audits can be used for two purposes: proposing enhancements and pointing out your team’s great work! We suggest that every client receives at least one Property Inspection Report each quarter. As you build a history of reports over time, these can be used to show improvement over the years or reflect back on previous issues on site. 

To summarize, Although the action of scoring the property, taking pictures, and making notes is similar between the two, the outcome and intention of each is very different. Internal audits should be used for training and internal reporting of your team’s quality performance. External audits are to be used to propose enhancements to the client or point out great work.
 
If you’d like to learn how to set these up to maximize the results, weather or not you are using Aspire Software, please schedule a time to talk with us!

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