Univesco, Inc. Case Study

Headquartered in Plano, Texas just outside Dallas, Univesco struggled to keep policies updated and published to each of their 21 apartment communities and 250 employees.

February 24, 2021

Problem

Headquartered in Plano, Texas just outside Dallas, Univesco struggled to keep policies updated and published to each of their 21 apartment communities and 250 employees.

Unlike other residential property management companies, Univesco, Inc., handles the management of their 21 properties as opposed to hiring a third-party company. Kim Grogan, Director of Operations, describes each of Univesco’s communities as, “little cities with property managers serving in a mayor-like role.” However, Grogan estimates they onboard a new manager, across their portfolio, every six months.

With the company’s policies still in physical binders, printed on paper, and five years since the last update, Grogan and the management team were unsure if employees were reviewing or even receiving crucial content. "We were getting fined because we did not have the right documentation," said Grogan. They needed a way to update policies and procedures, communicate them to employees, and track accountability. "An inspector would show up at any of our apartment communities and either the permits couldn't be found or they were not up to date. There are a lot of permits at any given time. A boiler, for example, can have a fine as much as $500. We were getting fined quite
frequently and needed a solution," recalled Grogan.

“At first I thought PowerDMS was only for law enforcement, but after I looked around the website I thought, ‘this has what we need and if it is good enough for police, then it should work for anyone else.“

Kim Grogan - DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, UNIVESCO, INC.

Solution

After implementing PowerDMS, Univesco, Inc., was able to streamline their content online and track employee engagement.

By incorporating PowerDMS, Grogan and the Univesco team were able to transfer all their policies and procedures to an electronic format, make changes in real time, track and archive past versions of signed content ,and provide Spanish versions of most of their documents. With PowerDMS, they can also see when an employee reviews content and how much time they spend on any given document.

From routine issues like landscape challenges to critical issues like securing a crime scene, PowerDMS allows Univesco’s team to communicate policies, training, and other important information to employees quickly. Landscapers, who were unable to access this kind of information in the field, now have access to the information they need through PowerDMS.

Problem

High management turnover meant lost certifications and permits, and an increase in fines.

Univesco was experiencing a high turnover rate of property managers. With property managers serving as the “mayor” of each community, they are responsible for the upkeep and issuance of permits. However, Grogan estimates they were onboarding a new property manager every six months and each time, with no digital record to access, the paper documentation was getting lost.

“Each manager had their own system and method for tracking permits, and when they left so too did their knowledge of where the permits were and which were expired,” explained Grogan. “We started getting fined for not having the right documentation.”

"An inspector would show up at any of our apartment communities and either the permits couldn’t be found or they were not up to date. There are a lot of permits at any given time, a boiler, for example, would have a permit. Every time we can’t find a current permit, we are fined $100. We were getting fined quite frequently and needed a solution.”

Kim Grogan - DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, UNIVESCO, INC.

Solution

Using PowerDMS, each of Univesco’s 21 properties can now upload their permits and certifications to the system and keep for future reference.

PowerDMS has been “a game changer” for Univesco, according to Grogan. They now use PowerDMS for tracking and managing certifications and permits that have expiration dates. Additionally, while each property is still responsible for their own documents, because each location is streamlined into the PowerDMS platform, anyone including headquarters can see and pull reports and documents immediately. "Since putting PowerDMS in place for managing permits," Grogan says, “we never get fined now.”

ROI

With the implementation of PowerDMS, Univesco now has a paperless system to provide the most up-to-date policies, procedures, permits and certifications to each of their properties and employees.

Spending budget dollars on permit fines from lost documents were eliminated and the overhead costs associated with having to look for critical documents has subsided for Univesco. Employees at each community now have clear policy direction and can review processes anytime, even on their mobile phones. Should any employee need a quick reference for how to handle a law enforcement matter, for example, they can look up the protocol on their cell phones and follow the step-by-step procedures, reducing possible litigation from evidence tampering.

The ability to track employee acknowledgment of policies offers Univesco protection and assurances the employees are receiving content and are being held accountable. Additionally, by going paperless, Univesco eliminated the man hours and paper costs it would take to keep each policy binder current at each location.

Problem

times-circle-solid Paper binders and manual processes for updating crucial content
times-circle-solid No capabilities for sending policy communications to all employees
times-circle-solid No method to track or ensure employee acknowledgment of crucial documents
times-circle-solid No mobile capabilities for reviewing protocols outside the office
times-circle-solid No procedure for managing site permits and certifications

Solution

check-2x Paper costs and material waste is now eliminated
check-2x All crucial content is now streamlined electronically and available 24/7
check-2x Employee receipt of policies and procedures can be tracked and monitored
check-2x Procedures and policies can now be viewed via a mobile device or laptop
check-2x Current permits and certifications now tracked and available as needed—no more fines

ROI

check-2x One central repository in PowerDMS where all up-to-date policies are published, reducing penalties and fines from inspectors
check-2x Policies and inspection certifications can be pulled up with a few clicks or a quick search
check-2x PowerDMS compares new revisions to previous revisions, enabling quick attestation of changes
check-2x Policies can be distributed to all employees across all 21 communities in a matter of seconds

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