In an era of customized forms, instant downloads and uploads of instructions, training manuals and guidebooks, and software programs for virtually everything, including property management, we have gotten used to the automation process. Everyone’s got a form for this and that and everything possible. This has left many people wondering, “great, but can you manage my property the way it should be?”

With technology, the business of property management has changed over the years. It has become more sophisticated. Property managers act more like chief executive officers or managers of an enterprise, rather than just the operations guy. They must budget, provide better service to tenants, deal with day-to-day issues and, more importantly, make the property an enjoyable and convenient place to work for the building occupants and enhance the value of the property for the owner.

Two things, however, have not changed in the property management business: the human touch and a customized approach to each property. After all, property management is a services business and each property is different from other. Over the past few years it has become apparent that the big shops put everything into a box or form and hope it all fits. That is a hard way to manage a property. The following are a few items and important factors to consider when managing a commercial property:

• Transition. With commercial properties, there are two types of transitions. A change in the ownership of the building can occur, or owners may replace one property management firm with another. If one or both of those changes occur, they should not impact day-to-day operations of the building or disrupt operations of existing tenants in the building. In order to ensure a smooth transition, property managers must have a realistic transition list specific to the property. The transition list should be concise and each item on the list should be ranked in order of its importance – whether a new group of investors is buying the property or a new tenant is moving in.

Sometimes, an owner may decide to change the property manager. At that point, it’s imperative that the owner is personally involved in the transition of the management team. The owner should give as much information about the building, tenants, problems, challenges and issues as possible to the new manager. The former manager should provide an inventory of items as well as a quick history of the building, its occupants and specific incidents that have occurred in the past.

In every transition, tenants should be the top priority. It has become a lost art to meet and greet tenants upon takeover and discuss their expectations. Having a strong business relationship with the tenant can go a long way in renewing the lease and receiving their help if needed at the property.

When an owner you work with is buying a new property, it is important to help with their due diligence process. This can be as simple as reviewing the tax bills or looking at operating income and expenses of the property. This also gives you a great head start in case the owner wants you to manage the newly acquired property.

• Accounting. An example of a sentence an owner or contractor just does not want to hear: “Our accounting is in Chicago and I can’t cut that check until next Wednesday.” Sure, centralized accounting can save money for the manager but generally owners want a correct and quick response to issues that arise. Every qualified management company has property accounting systems such as MRI, Timberline, Skyline or Yardi. Those systems are excellent and can be customized to an owners’ needs. Ten to 15 years ago, every owner had their own accounting system. Now, it is more general, as the systems provide reports as needed by the owners.

Budgeting is crucial for proper property management, but it is amazing how bad some budgets can be, if they exist at all. Common area maintenance (CAM), tax or operating escalation should be completed by March and be based on next year’s budget, if the lease allows. There can be a big loss of revenue if not done properly. To ensure success, accounting and management must get involved early on.

• Management. No property can be managed remotely. Management teams must be present at their properties. For example, walk the premises with your engineering staff, vendors and brokers. Everyone involved in the project will look at the property with a different eye and can learn from each other. Also, strong administrative, engineering and senior management support will be required eventually.

Don’t forget that tenants are the most crucial factors in success of any property. They foot all the bills, including the management fee. Landlords love to hear that the manager stopped by to talk to the tenants and successfully dealt with their concerns before they turned into problems. Property management can be easy – just don’t forget to make it easy for the owner and the tenants. Be flexible with solutions, learn from others and listen. All issues are different and everyone has different needs.

Automation helps, but it does not solve all problems. Not every property or problem is the same. Customize your management style and approach to fit the needs of the owners and the tenants in each property. Problems will arise, so learn from the past and create a new and better approach and solutions.