Following the exciting growth and development with Yardi Breeze Premier in Canada, we took an opportunity to meet Ian Robinson, a data conversion specialist at Yardi. He took time to educate us on the ins and outs of upgrading property management software. If you are currently on an older Yardi platform and looking forward to a tech upgrade, a dedicated specialist like Ian is probably going to be your best friend during your transition.
Tell us about your role at Yardi.
I’ve been at Yardi for 20 years. During this time, I’ve supported, converted and upgraded clients from many Yardi solutions. My experience builds confidence with clients. They know they can rely on me to answer their questions.
Why is it important for property management businesses to have the latest software?
Upgrading your software allows you to compete with your clients’ last best experience. As the market evolves, so will your customers’ needs. By upgrading your system to the latest software, you can:
- Reduce IT overhead with cloud-based systems
- Streamline marketing, leasing and rent collection
- Offer vendors and owners electronic payments
- Gain access to built-in live chat support, phone support and training videos
- Manage properties from any device
- Work from anywhere
- Utilize custom reporting
Why is software that allows remote access so important?
We live in a time when remote access is a necessity not a luxury. Tenants need to access information and process rent payments online. Breeze Premier is a cutting-edge, mobile-friendly property management solution that satisfies our clients work preferences for remote access.
For those looking to make the move, what does conversion mean?
When we talk about data conversion within the realm of Breeze Premier, we’re talking about the process of migrating data from one Yardi platform to another. Here are a few questions you should be able to answer before committing to a conversion date.
Do you have a full understanding of the product? If not, ask questions to gain complete insight. We work with our clients in the pre-conversion phase to identify any issues in the database and provide a secure solution with clear guidance.
Do you have the bandwidth and resources to complete this project? We’ll walk you through the pre-conversion tasks you will need to complete to make upgrading as smooth as possible.
Are you prepared to do some data cleanup? Be sure to have all your paperwork and details sorted out so you can enter any missing data into the system (e.g., move-in/move-out dates).
What is the most important aspect of data conversion?
Our goal is to mitigate downtime for our clients. Along with data cleanup, clients prefer to keep an accurate transaction history. They like to be guided through the entire archive conversion process. To help identify solutions for our clients, we run pre-conversion scripts. This process helps our clients leverage new features and sets them up for greater success.
Do you ever run into clients who are hesitant about upgrading?
Yes, and I’ve converted thousands of them successfully. In fact, some of our happiest clients were once hesitant about upgrading.
A designated conversion specialist provides the guidance and support needed to make the process as fast and efficient as possible. Each conversion project comes with a well-defined timeline and carefully planned procedures to address all client concerns. We always have a kickoff call, go through a pre-conversion checklist and arrange a post-conversion wrap-up call. A dedicated Yardi account manager is assigned to every account.
How long does it take to complete a conversion?
Our clients can expect one day of downtime for the conversion to occur. This will be followed up by a series of calls with their conversion specialist and account manager to review processes and answer any questions.
For more information or inquiries about upgrading to Breeze Premier, please reach out to [email protected].
