Strata Master version 12 is all about communication

This blog post relates to Rockend, one of our previous brands. For more information please read the press release.

Strata Master v12 with File Smart v7.11 is here! Communication is the big winner in the latest release of Rockend’s Strata Management software, with major upgrades to Rockend SMS. You can now schedule one-off and recurring messages, increase the max length, dynamically change your sender ID and reply options per SMS, and create and use templates across the agency.  

There are changes in other parts of the application too – you now specify a levy email address field for real estate agents, set up portfolio level duplicate invoice alerts, add attachments to work orders, and more! 

Rockend SMS: Now easier to use and much more powerful

You’ve always been able to use SMS to remind your owners about upcoming meetings, alert them to the fact they have outstanding levies, or quickly communicate urgent messages to all residents at a building. But in v12, Rockend SMS has been enhanced with a range of new features that make it super powerful and super easy to use.  

Why and when is SMS actually useful? Can’t we just use email? 

Glad you asked! Did you know 82% of text messages are read within 5 minutes, whereas only 17.8% of bulk emails are EVER read at all? Check out this article for five more reasons why SMS should be a key part of your communications as a Strata Management agency, plus a whole bunch of specific situations in which you can use SMS to make your customer’s life, and your life, easier. 

What’s new with Rockend SMS in v12?

Get proactive and start scheduling SMS 
You can now schedule your SMS to be sent at a future date and time. These messages can also be setup as a recurring campaign, so you can set and forget once rather than having to login to send every message. 

Save time with global SMS templates
Don’t waste time retyping messages. Save templates (with merge fields!) for any situation so that when you want to remind your owners about a meeting, or let them know a lift is broke, all you need to do is choose who to send to, select your template, and hit send. And once one staff member creates a template, it’s available for everyone. 

Send longer messages as a multipart SMS 
No longer are you limited to 160 characters! Increased message length means you have the freedom to say more when you need to.  

Change your sender ID so customers know who’s messaging  
You now have the ability to dynamically change your Sender ID and reply options per SMS. Rather than an unknown number, your customers will see the text message as coming from ‘ABC Strata Management’, or whatever else you choose. 

Add additional contacts
A new preview screen will launch when sending your message and additional contacts can easily be added to save you sending the same message multiple times. Note that this must be configured by going to Configure > Agency > Option #3. 

Access online, directly from Strata Master 
Rockend SMS is now an online module and super easy to use. But don’t worry, there’s no additional logins, you can access it directly from Strata Master.  

Easing tracking and auditing 
Your entire message history is saved so that everything that was ever sent and received for each Strata Master contact is easily accessible by you or your auditor. 

Already use Rockend SMS? Here’s everything you need to know about upgrading. 

Get started with Rockend SMS today by visiting the Rockend SMS website which includes useful videos and tutorials. 

What else is new in Strata Master v12?

Read on for all the details. 

Ensure levy notices go to the right place with the ‘Levy Email Address’ field for Real Estate Agents  
A ‘Levy Email Address’ field has been added to the Real Estate Agent contact card. When this field is populated, any Levy or Debt recovery notices will be sent to this email address instead of the general email address, ensuring correspondence is delivered to the correct contact at the Real Estate Agency. 

Avoid duplicate invoices at the portfolio level 

Strata Master can now automatically check both the amount and invoice number against existing invoices across the portfolio. Once enabled, you’ll receive an alert if a duplicate invoice exists so you don’t need to worry about accidentally double paying someone – it’s never fun to ask for money back. 

Save time by adding accepted quotes directly to work orders  

PDF attachments can now be easily added to work orders and quick work orders. Once added, if you send the work order via email they’ll automatically be added as separate attachments, saving you from manually adding it yourself. 

Avoid data entry with new merge fields for the strata managers contact details 

Tired of manually entering your contact details every time you send an email or letter? We’ve added the below merge fields which you can add to your templates, so you no longer need to. 

1. Manager Work Phone  

1. Manager Mobile Phone 

1. Manager Email 

It’s harder to accidentally undo your work in the Meeting Wizard

A prompt has been added when selecting the ‘Undo’ button in the Meeting Wizard toolbar to ensure changes made to a meeting agenda or meeting minutes are not accidentally deleted and you don’t lose all your work with a misplaced click. 

Filter Quick Reports for corporations by suburb to better understand your portfolio

A new option is available in Quick Reports for corporations to allow you to filter by Suburb. This is particularly useful for business evaluation and planning, allowing you to get a better understanding of where your portfolio sits geographically – maybe there are suburbs that you have a lower footprint in than you realised, and you can direct your BDM to focus on that area. Or maybe you can better optimise the portfolios of your managers, so they are looking after specific geographic areas and save time travelling. 

You no longer need to wade through inactive users when assigning Diary tasks

Inactive users in Strata Master have been removed from the drop-down box of the ‘For action by’ field when creating new diary entries, reducing clutter so it’s easier for you to find the person you’re looking for. 

Finding invoices in File Smart is faster 

New search fields are available in File Smart Version 7.11, making searching for invoices even faster: 

1. A new ‘Insurance Claim’ field has been added to the archive view to record the insurance claim details associated with an invoice. It’s also available in the Document Data tab in File Smart Workflow and as a search field when searching the Payments/Maintenance folder. 
2. The following search fields entered into the Invoice tab in File Smart Workflow are now available when searching the Payments/Maintenance folder of a Strata Master database: 

• Account Number 
• Account Name 
• Invoice Amount  

These fields have also been added to the Archive view of the Payments/Maintenance folder for invoices that haven’t been processed through File Smart Workflow. 

Improved portal security  

Several changes have been made to improve password security in Strata Master and the Owner and Committee Member portals – check out the release notes for full details. 

How to upgrade

Strata Master is upgraded from within the application itself – checkout this knowledgebase article to see how to upgrade in less than five minutes. File Smart is upgraded from the customer lounge. 

The upgraded Rockend SMS requires some additional setup. This article has everything you need to know. 

Get trained up

We’ve produced a self-paced training course full of bite-sized videos that will take you through everything you need to know so you can start integrating all the new features into your office processes straight away. 

User Voice Update

Your feedback is critical to ensure we are developing features that make a difference to you. By voting, you tell us what you would like to see developed and will receive status updates as these suggestions progress. Below are a few examples and of some of the suggestions that were released in Version 12: 

1. Levy Email Address for agents – Ranked #4 | 46 votes 
2. Portfolio level duplicate invoice warning – Ranked #6 | 41 Votes  
3. Ability to attach a quote to work orders – Ranked #7 | 39 Votes  

Not using Strata Master?

Book a demo today to find out how you can get access to all these exciting features to kickstart your strata management business.