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Staff Profile – Adam Hinds, State Manager Victoria
Name: Adam Hinds
Position: State Manager – Victoria
How long have you been here and what do you do?
Two and half years. I manage the Victorian Business Development team and look after over 300 clients.
What is your Professional Background?
Worked in the finance sector for 5 years. Another 5 years spent as an Account Manager for a printing company and the last few years with connectnow.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Helping Real Estate Agents provide a quality service to their clients.
What is the most kilometres you’ve clocked up in a day with connectnow?
800km which was a return trip to Albury to take a client out for lunch
What is your favourite personal or sporting achievement?
Winning two premierships in football and purchasing my first house recently.
If someone was visiting Melbourne what are the top three things you would recommend to do?
My favourite restaurant is the Turtle Den in Ringwood East
For a drink, I’d recommend The Swan in Richmond
A must do activity would be to take a tour of the MCG
Dead or alive, who would you most like to meet and why?
Tiger Woods – he is an amazing athlete who would have a lot of great stories.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Thailand. The beaches are great and it’s so cheap to do everything
What are three of your favourite movies?
The Blindside, Shawshank Redemption and Remember the Titans
What is the last book you read?
All Bets Off – David Schwarz
If you could tell your clients one thing about connectnow, what would it be?
It’s free and easy.
Staff Profile – Scott Kessler, General Manager Connectnow
Name: Scott Kessler
Position: General Manager of Connectnow Australia and New Zealand
How long have you been at connectnow and what do you do?
I commenced in 2006 and I help set the strategic direction for the business, develop relationships with suppliers and customers, ensure the capabilities are developed to support the business and its growth and ensure the people within the business have the opportunity to grow.
What is your professional background?
I have a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and Accounting. I’ve worked in large corporates in the areas of Market Research, Competitive Intelligence and Company Accounting, New Business Development and Retail Strategy.
What is the most enjoyable part of your job?
Seeing people maximise their capabilities and developing their skill sets.
What is you favourite personal or sporting achievement?
Sporting – Winning the 1991 ABOM MOGUL Challenge (freestyle skiing)
Business – Growing Connectnow to be Australia and New Zealand’s Number 1 moving home connection service.
If someone was visiting Melbourne what would you tell them are the must dos?
Visit Turrawurra Winery in the Yarra Valley for great food and wine and book yourself in for a motorbike ride down at Phillip Island racetrack and experience the greatest racetrack in the world.
Dead or alive, who would you most like to meet and why?
Sir Winston Churchill – Because he showed incredible courage in the face of adversity which changed the world as we know it.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Winter in St Anton in Austria to hit the slopes and in summer visit Byron Bay to chill out and catch a wave.
What are three of your favourite movies?
Apocalypse Now, Flying High and Silence of the Lambs
What is the last book you read?
Good to Great by Jim Collins
If you could tell your clients one thing about connectnow, what would it be?
We have incredible passion and a capability to match.
The art of pinning down a meter number
It’s essential your clients are happy. When they move we imagine them relaxing in their new home with everything connected. However it becomes a real pain if their meter cannot be connected, and then their first night in their new home is dark, cold and rather dull. connectnow strive to do everything we can to make sure your clients get connected, in fact we guarantee our customers get connected1, however very occasionally we need your help to get your clients switched on.
Why meter numbers are so crucial?
Meter numbers help us identify a property’s electricity and gas meters for connection purposes. We search for these on an industry database. It’s vital we have these numbers because without them your clients will be left unconnected and pretty annoyed.
Luckily in 91%2 of cases meter numbers are found without any assistance from our customers or partners. For the exceptions there are a number of reasons it can be difficult to identify these numbers including the address being misspelt, the partition of the blocks not being clear and sometimes meters get replaced without the meter database being updated by the distributors.
How we try to find an elusive meter number?
When our Customer Service Team cannot clearly identify a meter number in the industry metering database they then pass it over to our moving home gurus, the connectnow Resolution Team. Their first port of call is to double check the spelling of your client’s new home address. If that is of no help, they then scan the web – looking at Google Maps, Where Is and local council databases – in the hope of being able to verify an address.
If, after all of this, our Resolution Team is still left in the dark they then contact the customer and request they visit the property to confirm which meter number(s) are present and also to confirm whether or not the power and gas are switched on. If a customer cannot help out (e.g. perhaps they live interstate or they do not have keys yet) then we ask our local Business Development Manager to see if they can assist, for example they may be able to confirm a building name.
How you can help us
Ideally we would love all of our agents to proactively record meter numbers, either in the comments section of their application form or in their own database. Did you know apartments, unit and flat blocks make up 95%2 of all the metering issues we have? Recording the meters for these properties would save everyone a heap of time!
If you don’t record meter numbers on application forms then once in a while you may receive a call from our Resolution Team requesting your help to identify one of your clients meter numbers. We only call our partners when we have exhausted all other options to sort out your client’s connection(s), so it is vital when we do call that we have your assistance to ensure your client and our customers are happy and connected.
1 connectnow has an accommodation guarantee! If your client’s electricity connection is not established due to a connectnow error, then connectnow will ensure that they have suitable accommodation and are reimbursed for their reasonable out-of-pocket expenses including food. However if a supplier error is the cause of the non-connection, connectnow will work with the customer to seek appropriate remedial actions.
2 Statistics from connectnow’s customer database.
Onerent – A complete online rental payment solution
The rent roll may be the largest asset for agents, but for many it’s also their biggest frustration. It can be difficult to track payments and manage arrears via manual systems. The time wasted chasing up rental payments could be better spent.
In today’s busy world, tenants also want tools and processes that make their lives easier and free up their time.
Our innovative and easy to use online rental payment solution guarantees your tenants have more control and choice over their rental payments while also supporting your office with the process of collecting and recording rent payments – allowing you more time to concentrate on what you do best.
What makes OneRent unique?
Our system was designed specifically for the Real Estate industry and developed by industry experts who understand the problems you face managing rental payments. With the lowest monthly license fee in the market you will also be providing your tenants with the largest choice in payment options, from Australia Post to credit card to Bpay.
The current competitive state of the real estate industry means your business demands a solution that:
- Is tailor-made to suit specific needs Comes with exceptional support
- Can differentiate between payment types
- Has no membership fees
- Includes free onsite training
How does it work?
OneRent is an online solution that requires no additional hardware or software. Agents and tenants simply login to our secure online platform to manage rental payments. It can also help you collect one off payments online including arrears, first month rent, bond & water charges.
In addition to automatically processing various rent-related payments, agents can also generate a number of reports, including:
- Pending payment report - lists payments made by tenants and the expected deposit date.
- Cleared payment report - view rent payments received over a timeframe for either specific tenants or all tenants.
- Pay file report - synchronising with your own internal software to update it with all payment details.
- Dishonoured & cancelled payments report – find out which tenants are in arrears and manage your bad debts.
Benefits for your office
Reduced costs at an affordable price With OneRent your rental payments are batched on a daily basis meaning you could save thousands in bank fees and processing charges. OneRent also has the lowest monthly license fee in the market. Plus there is no set up cost and our dedicated account managers provide free training for your team.
Gain control The extensive reporting functionality gives you greater visibility and control. With OneRent you can more effectively manage your cashflow and arrears. It also minimises delays arising from unidentified payments. All payments are referenced with tenant name, ID and address, so you no longer have to worry about unallocated funds.
Saves time and easy to use By streamlining rental payments less time is wasted chasing arrears and tracking payments. Your team will have more time to focus on revenue earning activities.
Getting started is simple – with OneRent’s user-friendly system and free on-site training. The OneRent system will automatically update and synchronise with your internal property management software so you can easily reconcile your rental accounts. Our automated reporting functionality ensures your Property Managers are only emailed reports pertinent to them, when they are needed.
Guaranteed security Our system is compliant with all relevant bank and payment security standards including the rigorous PCIDSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), so you can rest assured that sensitive data for both you and your tenants is safe. All data is stored across two data centres in world-class facilities and monitored 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Superior service & support Our dedicated Support Team work with you from implementation through to everyday queries. They can also set up tenants and manage all ongoing tenant communications – leaving your Property Managers extra time to concentrate on what they do best.
What do our agents think?
“Since we have been using OneRent our total rent arrears has reduced dramatically. The system is very user friendly for all manner of payments. We recommend OneRent to all Property Managers.” – Michelle Rigg, Business Manager at Harcourts
“One of the benefits to you is OneRent payments are cleared funds and all payments are identified which makes it easier to transfer funds promptly.” – Kerrie-Ann, Branch Manager at Park Trent Properties Group
For more information on Onrent or to sign up check out onerent.com.au
It’s electrifying! Retailer vs Distributor
The energy industry like many industries can be fairly complex and full of jargon. What is the difference between a retailer and a distributor and why should you even care? Let us break it down for you so that you can dazzle everyone with your amazing energy knowledge at the next dinner party you attend.
Over the last ten years retail energy has been deregulated in much of Australia. Victoria was the first state to privatize in 2001 and SA, NSW, ACT and most of QLD have followed over the ensuing years with TAS set for deregulation next year and WA currently under review. This privatization and deregulation has created competition and seen the creation of new energy retailers competing for customers’ business and customers having a choice of who they want to connect their energy with.
The energy supply chain can be broken down into four parts outlined below.
Most people usually only ever deal with their retailer unless they have built a new house, had a fault in the street or they are on friendly terms with their meter reader.
What is a Distributor?
The distributor is the provider that maintains the poles and wires of the energy grid and arranges the physical connection/disconnection of supply to the property and is also responsible for providing the meter reading. They operate in a set geographic location. Customers’ can choose their retailer but not their distributor. Distributors also manage the faults and emergencies aspect and will be the one to contact if there is a sudden unexpected power loss in the entire street or there is damage to a power pole which could cause harm. A distributor also has final say on the safety of meters and connections points to issue defect notices which prevent the power from being reconnected.
What is a Retailer?
The retailer is the main contact point for the consumer for all electricity and gas activity. Essentially, they manage the relationship between the customer and the distributor to facilitate services such as connection/disconnection and arrange for the bills to be issued to customers. They can operate across any distribution region which allows a customer to take their accounts from property to property and offer a wide range of companies to choose from ensuring that the industry remains competitive. A customer should make contact with a retailer before contacting the distributor as they will be able to make sure the customer does need to speak to the distributor in the case of faults or emergencies they can transfer a customer with all the information the distributor will require.
It can often be quite confusing to keep up with these latest on who, when and why contact needs to be made with each company or service. Connectnow is here is help you and we are happy to assist where ever possible so please don’t hesitate to contact our Service Team on 1300 554 323 or go to www.connectnow.com.au for more information.
Why your clients need to switch off?
Discover the answer to one of the many questions your clients could ask you when moving into their property – Why do main switches need to be off? Here’s a quick guide so the next time a client asks you this question you’ll sound like an energy industry guru!
Meters and disconnecting power
A power connection relies on a physical connection to the national energy grid which is connected by a fuse usually located in the meter box at a property. When the power has been disconnected from the grid it means that this fuse has been removed and needs to be replaced to restore power.
Why switching off is so important
We all know that if not treated with care electricity has the potential to cause severe harm. It is for this reason your clients need to make sure that the main switch is in the off position. It ensures the safety of the technician who will be attending the property to physically connect your clients to the energy grid and the safety of the property during the connection process. As an example, if the main switch was left on and the technician connected your tenants power there may be appliances inside the property that if left unattended may cause a fire. As the technician does not know what appliances are inside the property they ask this as a precautionary measure which ensures the safety of both life and property. If the main switch is left on when the technician attends to connect supply they simply will not complete the job and another request will need to be submitted for them to return.
The art to finding a meter box and a main switch
Finding a meter box can be a task in itself! Especially when you consider that there are no records to indicate where a meter box is situated on a property. In general, the location of a meter box and main switch does differ from property to property. In some cases the main switch is located in the meter box; in others, the main switch is located inside the property; and, in some apartment buildings there can be two main switches which are located inside the apartment and one at the meter box.
Who’s responsible?
As your clients are the people submitting the request for connection it is their responsibility to ensure that the main switch is in the off position during the proposed connection timeframe.
How does Queensland differ?
Queenslanders they like to do things a little differently and main switches are no exception. If the power is disconnected from supply it is required that the technician physically inspect the electrical connections inside the property before they will arrange to have the supply reinstated. Again, safety is the main concern here to ensure that your client’s electrical infrastructure complies with relevant standards and requires your client or a person over the age of 18 to be in attendance for an appointment.
When not to switch off
In some instances, the power may already be on at your client’s new property which means they do not need to turn their main switch off because the technician will simply take a meter read and send this information back to their retailer to arrange their account.
Welcome to the connectnow partner blog!
Welcome!
We want to share our extensive experience in the moving sector with you and our customers, from utility connections to relocation services.
We’re keen to share more of our insights with you and also provide you with more opportunities to tell us your thoughts and impart your own knowledge about moving. We’re doing all of this to ensure we are always providing the very best service to you & your customers.
On our blog for partners you’ll see a range of factual and interesting posts covering moving issues that you face everyday.
Check in here for our weekly updates and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated on new posts.
Thanks
The Connectnow Team
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