When the board of directors chooses to add HOA software, it can meet with resistance from residents. Change can be challenging, especially when you’re innovating, in this article we’re going to look at how to implement new HOA software and engage HOA residents.

How to lay the groundwork

Before you announce that you are adding software, or bring the decision to a vote, you need to lay the groundwork. 

1 – Up to date resident information

While you are researching different companies and what they offer to see if they match your needs, you should check that you have up-to-date resident information. If you have a community association manager, you can talk to them and see what information they have. 

You can also send a form around to collect names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, and emergency contacts. This is important for the company that you choose to onboard your community’s account.  

2 – Soft launch the idea

Before the board votes on which solution they prefer, board members could start to put out feelers to get an idea of how residents feel about the prospect of software. This is a good idea if you have never had it before. If you are switching solutions, then you should know how HOA members feel about it.

3 – Officially tell residents

Once the board is ready to vote, then the proposal needs to be added to the next board meeting agenda. Then, once it passes it needs to be in the meeting’s minutes and announced in your next newsletter. 

While the board gets to grips with the new system and organizes it to their satisfaction before inviting residents, make sure to keep talking about it. Don’t go quiet, keep mentioning it at meetings and in newsletters so that residents won’t forget, and are more open to it.

What to expect when you add software

When you announce that you are adding software, residents normally have a lot of questions about why it is necessary, what the benefits are, how much it will cost and how difficult it will be to use. This can feel discouraging, but it is a type of engagement, so keep answering their questions patiently and you should be able to convince people.

When you look at the Change Curve, you can see that there are 4 stages. First, you may meet with denial or shock, which will harden into anger or resistance. If you can move residents past that you get to exploring and finally acceptance and embracing the new tool.

How do you get residents through stages of change?

To move homeowners along the change curve, and to the point where you can engage HOA residents with your new software, you need to communicate clearly and consistently.

Use the different communication tools you have available, such as your community’s newsletter and meetings to address questions and concerns and to share information about the tool that you have chosen.

However, to get to the final stage of acceptance, residents need to use the tool and see that it was a worthwhile investment. To do that, you need to get everything set up, the board should be comfortable with it and you have to invite residents to log in and explore the software.

How to engage HOA residents

To truly engage HOA residents the software needs to answer some of their issues, such as finding documents, reserving amenities, and knowing what’s going on in their community. That’s why it’s so important that the board researches different solutions and finds one that best fits their community.

As well as a solution that answers your problems, there are other options that will help engage HOA residents, such as:

1 – Videos and Instructions

If the company you have chosen has a help center, videos, and step-by-step manuals that you can share with residents, that is a great help. If they don’t, or you want something more personalized, then a board member could make one that will help residents.

2 – Show it in meetings

Show the software in meetings so that residents can get a feel of what it looks like and how it works. Also, most importantly, they need to see how it will benefit them and answer their problems.

3 – Use it as a community hub

The most important tip is that board members and your manager needs to use it. If you use it to post information, documents, and events, residents will see that it is their one-stop shop for all their community’s information. That is a great incentive for them to check it regularly and accept it as an important part of community life.

How our clients engaged their community with Neigbrs by Vinteum

We asked our clients how they encouraged their residents to engage with Neigbrs by Vinteum.

“Made announcements at Board meetings and sent out emails”

Mark, a board member at Swallows Nest, told us that they made several announcements during meetings and they sent emails to residents to let them know of the change that they were implementing.

“One thing that seems to be helping to increase that is having virtual meetings through the website.”

A board member at Lime Bay Condo in Florida, also called Mark, said that holding virtual meetings through the portal was encouraging residents to log in and explore the software.

How we set clients up for success

At Vinteum, we provide all our clients with white-glove onboarding. This is where we upload all your community’s information, and upload it in 2-5 business days so that you are provided with it all ready to go. We then train the board in how to use the tool and answer all your questions and provide you with materials that you can share with residents.

Our customer service is at the heart of our business. We believe that our white-glove onboarding process makes all the difference. We choose to keep prioritizing customer service and complete training to make it easier for you to use Neigbrs by Vinteum and to get the most out of it. As these reviews show, our clients agree:

“The [Vinteum] team is dedicated to meeting customer needs and are accommodating to issues and questions.”

“Their customer service is outstanding and responsiveness to requests prompt.”

By setting boards up for success, we believe that we are also setting their community up to improve communication and management. By doing this, HOA members will engage with the software as it is bringing them benefits.

Wrapping up: Engage HOA residents with software

When the board is engaged with finding a solution that will help them and the community as a whole, does the groundwork, and communicates regularly with residents about what they are doing they are on the right track to engaging their whole community.

Once the board provides them with instructions and if they use it regularly, residents will engage with the new software and start to use it, as some of our clients illustrated.

If you want to improve your community’s communication, and management and engage HOA residents online as well as offline, schedule a free demo of our software and experience our award-winning customer service firsthand.