Tech Skills Every Estate Manager Should Know
When a vast majority of new millionaires are coming from the tech industry these days, it’s more important than ever for private service professionals to up their tech skills to stay in the game. The days of Moleskin notebooks and paper calendars are long gone. It’s time to check your ego (and old ways) and jump on board with the advanced level of home and personal technology.
In this day of digital “everything,” Smart homes, robotic servants, and AI technology, Estate Managers need to know various tech skills to stay relevant.
Some of these systems didn’t exist in the residential market just a few years ago.
Not only have the homes gotten more high-tech, but now every piece of business and home management has gone online, and Cyber security is one of the biggest concerns. Estate Managers can’t afford to be the weakest link on the personal service team.
To quote Donna Shannon, career coach, resume consultant, and Personal Touch Career Services owner, she says…
“Once a homeowner recognizes a lack of tech skills and adaptability, “If you can’t adapt to the standards and needs of the principal, you’ll lose a lot of money” (and job opportunities).
– Technology skills are critical components for managing luxury homes –
I once managed a property with several luxury vehicles. Every time the principal would visit, as a part of the pre-visit punch list, we would go through an entire checklist of car technology testing, and everyone on our team knew how to run through this list. This list included a satellite dish, TV, and satellite radio. Heads would roll if a sporting event were missed due to a lost signal while in traffic.
Sure enough, whenever we ran through a tech sweep, our already spotty property Wi-Fi and occasional cloud coverage would prevent us from getting a satellite connection. We often drove down to the bottom of the hill to get better reception and ensure all systems were online. Typically, this process required a last-minute software upgrade and a call to the service provider. It was always a nerve-racking nightmare.
Many seasoned Estate Managers have faced similar challenges with their new employers being more tech-savvy than themselves.
This creates new challenges in our industry to stay relevant after returning to work post-covid. Home theaters are now being built on steroids, and gaming systems are another conversation. And then there’s AI home technology and home security to learn.
Most of the onboarding and tech learning comes through the contractors who install the hardware or software, and some are learned through “bootstrapping” Google searches to keep equipment online and up-to-date.
Here’s a starter list of general technology that an estate manager should have some experience with:
COMPUTERS AND TECH DEVICES
New computer and device set-up
Systems upgrades
External hard drive back-up
VPN or other Malware
GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE AND ADMIN
Share contacts
Online calendar management
Microsoft Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
Print to a PDF document
Set up email, calendars on the phone, computer
Set up a new printer and reload the ink cartridge
Internet | WIFI reset and sync
Set up online accounts, passwords
Password protection (two-step authentications)
Use of various apps
Google searches
Photo documenting
Zoom and Google Meet set-up, hosting, sharing screen
Recognizing spam
CRM management
WhatsApp, Slack, and other communication software
DIGITAL FILES
File naming protocol
Digital file organization
Cloud storage (Google Drive, DropBox, etc.)
HOME MANAGEMENT AND CAR SYSTEMS
Project management software
Intelligent home systems basics and apps, Josh AI
Irrigation system basics
TV, Apple/Roku resetting
Inventory management
Security systems, monitors, and cameras
As always, if you need one system to collect all of this information for all of your homes, check out our DIY option, How To Manage A Mansion™, to collect your home and car technology inventories and information, passcodes, and pre-visit sweep checklists.
