OneVoice Newsletter_March_2023

Women's

HERstory Month

March 2023

Inside you'll find...and more!

WOMEN'S

HISTORY MONTH

HOST AN INTERN

SUMMER INTERNSHIP

SIMPLY ASK

CAMPAIGN

CORE

VALUES

AIM HIGH

We are passionate about being the

best at what we do. By attracting,

training, and retaining great people,

we set the standard for service and

professionalism in our industry.

BE GENUINELY

HELPFUL

We take pride in serving each and

every one of our communities. Whether

it’s opening a door with a friendly smile

or tackling a problem, being genuinely

helpful is what defines us.

BUILD GREAT

RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships based on respect,

trust and effective communication

are the cornerstone of our success.

DO WHAT'S RIGHT

Our clients trust us to do what’s best

for their community. We are guided by

our ethics and clients’ interests in

everything we do.

IMPROVE IT

OWN IT

We learn from our experiences. We are

open-minded, collaborative, and

continuously looking for ways to

improve.

Each of us is accountable. When

facing any challenge, we see it

through to resolution with

perseverance, integrity, and open

communication.

fsresidential.com/illinois

Making a difference. Every day.

Table of Contents

Culture Champion

Online Reputation Tap

Human Resources

FirstVoice, Social Committee & Social Purpose

Customer Service & Personal Development

Accounting

Connect

FirstService Project Management

In Good Company

FirstService Construction & Maintenance

FirstService Energy & FirstService Financial

Business Development & Marketing

IT

2

3

4-7

8-10

11

12

13

14

15-16

17

18

19

20

CULTURE

CHAMPION

Change

“We keep moving forward, opening new

doors, and doing new things, because we’re

curious and curiosity keeps leading us

down new paths.” - Walt Disney, animator,

film producer and entrepreneur

Change is around, whether it is purposeful or

by gravity. Sometimes we decide to make a

change and sometimes it is forced upon us.

Regardless of the circumstances in which

you experience change, only you can control

how you respond to it.

There are three levels of change:

1. Personal – Leadership and life

effectiveness

2. Team – Team alignment and

effectiveness

3. Organization – Creation of a healthier,

high performing culture

Everyone in our organization has a

leadership role. Team alignment is

important when going through change.

Providing clear, concise communication

and the “why” behind the “what” creates a

healthier and higher performing culture.

Take time to listen to your team’s concerns

when leading them through change.


2


HOW ARE WE

LOOKING

ONLINE REPUTATION

Simply Ask Campaign

Current review status:

Simply Ask February Trailblazers

Rhonda Allen

Katlin Dorsey

Rose Hasan

Diana Turowski

Diana Luna

Thank you to everyone who participated in

the Simply Ask campaign.

To learn more about our Online Reputation

program please reach out to your direct

manager.


3


HUMAN

RESOURCES

HOST AN INTERN THIS SUMMER

Do your 2023 goals have you looking for ways to

get more involved in the growth and development

of future property managers? Or do you have a

summer project that could benefit the from the

support of someone eager to learn?

Look no further! Applications are now being

accepted to host an intern this summer. The

application to host an intern is found in the link

below and includes terms and conditions. All

applications must be discussed and approved by

your regional director and board of directors. Due

to the volume of intern hires, not all properties

may be selected.

Host an Intern Application

Please apply before April 30th as the Summer

Internship Committee is actively preparing for

this summer's program.

TECH TALK

How well do you know OneDrive? Did you

know OneDrive can help improve efficiency

on your team?

If you want to improve your knowledge and

understanding of OneDrive don't miss this

month's OneDrive virtual meeting with our

very own IT Manager Angle Passament!

If you'd like to view the session, the recording is

in the FirstService Residential University.

The next Tech Talk

session is Wednesday,

March 22nd at

2:30p.m.


4


Taking an active role

We are looking for our current associates to take an active role in

promoting this exciting initiative. We've been announcing this program

via our social media platforms. Please like, share, and comment on

these posts to help reach a widespread audience of potential

candidates. All recruiting will be managed by the HR team and a job

posting will be added to the FirstService Residential career site under

“Illinois”.

An intern will be assigned to your property starting July 5th and the

assignment goes through August 18th. Shortening or extending the

assignment can be discussed for certain circumstances. Intern

assignments will be made by the end of May.

If you are unable to host an intern but are interested in providing other

helpful support – we want to hear from you too!

Reach out to a member of the HR team at

humanresources.il@fsresidential.com.

Success Story #1


5


HUMAN

RESOURCES

Special Feature

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF

2022 EMERGING LEADERS!

In 2021, as part of our commitment to invest in

the ongoing success and development of our

associates, FirstService launched the Emerging

Leaders program, a companywide leadership

development program aimed at developing a

deep bench of People Leaders.

This program to help individuals successfully

transition into a People Leader role focuses on

leadership self-awareness, emotional

intelligence, communication, change

management, financial acumen and people

management.

Participation in the program requires the

completion of a careful selection process and a

9-month commitment to a rigorous program

consisting of 11 half day workshop sessions,

outside assigned readings and virtual

coursework. Participants also discover their

leadership style and use that to develop and

share their personal “brand”. The program

concludes with participants working in small

teams to assess a real-life business opportunity

and use a decision-making model to identify and

implement working solutions and present them

to our North Region Executive Team including our

President, John Brea.


46


HUMAN

RESOURCES

Special Feature

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE PLEASE!

On February 16th, the Illinois Market had 5 associates as

part of the 2022 graduating class! Congratulations to our

newest Emerging Leaders - Jen Yang, Jim Stecko, Lisa

Kaltenbach, Amanda Heide and Kasandra Von Glockner!!

Jen Yang

Jim Stecko

Lisa Kaltenbach

Emerging Leaders, Class of 2022

Amanda Heide


Kasandra Von Glockner

7


FIRSTVOICE

SOCIAL COMMITTEE

SOCIAL PURPOSE

SOCIAL PURPOSE

Celebrating Women & Honoring their Voices

International Women's Day (IWD) was March 8, 2023! This year's

theme was Embrace Equity. Imagine a world where equity lived

across the board - regardless of sex, gender, race, nationality and

economics. Equity means creating an inclusive world.

Ways to engage

Throughout the month of March, Social Purpose has a few ways

we can all celebrate the women around us. Our theme this year

is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories"

1. Share a video or written story to your team about yourself or

a woman in your life that's made a difference!

2. Attend a Women's History event in a town near you!

3. Host a woman’s group where they are interviewed and

asked questions about how they go to where they are in

their career here at FirstServiceResidential.

4. If you're a manager, consider conducting mock-interviews

for the women on your team to help them sharpen their

professional skills.

#EmbraceEquity


8


WOMEN THAT MOVE US

Music that's influenced the world...

Judee Sill (1944-1979)

A unique proposition in the music industry, Sill’s

music is truly unlike anything heard before or

since. When you listen to her albums, you’re

listening to the record of a turbulent life that was

almost saved by art.

Lizzo (1988-)

Responsible for one of the best songs of 2021

(Rumors, featuring Cardi B), Lizzo’s many talents

– as a singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and

even a classically trained flautist – combine to

make her the quintessential entertainer.


9


WOMEN THAT MOVE US

Music that's influenced the world...

Nancy Wilson (1954-)

Nancy is one of the best guitarists in the industry

and paved the way for female rockers showing the

world that shredding isn’t only for men.

Donna Summer (1948-2012)

Summer scored international hits in every

year from 1975 to 1984 with trademark

songs that moved from slow, ballad-like

intros into uptempo dance territory.

Bjork (1965-)

Throughout her career, Bjork has constantly

experimented with sound, visuals and even

technology. Having brought the avant-garde into

the mainstream, Bjork has become one of the

most influential female musicians in pop.

Tori Amos (1963-)

One of the most fascinating singersongwriters

of her generation, Amos was a

piano prodigy who earned a scholarship to

the Peabody Institute aged just five. Amos

was ahead of her time in tackling “taboo”

subjects such as grief and trauma abuse so

openly in her music – something today’s

artist’s do without fear of recrimination.


10


CUSTOMER SERVICE PRO TIPS

Active Listening

Great customer service takes more than just

listening to what people are saying and then

giving them exactly what they requested. CSS

tries to determine what our client needs and

see if we can provide more. (Example: If a

manager wants labels, we don’t just provide

the labels but ask why they need the labels.

Occasionally, you can save the manager a lot

of time by providing pre-addressed envelopes

or having our team do the mailing versus the

manager).

Communicating in the Best Way Possible

When CSS is sent an email, sometimes the

best response is not an email in return. Often,

it is a good idea to call the person or go and

see the person as a way of providing personal

service and “hear” what cannot be written in

an email.

Friendliness

CSS wants to make the person asking for

assistance feel as if their request is

welcome. Sometimes a client is stressed or

overwhelmed and our goal is to provide

support and not be an added burden to the

client making a request.

Sharing Feedback

It is important to have good rapport with your

clients. CSS tries to provide tips on how our

clients can be more successful in their

requests. When you have a good rapport, it is a

lot easier to discuss the ways CSS can improve

or the clients can improve. (Example: Timing of

requests, format of requests, errors).

Responsiveness

Most of CSS requests are high turnaround,

so our awareness of incoming requests is

crucial. Our clients appreciate our quick and

accurate processing of requests and we

truly appreciate their quick response to our

questions.

SOFT SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is essential to

communication etiquette. Practice these 7 skills to

improve your non-verbal communication skills:

1. Make eye contact

2. Correct posture (standing straight, not slouching)

3. Firm handshake

4. Listen/show interest in the conversation

5. Positive facial expressions

6. Vocal tone

7. Maintaining personal space

SELF-CARE TIP

Setting goals and prioritizing them helps us

feel better about the steps we're taking

professionally and personally to improve.

Setting practical goals can help us keep our

eyes on our finish line, maintain pace and

celebrate how far we've come in attaining our

goals. Setting goals also helps us plan for

contingencies and possible hinderances.

"He who fails to plan is planning to fail."

- Winston Churchill

fsresidential.com/illinois 11


ACCOUNTING

HOT TIP OF THE MONTH!

Improving your accounting

Make sure you complete your TC billing each

month.

TC is short for Tenant Chargebacks.

Anytime a property manager needs to code

a legal invoice related to sending a

homeowner to collections or a maintenance

repair that is the full responsibility of the

homeowner, there are specific GL codes

that that should be utilized to expense

these.

Once an invoice is coded to one of these

GL's and approved through AvidXchange,

that following Monday you should receive an

e-mail from the TC Billing database that a

new invoice is in your queue to charge back

to a specific unit.

If you recently took over a property or if you have

not been in the TC Billing Database in a while, it

would be beneficial to go in to check each of your

properties queues to make sure an item is not still

outstanding.

If your TC billing queue is empty but your Balance

Sheet is still showing a balance in #1360 or

#127500 - Please reach out to your assigned

property accountant (PA) for assistance.

if your TC Billing queue is empty but on your

Income Statement #8520 and #8520-5 or

#675150 and #607501 YTD Actual does not

cancel each other out - please reach out to your

assigned property accountant (PA) for assistance.

EGV EGV Codes Wacker Wacker Codes

Legal Collection Invoices #8520 Legal Collection Invoices #675150

Maintenance Chargeback

Invoices

#1360

Maintenance Chargeback

Invoices

#127500


12


CONNECT

MANDATORY PASSWORD

RESETS COMING

In efforts to improve network and data

security, approximately at the end of the 1st

quarter, the system will require a password

reset for all Connect users who have never

updated their passwords or have not updated

their Connect passwords within 180 days from

the announcement date. (approximately at the

end of March)

Users will be prompted to set their own new

password according to the updated formatting

requirements that were put into place last

year.

Any Connect user who attempts to log into the

system and has not updated their password

within the last 180 days of the mandatory

reset will be re-directed to a password reset

page. There they will enter their current

password and then create a new password

that meets formatting requirements. After the

password has been updated they may log into

Connect as usual.

How Can I prepare?

Please ensure that you see your email

address in your Connect profile.

When you’re prompted to change your

password for your computer/email/Citrix,

take the time to change your password in

Connect at that time.

If you need assistance with resetting your

password, please reach out to a member of

the Connect team.

kris.hynes@fsresidential.com

chrissy.bialek@fsresidential.com


13


FIRSTSERVICE

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

SMART CONSTRUCTION

Better projects

FirstService Project Management delivers a

well proven and utilized "Smart

Construction Platform" that expertly

constructs capital projects of all types from

concept though completion.

This six-phased approach ensures that

each project it's delivered in the most

comprehensive, time and cost-efficient

manner.

How it works...

1.Feasibility Study - comprehensive evaluation of the project.

2. Project Design/Specification/Construction Permit Drawing Development - finalize the project

design, specification, & construction permit drawings.

3. Competitive Bid Solicitation - FSPM performs a comprehensive & competitive sub-trade bid

process.

4. Open Book Competitive Bid Solicitation Review - FSPM provides each association board with a

comprehensive open book review - FSPM provides.

5. Construction Phase - FSPM performs a comprehensive & competitive sub-trade bid process to

select qualified sub-trades for the project.

5. Construction Phase - FSPM provides weekly project updates and project support during

construction.

6. Project Closeout - Expedited final punch list item performance, submission of applicable as built

drawings, operations manuals, warrantees, and final billing.


14


IN GOOD COMPANY

Vendor highlight:

THE PROCESS AND SCIENCE OF

HAIL CLAIMS SETTLEMENT

Community association managers hate hail

claims. They create additional work because

the manager must have a certain level of

involvement, or the whole process can go off

the rails quickly. Here's a quick guide to

ensure the process, from beginning to end, will

be as relatively pain-free as possible.

Select your contractor before the occurrence.

This automatically eliminates the countless

contractors that will be contacting you, and

door knocking your board members. Storms

can be a time of heightened emotion.

Unqualified contractors will only contribute to

the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that can

happen during a catastrophe.

A detailed inspection of the property now

occurs. Since the average claim is

undervalued by at least 25%, it's important

that every bit of the property is looked at.

Drones, satellite imagery and the latest

technology will greatly assist in the inspection,

documenting everything.


15


IN GOOD COMPANY

Vendor highlight:

Hail Settlements Continued...

A detailed scope of work is now put

together. Most contractors use Xactimate

software. All major insurance companies

and contractors use Xactimate for their

estimate and billing to ensure pricing

uniformity between themselves and

contractors. Xactimate works by using items

such as labor, materials, and

measurements to come up with the prices.

It's updated quarterly, and prices differ in

each state, city, and locality. Also knowing

local laws, ordinance, and the permitting

process is essential.

An agreed upon price and scope with the

insurance company is the next step. As

previously stated, most hail claims are

undervalued by the insurance company.

Although the negotiation process can be

lengthy, most of the time the gap can be

bridged. If not, the appraisal clause in the

policy can be initiated, and a neutral umpire

can facilitate the process.

The material selection process begins. Since

the association now has new funds to

improve the property, a good contractor with

product knowledge will recommend the

latest colors and materials to enhance the

value of the property.

The build phase begins. Depending on the size of

the property, this can take a few months.

Preconstruction meetings with the board and

homeowners will take place, going over safety and

logistical planning to ensure best practices are in

place.

With how unpredictable the weather patterns

have been, it's only a matter of time when this

affects you and your homeowners. Be ready!

Wayne Srsen

Strategic Partnership Developer

American Building Contractors

IGC Partner for Roofing in the Suburbs

Cell: 952-292-5677

Office: 877-847-8444

Email: Wayne@abc-usa.com

www.abcwillhelp.com


16


FIRSTSERVICE

CONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE

CHECK YOUR INBOX

The more we know the better we are, every two

weeks on the 1st and 15th, be on the lookout for

Email Briefs from FSCM! These short email reads

contain helpful nuggets of information related to

common property issues in the suburbs and city.

NEED EVICTION HELP?

RECENT PROJECTS

Spoerlien Farms

We performed a major roofing project spanning

20 buildings. Services included the following:

Roof replacement

Ventilation enhancements

Siding replacement

Masonry repairs

FSCM is familiar with the eviction process in many

surrounding counties. We meet the Sheriff at the

residence at a designated date/time. Move all items

to the driveway and change the locks. We return the

following day to remove and dispose of items that

have been left. In the event the HO wants to pay, we

remain in contact with the PM/attorney and the

sheriff will let us know when the attorney's office

has received the payment, at which point we stop

the eviction process. We also winterize when

necessary. In addition, we can usually make the unit

rental ready. We also send a Summary Report with

pictures and invoice to the property manager.

Contact

Elise Mallon

elise.mallon@fsresidential.com

Shannon Skeekls

shannon.skeels@fsresidential.com


17


FIRSTSERVICE ENERGY

FIRSTSERVICE INSURANCE

To enhance our property management

business by leading our clients to

reduce energy consumption, cost, and

emissions.

FirstService Energy (FSE) was

established to help our clients

significantly enhance their building’s

efficiency by providing data and support

to boards and managers to drive

informed decision making.

Below are some services we provide:

Energy procurement

Education and training

Utility bill auditing

Energy assessment & advisory

FirstService Financial (FFI) offers

comprehensive financial services

exclusively to properties managed by

FirstService Residential. Our goal is to

provide exceptional financial value to

the associations we serve.

Below is a list of our services.

Banking Programs

Reserve Program

Lockbox Program

Cash Reserve Program

Lending Services for Associations

Insurance Programs

Commercial Insurance Products

Premium Financing

Learn more about FirstService Energy

Contact Information:

killeen.mcdonald@firstserviceenergy.com

212 .324.9627

Learn more about FirstService Financial

Contact Information:

sean.gaynor@firstservicefinancial.com

312.231.9447


18


BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

NEW PROPERTIES!

Freemont Junction

Condominium Association

248 Units

3600 Lake Shore Drive

Condominium Association

640 Units

UPCOMING BUSINESS

DEVELOPMENT EVENTS

Throughout the year Business Development

and Marketing sponsor local events from the

suburbs to the city. Associates are encouraged

to participate by volunteering and/or visiting

events!

Naperville Food Truck Festival

Date: May 6, 2023

Time: 12pm - 7pm

Location: Naper Settlement 523 South Webster

Street Naperville, IL 60540

Click HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS!


19


IT

ARE YOU ONEDRIVE SAVVY?

Many of us have heard of OneDrive but

don’t know the amazing features it has to

offer. OneDrive allows you to backup all

your files. Anything that is stored on the

OneDrive can be accessed from your

computer, tablet, mobile device or basically

anything that allows you to connect to the

internet. You can share those documents

with internal and external user. As a team

you can edit the documents. You can also

decide who gets what access to the file and

remove that access at any time. OneDrive is

a great tool to keep your important

information safe and secure in the cloud.

Signing into OneDrive on your computer

Click on Start and search for OneDrive

Once you click on OneDrive it might ask you to

sign in. If it signs you in automatically you can

skip these steps.

For the rest of this step-by-step guide click

here to view and/or download the helpsheet.

IT HOUSEKEEPING

SPAM HAPPENS...

If you receive a suspicious email IT is here to

help. All suspicious emails can be forwarded to

spambox@fsresidential.com for review.

IT TICKET SUBMISSIONS

For all IT related issue please submit tickets to

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

(fsresidential.com) or Call our National

Helpdesk at (844) 722-6898


20


@FirstServiceResidentialIllinois

@FirstServiceResidentialIllinois

OneVoice Newsletter_March_2023

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