At Keystone, we pride ourselves on taking full advantage of modern technologies to help our property managers and HOA management support staff provide superior customer service. None of this would be possible without the involvement of our expert IT team.
Keystone’s Information Systems Coordinator, Sam Morng, is an outstanding example of a dedicated problem-solver who helps us use technology to become more efficient and attentive to our customers’ needs. His duties run the gamut: connecting printers, setting up laptops, answering staff technical questions, migrating all of the information from clients’ community websites onto Keystone’s servers, implementing updates as needed and keeping an eye on potential tech issues to prevent them from becoming full-blown problems.
Sam’s proactive supervision was recently put to the test when he identified a third-party plug-in used by many of our clients’ websites that was found to be vulnerable to possible security breach. After researching the issue thoroughly and determining that no solution had yet been found, Sam reached out to the plug-in developer and worked alongside their team to patch up the exploit, thus protecting our clients (and all others using the plug-in) from vulnerability. Director of Information Systems, Ken Wright, sums it up by saying, “Sam personifies customer service to our residents and team members. He always goes above and beyond to guarantee a successful outcome.”
Though Sam began his career with Keystone in the accounting department, he quickly realized that his technical skills could support Keystone’s evolution as a tech-forward HOA management company. He sees massive opportunity for modern technology to improve the industry as a whole. Sam explains, “What was once done on spreadsheets, word documents and emails – in other words, very time-consuming, manual processes – can now be automated and streamlined. This lets the management team do what they do best: spend their time focusing on helping HOAs achieve their goals. Lots of people tend to stick with what they are already used to, but I believe that if we can make it easy for managers and HOAs to understand the benefits of emerging tech in their day-to-day tasks, they’ll be more likely to adopt new technologies that will improve their workflows right away.”
That said, sometimes users can become frustrated with their technology. This is where Sam’s professionalism shines. “I know that sometimes people can become overwhelmed, which is why it’s so important to keep a positive attitude,” he says. “I’m always listening closely to all the details of what a client or Keystone employee needs. Otherwise, I may miss an opportunity to solve the problem more efficiently or provide a better experience.” Keystone’s Marketing Analyst, Alex Lucht, agrees. “Sam understands what we’re trying to implement, both internally and with Keystone clients. He’s able to translate his technical knowledge for someone who doesn’t work in information technology. This is a rare and valuable skill.”
One of Sam’s favorite parts of the job is working with the HOA managers and discovering the complexities of their jobs. From there, he is able to connect the dots between areas for increased improvement and existing and emerging tech tools. Sam is spearheading our integration of Microsoft Flow into our management process. He says, “After conducting lots of research, I’m excited about how it will allow for things like editable PDFs and automated workflows that can dramatically reduce the amount of repetitive or unnecessary steps to streamline decision-making and allow us to onboard new clients more quickly.”
Though Sam is happily celebrating ten years with Keystone, one of his next goals is to implement a system where knowledge is easily shared among the IS and IT Departments, as well as the rest of Keystone staff. “I’m a firm believer in the idea of ‘teaching a man to fish’,” Sam explains. “I want to empower all Keystone staff and clients to feel more comfortable using all the tools that they have at their disposal. The more I discover, the more I can share with others.”
Thanks for staying so plugged in to the tech world, Sam! Looking forward to another successful decade with you (if we’re not all holograms by then…)