The Myth of “Just Call the Office”: Why Tenants Hate Phone-Only Communication
There’s a phrase that’s been used in property management forever:
“Just call the office.”
It sounds reasonable.
But in today’s market, it’s quietly becoming one of the biggest barriers to good service — and one of the biggest causes of frustration for both tenants and PM teams.
Because tenants don’t want to call.
And property managers don’t have time to answer.
Yet agencies still build their leasing process around phone communication as if it’s the most efficient option.
It isn’t.
It’s the most disruptive.
The truth: tenants avoid calling whenever they can
Think about how people operate now.
They don’t call banks.
They don’t call airlines.
They don’t call retail stores.
They use:
instant messaging
FAQs
booking links
chat support
self-service portals
Calling is what people do when everything else fails.
So when your leasing workflow forces tenants to call for basic information, you’re already creating friction.
Not because they’re lazy — but because phone calls are inconvenient, slow, and unpredictable.
The tenant experience of calling a property manager
From the tenant’s perspective, a phone-only system feels like this:
They call during a break
The line is busy
They call again
It goes to voicemail
They leave a message
They don’t know if anyone heard it
They call again tomorrow
By the time you respond, they’ve already:
inspected another property
asked another agency
started an application elsewhere
In other words — the call requirement doesn’t filter tenants.
It filters opportunities.
The property manager experience is just as bad
Now let’s look at the agency side.
Most PM teams already operate under constant interruption:
one urgent call
one maintenance issue
one landlord question
one tenant dispute
one inspection interruption
one more call
Phone calls create two problems at once:
They interrupt your workflow
They repeat the same questions over and over
So the PM team gets buried under high-volume, low-value communication — and then gets blamed for not replying fast enough.
It’s an impossible loop.
Most calls are not complex — they’re repetitive
Here’s what most tenants call about:
When is it available?
Can I inspect today?
Is it furnished?
Are pets allowed?
What’s the lease term?
How do I apply?
Can you send the link?
These are fair questions.
But they’re also questions that should never require a phone call in the first place.
Because if a tenant has to call to find these answers, it means the process is designed around staff time — instead of designed around tenant clarity.
Modern agencies don’t rely on phone calls — they reduce them
The best agencies don’t remove communication.
They redesign it.
They build systems that:
answer common questions instantly
provide links automatically
confirm the next step clearly
let tenants self-serve basic information
reduce phone traffic to only the conversations that actually need a human
That means less stress, fewer interruptions, and a smoother leasing experience.
Because phone calls should be for exceptions — not for the everyday.
Why CrayonsCRM exists
CrayonsCRM was built because PM teams deserve better than being trapped in constant phone-based chaos.
If the system can:
answer repetitive questions instantly
guide tenants through the process
handle enquiries when your team is busy
reduce interruptions and follow-ups
…then property managers can focus on what actually matters: delivering great service and managing real issues.
Discover CrayonsCRM — built for property managers by property managers.