The final days of each year usher in festivities and optimism for a new year. Unfortunately, they can also spark a bit of chaos. Annual, quarterly, and monthly assessments converge at the start of the year, bringing payment questions just as holiday schedules leave teams stretched. At FRONTSTEPS, we call it the Super Bowl of Payments.
This year, you have time to prepare before the phones start ringing. Here’s your game plan.
Start Your Outreach Now
Give homeowners time to log in, choose a payment method, and ask questions.
- Now: Send your “Get Ready” email. Explain upcoming assessments, online payments, and autopay setup.
- After Thanksgiving: Send an “Upcoming Payments” reminder. Repeat deadlines, payment options, and answers to common questions.
- Mid-December: Send a “Final Call” message. Include the payment link and a clear reminder of when payment is due.
Use consistent instructions across emails, statements, and your portal so residents can find the same answer wherever they look. Schedule these messages in advance, then check that each community’s amounts and dates are accurate.
Help Homeowners Move Beyond Paper Checks
Many management companies are moving away from checks toward ACH and other electronic payments. If your communities are making that change, explain it before homeowners reach for their checkbooks.
Spell out which methods are available, when any changes take effect, applicable fees, and where residents can get setup help. FRONTSTEPS Payments supports ACH, credit and debit cards, and mobile wallets. Encourage residents to review recurring payment settings when assessment amounts change.
Offer setup help early for residents who are unfamiliar with online payments, so their first attempt doesn’t happen on the deadline.
Put ALLi on Your Team
FRONTSTEPS ALLi helps managers find payment information inside FRONTSTEPS Manager through plain-language questions. Less time searching means more time helping the resident waiting for an answer.
ALLi Enterprise gives homeowners around-the-clock help on your website and in the Community portal. Residents can ask about deadlines and payment instructions using the policies and FAQs your team supplies. Update those materials before reminders go out. When ALLi can’t confidently answer, it directs residents to your chosen contact, keeping your team involved when a question needs personal attention.
Hold a Payment Huddle Before Kickoff
Review accepted payment methods, deadlines, and escalation contacts together. Decide who handles failed payments, duplicate transactions, and questions about pending payments so staff know where to turn.
FRONTSTEPS is hosting a payment-season webinar on November 11th and December 9th at 1PM MT to help your team get game-ready. Join our payments experts to talk through common challenges, ask questions, and get practical guidance before the year-end rush. Bring the payment scenarios your team wants to get ahead of, and let’s work through them together!
- Thousands of hours saved each year in administrative work
- Fewer homeowner complaints thanks to better communication and responsiveness
- Happier staff who work with technology, not against it
Run Your Final Readiness Check
- Verify assessment amounts, due dates, and reminder settings.
- Check owner contact information and portal access.
- Make payment links easy to find.
- Assign daily monitoring for failed payments, disputes, and deposits.
Test the homeowner’s route from reminder to payment page, including links opened on a mobile phone. A quick walkthrough can reveal confusing steps.
Start now, and your team can spend payment season helping homeowners instead of scrambling for instructions. Request a demo to see how FRONTSTEPS can support your communities through the year-end rush.
